A 1967 Omega Speedmaster ‘Ed White’ With Pulsations Bezel

With Labor Day passing and the unofficial end of summer here in the US, these first few weeks of September can feel like a period of winding down from highs. While we all kick back and relax before buckling down into the end of 2022, the selection of vintage watches in the bestbuycheap.ru Shop is poised to ramp up. Over the next few weeks, our team will be offering more great examples of the most asked-about vintage watches. In search of an early glossy-dial Explorer ref. 1016? We’ve got you covered this week. Did you miss our Gubelin “Andretti” Autavia – or maybe you’ve been waiting for a special vintage Day-Date? Stay tuned.
This week, ten fresh vintage watches hit the Hodinkee Shop. The selection is broad, including everything from a Certina made for Volvo’s 50th Anniversary to an 18k yellow gold Vacheron Constantin with striking rear-mounted lugs. The Vintage Team takes their picks here, with Saori Omura bringing a very special Speedy to the table, Rich picking a tropical-dialed Zenith A384, and Sean has the classic Hodinkee crowd covered with a 1940s UG Tri-Compax. Read on for the full story – and you can also check out all the vintage watches available in the Hodinkee Shop, right here.
1967 Omega Speedmaster ‘Ed White’ Ref. 105.003-65 With Pulsations Bezel
Among the large repertoire of designs in the history of Speedmasters, the “Ed White” is a standout because it has the best combination of vintage Speedmaster elements. The nickname comes from the American astronaut Edward Higgins White II, who, in 1965, was the first American astronaut to complete extra-vehicular activity wearing this reference on a long velcro strap around his spacesuit.
First off, it’s not noticeable at first, but if you look at the watch closely, it has very strong, straight lugs instead of the more widely known twisted lyre lugs, which appeared a few years later. It’s one of those differences people know to appreciate if they know about vintage Speedmasters. It also has the applied Omega logo with the caliber 321 movement, compared to the printed Omega logo with the caliber 861 movement in the later models. It’s simply a sharp-looking watch, inside and out.
The part that will throw most people off is the Pulsations bezel. It’s a rare bezel variant that was offered as an option to the buyers at the time. Though the Speedmasters have long been associated with US space missions, the French text, “Gradué pour 15 pulsations,” sort of gives a Swiss nod to this watch. I like the international feel and how the bezel is very purpose-driven at the same time. I’d say you can never go wrong with a Speedmaster, and I’m always tempted when I see one. That sense of self-satisfaction at having something subtly different, something which most people won’t recognize, is what I live for, and this watch checks that box for me. Click here to get all of the details on this great vintage Speedy.