ST 105.002

Overview

The ST 105.002 is the shortest-lived steel Speedmaster of the straight-lug era, widely treated by collector references as a renamed CK 2998-62 rather than a new design. When Omega switched from the four-digit to the six-digit reference system in late 1962, the outgoing 2998-62 simply received the 105.002 stamp — same case, same calibre 321, new paperwork. Its collectible weight comes from rarity and ambiguity rather than innovation: the briefest production run in the line, and the moment the modern Omega reference system began.

The calibre 321, unchanged

All 105.002s carry the manual-wind calibre 321 — 17 jewels, monobloc column wheel, 18,000 vibrations per hour, roughly 44 hours of reserve. Nothing about the movement changed in the renumbering; the 105.002 is mechanically a late 2998.

Case

Straight lugs, 19 mm between them, about 39.7 mm across the black bezel — the compact pre-Professional profile. Pushers are the small 4×3 mm units carried over from the 2998; the crown is 7 mm. The caseback is the screw-down double-step type with the hippocampus (seahorse) and “Speedmaster” engraving. Twisted or lyre lugs are absent here — they arrive a full generation later with the 105.012. If a description calls a 105.002 a “twisted lug” watch, the description is wrong.

Dial variants

Stepped black dials with an applied metal Omega logo — never printed on this reference — and no “Professional” text. The lume is radium, marked plain SWISS MADE with no T at 6: a T-marked dial on a claimed 105.002 is a parts mismatch (the 105.003 switches to tritium). Two handset executions are conventionally coded -62A (alpha/leaf hands) and -62B (white baton hands) — and this reference is the last Speedmaster to carry the polished silver inner rehaut ring beneath the crystal. Rare blue-grey metallic “Soleil” dials are documented and among the rarest vintage Omega dials known — an Omega archive extract is close to mandatory for any claimed example.

Bezel, hands, crystal

Bezel: black aluminium tachymeter, Base 500, with the dot over 90 (DO90) and tall “Tachymétre” lettering with the accent over the first E — the 1962–69 family. Natural fading to blue-grey is accepted; a later dash-over-90 insert is wrong for the watch. Hands: alpha or white baton hour/minute (matching the -62A/-62B coding), painted stick subdial hands, spear-type chrono hand. Crystal: domed acrylic with the centred Omega etching — an originality marker against service replacements.

Bracelet

The period-correct bracelet is the flat-link stretch bracelet 7912 with #6 endlinks (19 mm), with clasp codes in the 1961–63 range. Many 105.002s live on leather today — acceptable, as long as the 7912 is not claimed where it isn't.

What to check before buying

• Hands are the #1 swap item. Service alpha hands show square-ended lume strips versus the original triangular inserts; repainted hands are common and, well done, forgivable — but fresh white lume against an aged radium dial is a red flag.
• Lume consistency. Dial plots and hands should age together; overly uniform cream colour may indicate a vintage relume.
• Case. Over-polishing softens the straight-lug chamfers; look for honest brushing, not mirror-polished lugs, and legible caseback engraving.
• Mechanicals. Check full pusher function and watch for chrono creep — the hour recorder drifting off zero while running.
• Reference honesty. At least one dealer has headlined a 105.002 listing as “105.003-62” — confirm the caseback stamp yourself, and don't pay for the “Ed White” name on this reference: that nickname belongs to the 105.003.