Grail-Level Speedmaster: the BA145.022

In my theoretical holy trinity of Speedmasters, this BA would feature alongside the radial Alaska III. Third place is yet to be decided between the Silver Snoopy or original CK2915 broad arrow. Why does a 145.022 in gold carry such weight? It’s the story.

To commemorate the moon landing, the US government hosted a dinner with President Nixon and the Apollo 11 astronauts. All were presented with the BA145.022, the first-ever gold version of the Speedmaster that had seen them to the moon. The watch was a limited run of 1014: 11 for the US superstars, 3 for Omega, and 1000 to the public. It’s a sort of luxurious ode to the tool-watch that helped land man on the moon. And boy has it aged well in the decades since 1969.

Aside from Phillips and Sotheby’s, you almost never see these in the market. This example is so clean you would be forgiven for thinking it was a moonshine re-edition at a glance. The onyx indices, gold dial, and faded burgundy DON90 bezel ooze charisma. This bracelet style affectionately became known as the Nixon amongst Speedmaster addicts and it’s one of the greats. I’d have this over a jubliee any day of the week. Everything is original and the hand-engraved case back is remarkable sharp still today. In fact, the whole case is sharp (particularly when you consider how soft 18k gold actually is). This is a bewitching example.

Usually, I don’t feature watches from big-media shops like Hodinkee or Revolution because they get enough attention as is. Rarely is there market value to the customer. But I’d like to ask your forgiveness because this BA is exceptional and I can make a case for value. Today, 6263s, 6239s, and 6241s sell casually for half-a-million. I think there’s a lot more sex-appeal, story, and significance locked up in a BA Speedy. Yet, they’re trading around one-tenth that price. Mark my words, they won’t for long.

Every day it seems my holy trinity of Speedmasters moves a little further beyond my reach. If this BA is within your reach, its a smart-money move. Just know I may resent you out of childish envy.

Find this BA145.022 here from Revolution in Singapore for 55000 USD.