1969 OMEGA Speedmaster MARK II (Ref. 145.014) "Racing Dial"

After the Omega Speedmaster Professional was worn on the Moon in 1969, Omega decided to come up with a watch that fit the design trends of the 1970s, thus the Omega Speedmaster Professional MKII was born. The Speedmaster Mark II came with the same Lemania based movement as the original Speedmaster Professional "Moonwatch", reference 145.022. The Mark II contains Omega’s original caliber 861 movements, which was in production from 1968 and lasted until 1996 when Omega introduced the caliber 1861 movement. Unlike the Speedmaster Professional, the Omega Speedmaster Mark II has a barrel-shaped case that has polished changers and a brushed top and sides, giving it a different look from the standard Speedmaster Professional case worn by the NASA Astronauts. The classic Tachymetre that the Speedmaster is known for is also different; it is under the mineral glass crystal and not externally located on the outside of the crystal as an external bezel, in essence protecting the Tacymetre from scratches or disruption. Unlike modern timepieces with scratch-resistant sapphire crystals, pieces of this era were assembled with mineral glass crystals.