The "Ultraman" 145.012-67SP

The story

The “Ultraman” was never a special edition. In 1968 Omega produced a batch of standard ST 145.012-67s fitted with an orange central chronograph hand — Omega's own archive extracts describe them as a “special model fitted with an orange chronograph hand.” The watches were delivered worldwide, not only to Japan.

The nickname is pure collector tradition. In the 1971 Japanese television series The Return of Ultraman, a close-up shows an orange-handed Speedmaster on a character's wrist; the series' creator Eiji Tsuburaya was a noted watch enthusiast. Collectors connected the dots, and the name stuck.

One caution from the record: the SP suffix on a 145.012-67 caseback does not, by itself, make an Ultraman. Many SP-stamped examples left the factory with standard hands. The orange hand — confirmed by an Omega Extract from the Archives — is the thing.

At a glance

How to spot one

• Orange central chronograph hand. The totemic feature — without it, the watch is a standard 145.012-67 SP.
• Satin dial texture. Ultraman dials show a distinct satin or silky finish, versus the matte finish of standard 145.012 dials.
• Caseback stamping. 145.012-67 SP inside the caseback — necessary but not sufficient.
• Calibre 321. The last Speedmaster reference to pair the SP case with the calibre 321.
• Archive extract. Omega's Extract from the Archives should confirm the orange chronograph hand; treat any example without one skeptically.

Why collectors care

It sits at a junction collectors love: the last of the calibre 321 SP cases, a single vivid visual signature, and a nickname with a genuine pop-culture origin rather than a marketing department's invention.

Scarcity is real but unquantified — and that is worth saying plainly. Published guesses range from “fewer than 50 identified” to “a few hundred in existence,” and Omega has published no production figure. The honest position is that nobody knows exactly how many were made.

At auction the record is thin but real: Antiquorum Geneva sold an example in December 2020 for CHF 70,000 (lot 176, estimate CHF 40,000–70,000).

Production volume: unverified. Bukowskis has quoted “fewer than 50 known/identified” pieces; Revolution, citing MoonwatchOnly data, speaks of “a few hundred in existence.” No official Omega figure exists — treat every number you see as an estimate.

Naming note, per this site's standing rules: “Ultraman” is collector tradition, and the SP suffix alone doesn't make an Ultraman.