The 1969 Omega Speedmaster Professional Ref. 145.022-68 “Transitional” occupies one of the most fascinating positions in Speedmaster history, bridging the early Calibre 321 era with the Moonwatch architecture that would define the model for decades. Although the caseback is stamped “-68,” documented examples were produced and delivered well into 1969. The Transitional retains many coveted characteristics of the preceding 145.012, including a stepped matte-black dial with long tritium hour markers and an applied metal Omega logo rather than the printed logo used on later 145.022 references. It is housed in the familiar 42mm asymmetrical stainless steel case with twisted lugs, Hesalite crystal, and period “Dot Over 90” tachymeter bezel. Its pre-Moon caseback carries the Speedmaster Seahorse emblem without the later lunar-mission inscriptions, making the 145.022-68 visually one of the closest Calibre 861 Speedmasters to the earlier 321-powered watches. Fratello Watches
Inside is the manually wound Omega Calibre 861, and its introduction is what gives the 145.022-68 its “Transitional” nickname. The 17-jewel, cam-actuated chronograph replaced the column-wheel Calibre 321 and increased the operating frequency from 18,000 to 21,600 vibrations per hour, beginning a movement lineage that would power the Speedmaster Professional for decades. Hodinkee The timing of the reference makes it particularly compelling: documented 145.022-68 examples were being produced in 1969, the same year Apollo 11 put the Speedmaster on the Moon, yet the watch itself preserves the dial, bezel, and pre-Moon styling associated with the Speedmaster’s earlier era. Produced only briefly before the 145.022-69 introduced a printed Omega logo, the 145.022-68 combines some of the most desirable aesthetics of the early Speedmaster with the historically important first generation of the Calibre 861, making it one of the standout transitional references in vintage Speedmaster collecting.
