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Lot Essay
During the 1970s Cold War between the powers of the Western Bloc (the United States, its NATO allies, and others) and those of the Eastern Bloc (the Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact allies), NASA developed a project to establish a link in space between an American Apollo spacecraft and a Soviet Soyuz spacecraft. The mission successfully took place in July 1975. To mark this important historical event, Omega's exclusive Italian distributor, De Marchi, released a very limited edition of 500 Speedmaster watches one year later, each featuring the commemorative Apollo-Soyuz emblem on the dial.
This was the first limited edition Omega watch in steel, with all 500 examples destined for the Italian market. These watches are identifiable by the encircled letter ‘I’ on the case back, followed by the production number and the Omega symbol.
This particular limited edition stands apart from other Omega Speedmasters in that, instead of the typical ‘Speedmaster’ designation on the dial, it features the Apollo-Soyuz mission emblem. Another notable feature is the unusually large 5.5 mm chronograph pushers. It is also distinguished by its 1168 ‘Oyster-style’ bracelet, which was original to this edition and believed to have been used on very few other references during the 1970s.
This was the first limited edition Omega watch in steel, with all 500 examples destined for the Italian market. These watches are identifiable by the encircled letter ‘I’ on the case back, followed by the production number and the Omega symbol.
This particular limited edition stands apart from other Omega Speedmasters in that, instead of the typical ‘Speedmaster’ designation on the dial, it features the Apollo-Soyuz mission emblem. Another notable feature is the unusually large 5.5 mm chronograph pushers. It is also distinguished by its 1168 ‘Oyster-style’ bracelet, which was original to this edition and believed to have been used on very few other references during the 1970s.