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- 1977 Omega Speedmaster Professional Quartz - FULL SET - Ref. 186.0004
1977 Omega Speedmaster Professional Quartz - FULL SET - Ref. 186.0004
A fine and rare Omega Speedmaster Professional with its original box & papers.
WHY IS THIS WATCH SPECIAL
This is the only Speedmaster to be produced with a quartz movement in a Moonwatch Professional case. This was model ST 186.0004 nicknamed LCD Moonwatch by the community. Unnumbered, the production ran only over a year and a half period, in the late seventies, from 1977 to 1979.
The cal. 1620, developed by Omega and SSIH (later to become SMH). Although it has only basic functions by today’s standards, it is neverthless still a very accurate watch, capable of 0.15 seconds per day, or 5 seconds per month.
This is better than a lot of quartz watches available even now. The very good accuracy is due to the high quality quartz resonator used, manufactured in-house by SSIH. You can find more information on this rare chronograph here: https://www.omegalcdspeedmaster.com/
This particular LCD Moonwatch is extremely well preserved, never polished and without noticeable scratches furthermore it comes as a 'Full Set' with its original box & guarantee, a collectors must have !
THE STORY
The Olympic Games – where millions of fans are eager for the thrills and spills of competition sport. Here the supreme arbiter is timekeeping and It must not fail, falter or fumble. Things have truly changed since 1932 when, for the first time, Omega timed the Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
In 1952, responding inventively to the demands of constantly improving sports performance, Omega pioneered the development of electronically assisted sports timekeeping.
Behind the scenes at the Olympic games, a squad of electronics engineers supervised the complex and extremely refined timekeeping equipment. Tailored to individual Olympic disciplines, the equipment was designed to display both the intermediate and final times directly to television screens across across the world to 1/100th of a second; the degree of precision prescribed by the organizing committee for the Games. Omega technicians themselves are monitored performances to 1/1000th of a second!
Everyone appreciated the spectacular mastery of quartz electronic precision during the Olympic games. It stands to reason that a similar commitment to this sophisticated technology came about in the form of a personal, wrist-worn, quartz-piloted instrument: the Omega digital watch.
In 1974, Omega released a series of Speedmasters signed ‘Speedsonic’ (not Speedmaster) and being significantly water resistant they came with Seamaster-signed case backs. The came with the calibre 1255, essentially the ESA 9162/9164 with a chronograph module added, and were designed by Max Hetzel who had previously worked for Bulova.
The Speedsonic is one of the few watches in the Speedmaster family to be certified as a Chronometer. The quartz models, released a few years after the introduction of the Speedsonic, certainly could have qualified but were never submitted for testing.In 1977 watches with the 1620 quartz calibre began to appear with the ref. ST 186.0004. These watches had a digital LCD display and were accurate to 5 seconds per month. They had the typical 1970s quartz digital watch look you’d expect of the period. Some versions were signed Speedmaster Professional Quartz (nicknamed the Pro Quartz), others simply Speedmaster Quartz. Omega produced eight variations of these watches in total, with differences in the shape of the case, gold plating and bracelet vs. strap.
Interestingly, Omega stopped producing the Speedmaster Quartz watches after only about 18 months.
THE DATA
- Maker: Omega
- Model: Speedmaster Professional Quartz (Aka 'LCD Moonwatch')
- Reference: 186.0004
- Year: 1977
- Material: Stainless Steel
- Dimentions (WxHxT): 36,5x42,2x9mm
- Caliber: In House Omega 1620
- Bracelet/Strap: Original Omega stainless steel
- Lug width: 18mm
- Box/Papers: Original Omega box & Guarantee
THE IMPORTANT DETAILS
This watch is in near to mint condition. The case is extremely well preserved, the stainless steel strap in very long and not stretched. All parts are original and every function works properly.
This is a very unusual and collectible Omega Speedmaster that will draw the attention of watch enhousiasts for sure. This scarce chronograph comes with its original box and 1977 Omega guarantee.
It has a nice presence on the wrist with its 36,5mm case and steel bracelet, perfect for everyday wear.