ST 145.0022 / 345.0022

Overview

The 145.0022 and 345.0022 form the final chapter of the calibre 861 Moonwatch, succeeding the 145.022 in the early 1980s and running through roughly 1996, when the 3570.50 took over. Under Omega's numbering of the period, 145 meant the watch head sold alone (typically on strap) while 345 meant the complete watch on a steel bracelet — same case, movement, and dial otherwise. From 1988 the line also carried PIC codes: 3590.50 for the bracelet version. One watch can legitimately be described three ways: ST 345.0022, PIC 3590.50, calibre 861.

The movement is the 17-jewel 861 — though late examples from roughly 1995–97 are sometimes found with 18-jewel gilt-finished 861s, a transitional detail documented in the Moonwatch Only research. This is the last Moonwatch built around the 861, spanning the entire quartz-crisis revival of mechanical watches — and mid-1980s to mid-1990s examples are still obtainable in honest condition without the 145.022 premium.

Case

42 mm asymmetrical stainless case with the classic twisted lyre lugs, 20 mm lug width, roughly 14 mm thick. Round pump pushers flank a small winding crown; the screw-down caseback carries the Seahorse medallion with the “Flight-Qualified by NASA” / “The First Watch Worn on the Moon” engravings. Case, dial, and movement are all signed. Nominally 50 m water-resistant — treat that as theoretical on a 30–40-year-old watch.

Dial variants

Matte black stepped dial, printed (not applied) Omega logo, white baton indices, and the three familiar subregisters. All 145.0022/345.0022 dials are tritium, marked T SWISS MADE T at 6 o'clock; the plots develop a cream-to-coffee patina with age. There are no luminova dials in this reference — a white-glowing dial means service replacement.

Bezel, hands, crystal

Black anodised aluminium tachymeter insert (marked to 500), white tritium-filled baton hands, and the domed hesalite crystal with the small etched Omega logo at center — the same shatter-resistant acrylic NASA favoured.

Bracelet

Issued bracelets changed across the run, so date the bracelet to the watch: early-1980s examples on the 1450 or 1171/1 with 633 endlinks; late-1980s through mid-1990s commonly on the 1479 with 812 endlinks; the 1498/1499 family on later transitional examples. The case accepts any correct 20 mm Speedmaster bracelet, so swaps are common — check stamped bracelet and endlink numbers against the watch's date.

What to check before buying

• Tritium condition. Crumbling or flaking plots, and hands whose lume has separated, are expensive to put right. Uniform patina is fine; patchy damage is not.
• Service swaps. Replacement bezels (the aluminium insert fades and gets changed), replacement crowns/pushers, and polished-away case bevels are the usual suspects. An over-polished lyre case loses the crisp facets that carry the value.
• Bracelet correctness. Verify stamped bracelet and endlink numbers suit the production window; a correct-period bracelet adds meaningfully versus a generic later one.
• Box and papers. Pictogram cards and later warranty cards; a full set commands a clear premium, but watch-only examples in honest condition are the value play — this reference is common enough to wait for the right one.