ST 105.012

Overview

Omega produced the 105.012 from roughly 1964 through 1968. Its importance is threefold: it is the first Speedmaster with “Professional” on the dial, the first with crown/pusher guards and the now-familiar 42 mm asymmetric case — and, on the weight of the published evidence, the reference on Buzz Aldrin’s wrist when he stepped onto the lunar surface. It is the bridge from the compact pre-Professional era to the modern Moonwatch silhouette, and the final wave of column-wheel Speedmasters before the calibre 861.

Case

Stainless steel, 42 mm, with the classic asymmetry: the crown side is built out to shield the crown and pushers, and the lugs are the curved “twisted” or “lyre” form with wide polished bevels. Sub-references -63 through -65 carried a double-bevelled caseback; the -65 is documented as the last of them. Casebacks are the plain pre-moon hippocampus — no moon-landing text, which arrived years later. Two casemakers are verified: the majority by Huguenin Frères, but a portion of production — notably -66s — came from La Centrale Boîtes of Bienne, marked by wide bevelled lugs and the letters “CB” punched inside the caseback. That second casemaker is essentially unique to this reference.

Dial variants

Black stepped dial with a raised, applied Omega logo at 12. The text layout: Ω OMEGA at top, “Speedmaster” beneath, “PROFESSIONAL” below that, and tritium T SWISS MADE T at 6. Two tritium-signature variants are documented by Hodinkee: one with the two Ts spaced wide, one with them tucked close. Indices are long applied batons with tritium inserts; hands are white baton hour/minute with luminous fill, painted stick subregister hands, and a long chronograph seconds hand. Movements bound for the American market carry Omega’s OXG import mark, matching archive extracts that place certain watches in the US in 1967.

Bezel, hands, crystal

Bezel: the famed DON — dot over 90 — black aluminium tachymeter insert. Hands: white batons, painted stick subregisters, “baton–drop seconds” catalogued for the -66. Crystal: hesalite with the period “narrow Ω” etching at centre.

Bracelet

Documented period-correct fitment is the flat-link 1039 with 516 endlinks; clasp date codes should be consistent with the watch’s production year (e.g. a 4/67-coded 1039 on a 105.012).

What to check before buying

• Caseback honesty. Confirm the pre-moon hippocampus back matches the era — any “first watch worn on the moon” engraving on a 105.012 means a service or swapped back (the engraving arrived in 1971, on the 145.022). A back marked 105.012 on an early 145.012 is documented and not automatically wrong, but demand an archive extract explaining it.
• CB vs HF. Check inside the caseback for “CB” and judge the lug bevels; many CB cases were polished, so an unpolished example is prized but should be verified by lug-facet sharpness.
• Service dials and redials. Tritium should age creamy/beige; a bright white Luminova glow is a red flag on a “pre-moon.” Check the applied logo’s feet and the printing crispness of “PROFESSIONAL.”
• Bezel. DON bezels are among the most faked vintage Speedmaster components — correct font weight, the dot precisely above the 90, and age-appropriate fading. A jet-black, razor-sharp DON on a worn watch deserves scrutiny.
• Crown and pushers. Service replacements are common; confirm the period “narrow Ω, flat feet” crown profile.