RRAF Omega Speedmaster Mark II (1971)

£ 2,750
This is a very rare military issued Speedmaster: the watch was issued to a pilot or navigator in the Royal Rhodesian Air Force (RRAF) in around 1971. The case back is engraved with the RRAF stores code - 6b/NIV189 is the identifier for a flight worn chronograph wrist watch, 243/71 is the individual issue number for the watch (i.e. watch #243 issued in 1971).

The watch is accompanied by an extract from Omega's archive, which records that it was delivered to South Rhodesia. The RRAF had fairly close links with the British RAF in the 1940s and 50s and indeed quite a few of the issued watches one encounters from this country were the same as those issued to the RAF (the Omega 6b//542 which we also have available is an example of this).


The military connection adds an additional layer of interest that what is an extremely iconic watch: the Omega Speedmaster was selected by Nasa for astronauts to use during the Apollo space program and was worn on the surface of the moon by Buzz Aldrin (Neil Armstrong left his Speedmaster aboard the lunar module due to problems with the electronic timing system). This particular Speedmaster was

The Speedmaster is a chronograph that can be used to time events of up to 12 hours duration. The Mark II version of the Speedmaster was introduced in 1969. The stainless steel case is heavy and has a very solid solid feel - I guess the watch equivalent of the 60s and 70s muscle cars.

The watch is powered by the Omega calibre 861 which was a joint development between Omega and Lemania. The movement is extremely well made and proved itself a reliable performer in the Omega lineup for many years, indeed this family of movements remained in production for nearly 30 years.

The watch has been serviced and regulated, I have left in place the original mineral glass - it has some slight scratches and a chip at 12 hours, but it feels correct for what is an authentic piece of military equipment (also the glass is simple to replace and the new owner can chose to do that if they wish). It comes with the original strap which is still in very serviceable condition (it’s adjustable for wrists diameters from about 170mm up to 210mm). The case has been cleaned. Time keeping is superb as one would expect from a watch is this calibre.

Specifications:
Case diameter (excluding winding crown): 43mm
Case material: stainless steel with stainless steel bracelet
Strap width: 18mm
Time keeping: grade A
Case diameter (excluding winding crown): 32mm

Case material: 9 carat gold (hallmarked Edinburgh 1955)

Strap width: 16mm

Time keeping: grade A

We aim to dispatch all watch orders within 2-3 working days, where this isn't possible, we will try to inform you via email.

When your order is dispatched your tracking details will be updated.

Please allow extra processing time for watches with a customised engraving or strap, during busy sales periods this can sometimes take an extra 5-10 working days.

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Shipping guide for watches:

UK: FREE DPD shipping, 1-2 working days
United States & Canada: FREE Fedex shipping, 1-3 working days
The EU: FREE DHL Express shipping, 1-3 working days

Click here to see the full shipping guide for watches

Shipping guide for straps (unless purchased with a watch): 

Free Royal Mail 1st Class / International tracked shipping, 2-14 working days depending on location. You can see a more accurate timescale when you input your address at the checkout.

Shipping guide for t-shirts

All t-shirts on our website are now printed and shipped by an external supplier inside the UK. This means that if you place an order for both a watch and a t-shirt, they will be shipped separately.

Our supplier uses a Royal Mail tracked service for all shipments and this usually takes a little longer than our watches. You can see an estimated timescale when you input your address at the checkout.

 

Please note, during busy sale periods dispatch may take a little longer (this is quite rare). These delivery times are a guide based on the carriers terms of service, products may, in some unusual cases take longer to arrive. If this happens, please get in touch. 

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