Omega Speedmaster Racing Co-Axial

Omega Speedmaster Racing Dials Through the Years

Its history is a bit murky but the first Speedmaster with a “racing” dial is thought to have debuted in 1968. Omega created a few Speedmasters with unique hands, dials, and bezels that deviated from the standard Speedmaster formula (white hands, and black dial and bezel).

We’ll see several editions of these dials over the years, most notably the following:

Ref. 145.012-67 Speedmaster ‘Red Racing’ in 1968, which uses the Caliber 321 and features a dot-over-ninety bezel;

Ref. 145.022 ‘Orange Racing’ in 1968, which is characterized by orange paint on the outer track and orange chronograph seconds hand;

Ref. 145.014 Speedmaster Professional Mark II in 1969, also known as the “exotic” dial variant, which was later reissued in 2014;

and the Ref. 3570.40.00 Japan Racing Edition in 2004, which was exclusive to the Japanese market and had the Caliber 1861 at its core.

All these versions are still sought after in the pre-owned market today and trade significantly more than their retail price.

Omega Speedmaster Racing Co-Axial

When Omega introduced George Daniels’s Co-Axial escapement, a number of racing-inspired Speedmasters followed. These modern editions, released in 2012, do away with the “checkered flag” seconds track on the dial, and add their own twist to the racing dial.

The first thing you’ll notice about the Speedmaster Racing, other than its striking watch face, is the size. It’s a very appropriate 40mm tribute to the past and appears even smaller because the bezel sits outside of the sapphire crystal. Moreover, its high-contrast dials have a distinct, expansive style characterized by a slimmed outer minute ring and two enlarged sub-dials.

Each of its chronograph registers also features a “clous de Paris” pattern that’s rarely used by OMEGA, further distinguishing the design in the history of both the brand and the Speedmaster family.

The modern Speedmaster Racing is available in a wide range of dial colors – including black, red, blue, opaline silver, yellow and white, and yellow and black.

Omega Speedmaster Racing Master Chronometer

The current edition of the Speedmaster Racing, introduced in 2017, brought back the checkered watch face and featured an upgraded METAS-certified Master Chronometer movement. Contemporary touches are also apparent on the case, bezel, and dial.