The Omega Speedmaster Mark III reference 176.002 was introduced in 1971, the first Speedy to feature an Automatic movement. And at nearly 17mm deep deep and weighing over 150 grams on its original bracelet, this watch makes a statement, even today. Those with small wrists might feel the watch is wearing them rather than the other way round, but if you like either the 1970s, or big watches, you have to check this version of one of the world’s truly great timepieces.

With old Speedmasters (and its sister Flightmaster), one often finds that at some point, it’s been serviced/refurbished and the case has been repolished to a mirror like sheen. This is plain wrong. One of the stand out features of our example is the untouched matt like finish of the case. A watch this big will inevitably get bumped and scratched but given that it is approaching its 50th birthday; it remains in very good condition. And then there is that beautiful blue dial…..

The mineral glass is in excellent condition with only very minor marks and shows off the dial whenever it catches the light. The E2 version dial has small tritium lume plots have degraded but this isn’t a major distraction given their size. The hands are all in great shape too, and the orange Chrono minute hand stands out against the blue background of the face. The date window is clean (another first for a Speedmaster was the inclusion of a date function).

As stated earlier, the case has marks around the edges. The caseback has the Seamaster logo and only light scratches. Why Seamaster? Officially the Speedmaster was/is a subset of the Seamaster line.

As always with our watches, study the photos and you will be able to see for yourself, the good and not so good elements of all the watches we sell.

The crown and two pushers all look original and work well with a good resounding, firm push/click when you press them.

If you know your watches, the name Lemania is always good to come across. The Omega automatic movement used here (Cal.1040) was a joint venture with lemania who referred to it as caliber 1341.

The original(?) Omega bracelet, reference 1162 is in good condition with some stretch; but there’s life still left in it!

Omega only made these Speedmasters for a few years. Ours is a later model having been made sometime around 1973.

Omega make numerous heritage reissues of their most famous models. That’s not a criticism of a brand we love. Which manufacturer doesn’t make use of an illustrious past?

Will they ever produce a modern version of the Mark III with that case? We don’t know, but until they do, if you want a watch that will stand out every time you wear it and is a guaranteed conversation piece, you can do a lot worse than the Omega Speedmaster Professional Mark III to give it its full title.