The Speedmaster Before the Moon: The 1964 Omega Speedmaster A.C.P. 105.012-63
The Speedmaster Before the Moon: The 1964 Omega Speedmaster A.C.P. 105.012-63
Today, the Omega Speedmaster is almost inseparable from space exploration. Mention the Speedmaster and most collectors immediately think of NASA, Apollo 11, and the Moon.
But before the Speedmaster became the Moonwatch, it was a racing chronograph.
Few watches tell that earlier chapter of the Speedmaster story better than the 1964 Omega Speedmaster Professional A.C.P. Ref. 105.012-63. Produced in an extraordinarily small quantity for the Automóvil Club Peruano, the A.C.P. combines one of the most important references in Speedmaster history with a direct connection to international motorsport.
Only 50 examples were ordered by the Automóvil Club Peruano, making this one of the rarest and most distinctive early Speedmasters ever produced. Omega itself recognizes the 1964 A.C.P. as a specially ordered model and notes that very few are known to survive today.
Before the Speedmaster Went to Space
Omega introduced the Speedmaster in 1957 as a precision chronograph designed with drivers, engineers, athletes, and other professional users in mind. Its most revolutionary visual feature was the placement of the tachymeter scale on the external bezel rather than around the edge of the dial, giving the watch a cleaner and more legible display while making it especially useful for calculating speed over a measured distance.
It was a natural fit for motorsport.
That racing heritage is important when looking at the A.C.P. because these watches were delivered in 1964, immediately before the Speedmaster's identity became permanently tied to NASA and human spaceflight.
The Automóvil Club Peruano was founded in Lima in 1942 to support and promote motorsport in Peru. The organization would later become closely associated with the famous Caminos del Inca rally, first held in 1966.
On July 2, 1964, a batch of just 50 Speedmaster Professional watches was delivered to the Automóvil Club Peruano. Unlike a standard Speedmaster, these watches carried one small but extremely significant addition to the dial:
A.C.P.
Printed directly beneath the familiar Speedmaster Professional signature, those three letters transformed an already historically important Speedmaster into something entirely different.
Why Reference 105.012 Matters
Even without the A.C.P. connection, the 105.012 is one of the most consequential references in the history of the Speedmaster.
Introduced in the early 1960s, the 105.012 brought the Speedmaster much closer to the silhouette collectors recognize today. It introduced the asymmetrical case with protective shoulders surrounding the crown and pushers, along with the twisted or "lyre" lugs that would become a defining feature of the Moonwatch.
The reference was also among the earliest Speedmasters to carry the word "Professional" on its dial.
Then came NASA.
The Speedmaster was officially qualified by NASA for manned space missions in 1965, and references from the 105.012 family would go on to become directly associated with the Apollo program. The same basic reference family that began life firmly connected to motorsport would soon participate in one of humanity's greatest technological achievements.
That timing makes the A.C.P. particularly fascinating. It represents the Speedmaster at the exact point where two identities intersect: the racing chronograph it was originally designed to be and the spaceflight instrument it was about to become.
The A.C.P. Dial
For collectors, much of the importance of the A.C.P. lies in the dial.
At first glance, it resembles other early black Speedmaster Professional dials: a matte black surface, applied Omega logo, contrasting white printing, three recessed registers, and luminous hour markers.
Look closer, however, and the differences become obvious.
Directly beneath the Speedmaster Professional text sits the additional "A.C.P." designation. The bottom of the dial is also signed simply "SWISS MADE", without the later "T" markings associated with tritium-equipped dials.
Research into surviving examples has identified the A.C.P. watches within a remarkably narrow movement-number range in the 20.520.xxx series, adding another important point of verification for collectors.
The example currently offered by us at Belmont Watches carries movement number 20,520,7XX, placing it directly within that documented range. Most importantly, it is accompanied by an Omega Museum Extract from the Archives confirming the A.C.P. dial and its 1964 delivery, providing critical provenance for a watch of this rarity.
The Legendary Calibre 321
Powering the watch is Omega's legendary Calibre 321, a manually wound, 17-jewel column-wheel chronograph movement.
For vintage Speedmaster collectors, few movement designations carry more weight.
The Calibre 321 powered the earliest generations of the Speedmaster and later earned its place in history through the watches used during NASA's space program. Its traditional column-wheel chronograph architecture and historical significance have made the movement one of Omega's most celebrated mechanical calibres.
Inside the A.C.P., however, the Calibre 321 represents the Speedmaster just before that chapter began.
Here it remains what the Speedmaster was originally intended to be: a highly legible, manually wound mechanical chronograph built for timing events on Earth.
Belmont's 1964 A.C.P.
The example currently available through Belmont Watches dates to 1964 and retains the details that make the A.C.P. configuration so important.
Its matte black dial features the applied Omega logo, luminous hour markers, early "SWISS MADE" signature, and the defining A.C.P. text beneath Speedmaster Professional. Surrounding the dial is the highly desirable period Dot Over Ninety — or DON — tachymeter bezel, while the 42mm stainless-steel case houses the Calibre 321 manual-wind chronograph movement.
The watch is currently fitted to a black Bulang & Sons racing strap, an appropriate pairing considering the model's motorsport origins.
Most significantly, the watch is accompanied by its Omega Museum Extract from the Archives confirming its A.C.P. configuration and 1964 delivery.
One of the Rarest Chapters in Speedmaster History
Vintage Speedmasters often derive their importance from their connection to space exploration. The A.C.P. is different.
Its history brings the Speedmaster back to where the story began.
This was a chronograph ordered by an automobile club during the era when the Speedmaster was still establishing itself as a professional timing instrument for motorsport. Fifty examples were delivered. Only a small number have surfaced publicly in the decades since, and Omega retains an example within its own museum collection.
That would make the A.C.P. noteworthy on its own.
But combine that provenance with the importance of the 105.012 reference, the early Professional dial, asymmetrical case, DON bezel, Calibre 321 movement, and documented Omega archive extract, and the result is something much more significant.
The 1964 Omega Speedmaster A.C.P. 105.012-63 isn't simply a rare variation of the Speedmaster.
It is a surviving piece of the brief moment when the Speedmaster's past and future crossed paths — a motorsport chronograph made just before the same family of watches would leave the racetrack behind and head for the Moon.
