Written by Chuck Maddox  (cmaddox@xnet.com)

on 24 April, 2000, certain rights reserved.

Last Revised: 6 February, 2004 14:55 GMT

Photo by Edwin Leung

"The Omega Speedmaster 125 is a very special watch. Very few were made. Not only is it an automatic chronograph, but it also carries the certificate of the Swiss Institutes for Official Chronometer Tests. This means that along the will all the practical advantages of a true chronograph, the Speedmaster 125 has the uncompromising timekeeping efficiency of an official chronometer.

 

Omega has designed the Speedmaster 125 as a commemorative watch for it's 125th anniversary. It is the latest in the Speedmaster line, the most distinguished family of the watches in Omega's history."

-- Excerpt from the Omega Speedmaster 125 Instruction manual

 (Quotation Courtesy of Simon Debrux)

Contents:

Top of Article

Quotation

Table of Contents:

Background

Operation

My acquisition

Living with the 125:

General Impressions

Case

Case back

Dial

Optional Bezels

Movement

Bracelets

Water Resistance

Dimensions

Place in Speedmaster Line

Valuation

Parts Availability

Closing

Speedmaster 125 Q&A

Rouge's Gallery

Owner's thoughts...

Addendum

Acknowledgments

Permissions/Rights

Disclaimer

Main features of the Speedmaster 125
   

---

-- Diagram inspired by one in the original manual

Three position signed Omega crown:
   

Position 1 (normal operating position):

For occasional rewinding of the watch if it has not been warn for 48 hours or more.

Position 2 (For Instant Date Setting):

Pull crown out to position 2 and turn the crown clockwise until the date indicated in the calendar window (4 in diagram at left) is correct. Note: Before you try to set the date, make sure that the time on the watch is between 3 o'clock and 8 o'clock so that you avoid binding the automatic date change mechanism with the quick change mechanism.

Position 3 (Time Setting):

Pull crown out to position and turn the crown until both the main dial hands (1: Hour, 2: Minute) and the 24-Hour arrow (5) are properly set.

 

Other items indicated in this diagram:

1: Hour Hand, 2: Minute Hand, 3: Second hand (in sub-register at 9 o'clock), 4: Calendar Date window, 5: 24-Hour Arrow, 6: Chronograph Second Indicator, 7: Chronograph Minute Indicator, 8: Chronograph Hour Indicator. Pusher A: starts and stop's and restarts the Chronograph, Pusher B: Resets the Chronograph after the Chronograph has been stopped.

Having said all of the above, the operation is very simple if one is accustomed to using a Chronograph. The only true complications over a Speedmaster moonwatch, for example, are the Date function and the 24-hour indication register.

 

When one is setting the time on the watch one has to remember to make sure that the 24-Hour indication is properly set for AM (0-12 Hours) or PM (13-24 Hours). Aside from indicating the (local) military time, this sub-dial is very useful for determining what time it is elsewhere in the world. For example, if the watch is properly set to London time, and one knows the time differential to Amsterdam is +1, Hong Kong is +12, and Chicago is -6, one can simply visually count +1, +12, and (counterclockwise) -6 around the 24-Hour Dial to determine the local time in those cities.

Setting the calendar date is also trivially easy. While the watch is a quite complicated one from the watchmaker or jeweler's viewpoint, it's operation is in reality quite simple to the owner/wearer. Only Triple-Date and Triple date Moonphase, and rattapante chronographs are more complex in operation than this model.

The long and winding road to acquisition:

 

I had become aware of the existence of the 125 shortly after I got into the watch collecting hobby in a big way in the winter of 1998-1999. I first became aware of it an it's history from the Omega Designs Book. When I read that the production run was so small and considered that 25 years had past I had assumed that my chances of ever locating one, and one in an acceptable condition at a reasonable price were small next to nil. Further investigation of various on-line jeweler's and auction sites turned up that while the 125 wasn't readily available obtaining one was a genuine possibility.

 

Nevertheless, because I have fairly finicky tastes, the 125 wasn't the highest priority in my collection. I personally prefer chronographs with 3 sub-registers. Which leads to an interesting discussion about what is and isn't a 3-Register watch. Personally I refer to chronographs with 3-sub dials as 3-register chronographs. There is another camp that calls a Chronograph that is capable of recording the elapsed time in hours, minutes and seconds as being 3-register... With this definition, a watch with 2 sub-registers (hours and minutes) but no small seconds are considered 3-register chronographs as well. About a year ago I purchased a 2-sub dial watch which sported a central minute register, thus it in essence qualified as a 3-register even though it had only 2 sub-dials. It got me to thinking that bumping the Speedmaster 125 up a couple of notches on my "wanted list" was justified.

I had seen a couple of 125's in the spring of 1999 go on eBay in the mid to high $800 US range. With an idea of what I was willing to pay I placed a bid on a particularly nice 125 from a seller in San Francisco in May of 1999 at $925 or so. At the last minute I was outbid and someone else won the auction. As I had several other auctions I was bidding on at the time that amount was as high as I felt I could go for that piece, still pay what I thought was a reasonable price and still be able to bid on the other items I was interested in which were higher up on my "wanted list". Before long I wished I had continued bidding. After that auction concluded there was a dry spell of over two months when you couldn't find a 125 for love nor money. One appeared and went for $1,500 US another appeared and was went for $1,800 US. When another one appeared on eBay just after this second one I entered the bidding and was successful at $ 1,375 US. I took the precaution of e-mailing the seller before bidding and he assured me that the bracelet would fit me, with 8"/19.5 cm wrists this is an important consideration. The upshot is that while I am very pleased with my purchase, it is important to not always be "penny-wise" when purchasing a watch. I know that the inclination is to wait for another one, but sometimes it may turn out better to give a little.

Speedmaster 125 from San Francisco I passed on...

Living with the Speedmaster 125:

General Impressions:

OK, if there is one word to describe the Speedmaster 125 it is Massive. Both in physical size and in weight the Speedmaster 125 is a big watch anyway you look at it. A detailed listing of the Speedmaster 125's dimensions follows in it's own section. But to sum up, it's by far the heaviest and in some dimensions the largest watch I own. It's almost 20 grams heavier than my next heaviest watch. I have read that the current model Seamaster Professional Chronograph in Stainless Steel is more than 20 grams heavier (my Seamaster Pro Chronograph is Titanium so I can't confirm this). Describing how it feels to have the 125 on your wrist is fairly easy. It's like attaching an ingot of heavy steel on your wrist. This is not a watch for the weak of heart or limb. Having said that, it's not an uncomfortable watch to wear, but rather it is not likely you will mistake it's feel for any other watch you own. You get used to the weight but you always know that it is there. Did I mention it was HUGE? =)

Case:

The watch has a very "rectangular" feel to it. It's not beveled or contoured like certain other Omega models, such as the Flightmaster, that might allow it to blend into your wrist. As a result it tends to stick up noticeably from ones wrist and in addition to potentially attracting accidental contact with door jambs and wall, it might be difficult to wear under a long-sleeve shirt cuff.

Another feature of the Speedmaster 125 is that the Movement and crystal can me removed from the case as a single module. This feature also appears on the Speedmaster Automatic c.1045, and the Omega Speedmaster Mark IV.

Photo from Eric Katoso's My Favorite Omega's site...

Case back:

 

The 125 is equipped with a relatively plain Speedmaster case back with the usual "seahorse" emblem. Some examples do have a faint, apparently punched number on the case back. In the case of the author's example the number 1 30x with a space between the 1 and the 30x. I do not know at this time if there is any special significance to the number on the case back. In speaking to the two other 125 owners that I know on the phone, only one of their watches has the inscription, that being 1 36x.

 

 

I asked Vintage Information at Omega.ch for clarification on this point and John Diethelm from Omega.ch replied that " if your personal timepiece has a number " 1308 " this logically means that you own the n° 1308/2000." I would assume that other examples that do not have a similar inscription probably have had the inscription worn off via normal use, or possibly had the case back exchanged at some point.

Dial:

I personally prefer the balance of a 3-sub dial layout. However the 125 provides a great deal of information with it's two sub-dial arrangement. This is due to the fact that small second hand is superimposed with a 24-Hour dial indicator. This is possible by moving the Chronograph minute indication to the center pinion eliminating the need for a minute sub-register. The 24-Hour military time indication is useful for determining the current time in other time zones if one knows the differential. I am a licensed HAM radio operator, so this is useful to me as I live in Chicago and are -6/-5 GMT and I can visually look 6 or 5 hours in advance of the indicated time to determine want is current GMT or UTC is. The chrono hour register is in it's typical 6 o'clock position, and the chrono seconds is also indicated via a hand located on the center pinion.

There is a date window located at the 3 o'clock position. Interestingly enough, did not include a Day window to complement the date window. I do not know why this decision was made. The Speedmaster c.1045 series, several models of which were near contemporaries of the 125 and so equipped. However these models were introduced in 1974, after the 125th anniversary, so I suspect that either the c.1045 movement was not developed enough or it was thought that it would not be easily adaptable to achieve chronometer status which also was a wanted feature.

One feature of the 125's dial makes it unique to non c.321 movement Omega Speedmasters, It features an applied metal logo like pre-Moon Speedmaster's and Seamster's with the c.321 movement. It also has the word "Omega" and "125" also in applied metal. The only part of the logo that is in white paint is the script "Speedmaster".

The applied logo on the Speedmaster dial has the effect of sometimes disappearing depending on the lighting conditions. It is very difficult to get a good picture of all three metal applied inscriptions at the same time. Because of this oftentimes pictures will not capture them. Don't pass up a pictured 125 that doesn't appear to have these elements out of hand... Chances are the effect is caused by a reflection (or lack of reflection) of a dark object.

It is an interesting note that the Speedmaster 125 marks the first, and I believe last use of an applied metal Omega logo on Speedmasters after the switch to the c.861 movement until the 1957 Speedmaster replica was introduced in the late 1990's. It is yet one more way that while Omega was reaching to the future with many innovations it also "tipped it's hat" to the past with some of it's styling influences.

Optional Bezels:
      

View of the Bezel	Bezel Type/Description/Example of Use:
	Basic Scale/Tachoproductometric
	Description: Allows one to compute speeds and machine outputs.   Examples of Use: 1) To calculate the speed of a car over a known distance press the top chronograph button when entering the fixed distance press it again when the fix distance. If the time elapsed is 45 seconds the second hand points to the figure 80 on the Tachy scale. If the fixed distance is a Kilometer then the car is traveling 80 kilometers per hour. If the distance covered is a mile, then the speed is indicated in Miles per hour. 2) To calculate the output of a machine, start the chronograph and count a set number of units made, at the end of this number stop the chronograph. If you counted to 1,000 and the second hand points to 75 on the Tachy ring, the machine's hourly output is 75 time 100 or 7,500 units per hour.
	Telemetric (offered in both kilometers/miles)
	Description: The Telemetric scale is graduated to indicate the speed of sound in air. This allows the user to calculate the distance between the observer and a situation that is observable both visually and audibly. Description of Operation: On an optical signal, start the chronograph. When you hear the sound stop the chronograph. The number indicated at the distance in kilometers or miles (depending on scale).   Examples of Use: At the flash of a bolt of lightning start the chronograph. Stopping the chronograph when you hear the thunder (in the case of the diagram at left at 5 Seconds) will indicate on the Telemetre ring 1.6 km or 1600 meters away from the wearer of the watch. Sounds like a good time to take cover! =)
	Pulsimetric
	Description: The Pulsimetric scale is graduated to indicate the rate of respiration or pulse of a patient. This allows the user to take a pulse or observe a certain number of respirations and read off the correct number of respiration/pulse per minute. Description of Operation: The top chronograph button is pressed at the beginning of a pulse or respiration, it is pressed again when the proper number of pulsations/respirations has occurred. The proper number of pulsations is indicated on the bezel dial.   Examples of Use: At the start of a pulsation the operator starts the chronograph, after the 15th pulse the operator stops the chronograph at 18 seconds. Reading from the stopped second hand to the Pulsimetric scale results in a pulse rate of 50 beats per minute for this patient.
	Decimal
	Description: For industrial timing, statistical analysis, calculation of averages and cost prices the use of decimal division of time is common. Examples of Operation: To measure the length of time it takes to perform any operation start the chronograph when work begins and stop it when the work on the second piece begins. This results in the amount of time to produce a piece.   Examples of Use: If a worker is fitting a bracelet to a watch, an observer starts the chronograph when the worker begins on a unit to be assembled and stops it when the worker begins on the second unit. The time read off the bezel indicates the time this operation took in hundredths of a minute, in the diagram at left 0.28 minutes per piece.
Note:   Although these optional bezels were available options for the Speedmaster 125 while it was shipping from the factory new. In correspondence with John R. Diethelm of Omega Vintage Information he states that neither he or anyone else at the factory remembers any 125 shipping from the factory with a non-tachymetre bezel...   However, below is a picture of a Speedmaster 125 equipped with a Pulsimetric Scale instead of the more common Tachymetre scale. This example probably had the bezel exchanged after it had shipped from Omega. Speedmaster 125 with Pulsimetric Scale Bezel

Movement:

Omega c.1040 Movement		Omega c.1041 Movement
Omega c.1040 Movement as used in the Omega Speedmaster Mark III		Omega c.1041 Movement as used in the Omega Speedmaster 125

The movement used in the Speedmaster is the Omega calibre 1041 which is based on the Lemania calibre 1341 and is an enhancement of Omega's calibre 1040 movement. The c. 1040 movement was first used in the Omega Speedmaster Mark III, but was also used in the Omega Speedmaster Mark IV and several Seamster models of this era (1970-1976). There is not a great deal of difference between the c.1040 and the c.1041 visually... The parts changed are:

 

Plate	Rotor	Chronograph bridge
1041-1000	1041-1026	1041-1037

The movement is stamped adjusted five positions and temperature, the c.1040 does not have this inscription while the c.1041 does.

Bracelets: 

The Speedmaster 125 also was equipped with an integrated bracelet, which was a rare and unusual feature at that time. While I cannot go so far to state that it is impossible to fit a leather strap or a bracelet to a 125, it would take a great deal of engineering and skill to do, and I have never seen the 125 equipped with anything other than one of two different varieties of metal bracelet. This heavy bar-type bracelet was the first bracelet of it's type that Omega offered. After several years Omega introduced a replacement bracelet that seems in 1977. I posted an e-mail to Omega Vintage information and John Diethelm of Omega Public relations was kind enough to reply with the following information:

The original stainless steel bracelet for this watch bears the number "1221/212" fitting the case reference ST 178.0002 = together is the catalog reference of the watch known as "ST 378.0801". In 1977 a new replacement bracelet of ref. "ST 1225/212 " was for technical reasons according to Omega. Probably due to an inability to produce the original bracelet. Spare links are typically not available, except possibly if the entire bracelet is sent to the factory, when it may be possible to "adjust" additional links. From the top the bracelets look identical, but from the underneath they look very distinctively different.

Basic initial Water Resistance:

The basic water-resistance of this watch was tested at the factory, (before delivery !) for 6 atm or 60 meters. And it is clear that such water-resistance will not last for ever! The gaskets have to be replaced regularly or at least during every maintenance service (every 3-4 years depending wear and tear of watch)