ST 145.012

Overview

The 145.012 is the final Speedmaster to house the calibre 321, produced from 1967 through 1968 with examples trickling into very early 1969 — after which the 145.022’s calibre 861 replaced the column wheel with a shuttle-and-cam system and moved the beat rate from 18,000 to 21,600 vph. Hodinkee calls the 145.012 the latest, most common, and least expensive of the 321-powered Speedmasters — and, notably, the reference worn by more astronauts than any other (their characterisation, but SwissWatchExpo independently reaches the same ranking).

Case

Stainless steel, 42 mm, same asymmetric Professional family as the 105.012 but with visibly larger, taller pushers — the key visual differentiator. Early 145.012SP production re-used 105.012 double-bevelled casebacks, re-engraved “145.012SP” — verified by archive-extract-backed examples; later production moved to a single-step back. The caseback carries the plain pre-moon hippocampus engraving, identical to the earliest 145.022-68. The -SP suffix denotes the special taller pushers.

Dial variants

Stepped black dial with applied metal Omega logo, three-line print (OMEGA / Speedmaster / PROFESSIONAL), and tritium T SWISS MADE T. Both wide-spaced-T and close-T (“close t” B2 type) dials are documented. Long indices, white baton hour/minute hands with tritium, painted stick subregister hands, and a spear-tipped chronograph seconds hand — spear and square-end-spear variants reported concurrently. Crown ~7 mm; pushers 5×3.5 mm.

Bezel, hands, crystal

Bezel: DON — dot over 90, Base 500 tachymeter insert — confirmed on 145.012-67 examples by two independent dealer sources. Hands: as above; the spear chrono hand persisted through this reference. Crystal: hesalite (plexiglass), Omega-signed.

Bracelet

Two documented fits: the flat-link 1039 with 516 endlinks and the later 1171/1 with 633 endlinks (a 145.012-67 with a 1967 archive extract wears the latter). An 1116 bracelet with 30 endlinks has also been recorded. Treat stamped endlink numbers (516, 633, 30) and clasp date codes as the primary bracelet-era check.

What to check before buying

• DON bezel authenticity. Same warning as the 105.012 — arguably worse: the 145.012’s desirability as “the affordable 321” makes it a prime target for bezel replacement. Verify dot placement, font, and patina consistency with the dial.
• Early-production re-engraved backs. A 145.012SP with a 105.012-style double-bevelled back re-engraved to 145.012 is documented and archive-extract-verifiable — don’t dismiss it, but demand the extract.
• Service parts. Painted-logo dial swaps are a particular red flag (the 145.022-69 switched to printed logos), along with replaced pushers/crown and Luminova dials.
• Bracelet dating. Clasp codes should date to 1967–69 for correctness.
• Movement service history. The 321 is serviceable but parts-specific — check full function, reset-to-zero, and ask what was replaced at last service.