Back On Earth With Jack Swigert’s Gold Speedmaster BA145.022-69

Last weekend, Sotheby’s auctioned the famous gold Omega Speedmaster BA145.022-69 that belonged to Apollo 13 astronaut Jack Swigert. We wrote about it a month before the auction (here), and last Friday, it fetched US$152,400.

Jack Swigert’s Omega Speedmaster Professional BA145.022-69 that he received from Omega

Swigert’s Speedmaster Professional BA145.022-69

If you are new to this gold Speedmaster “Tribute to Astronauts” watch from 1969, please go to this article. In it, you’ll find everything you need to know about this model.

While we have seen some of the gold astronaut-owned Speedmaster Professional BA145.022-69 fetching sums much higher than this, it is still way more than the price for a BA145.022-69 owned by mere mortals that weren’t in space. Depending on their condition, those tend to fetch between €45,000 and €55,000.

Space buffs

Unlike some others, I am not a space buff (Moon Watch Universe comes to mind, or Lawrence L. McGlynn, for example). However, when a watch belongs to an astronaut, it does affect the price. Especially if it’s a space-flown example, which this gold Moonwatch was not, the price can go up to extreme heights.

Swigert’s Speedmaster came with lots of accessories

Conrad Jr’s Speedmaster BA145.022-69 in the Hong Kong May auction

Admittedly, this was not the best week to auction a Speedmaster (go here in case you missed the memo). Nevertheless, a final price of US$152,400 isn’t exactly bad either for a non-flown Speedmaster with an astronaut legacy. A few weeks before, Phillips auctioned Apollo 12 astronaut Pete Conrad Jr.’s watch at its May auction in Hong Kong. It hammered for HK$1,397,000 (roughly US$178K / €165K).

Wally Schirra’s gold BA145.022-69

One of eight gold astronaut-owned Speedmasters auctioned recently

The difference between these auction results might indeed be due to what happened with the Frankenstein Speedmaster. However, it could also be because there has been a bit of overkill on the gold Omega Speedmaster “Tribute to Astronauts” watches appearing at auctions. In recent times, we saw the auctioning of these watches that belonged to NASA astronauts Alan Bean, Gus Grissom, Scott Carpenter, Ron Evans, and now Pete Conrad Jr and Jack Swigert. Also, not too long ago, we saw the gold Moonwatches from astronauts Wally Schirra (fetching the astronomical amount of US$1.9 million) and Michael Collins selling at auction. “Overkill” is the right word, I believe.

Astronaut Michael Collin’s gold Speedmaster.

The one with no unique number engraved

That said, from the Omega Speedmaster Professional “Tribute to Astronauts” BA145.022-69 models auctioned, I’d “settle” for the one that Apollo 13 astronaut Jack Swigert owned. It was in incredibly nice condition, it came from the family, and it had a bunch of additional and relevant Apollo 13 Jack Swigert goodies that made it extra special. According to vintage Speedmaster collector and expert Sacha Davidoff, it’s not only the relatively high number of these watches becoming available (eight) in a short period but also the lack of an engraved number in the case back (as mentioned here) that might have played a role. Other gold “Tribute to Astronauts” models that were presented to astronauts after 1969 did have a number engraved. Swigert being a last-minute-switch backup astronaut might have resulted in a case with no number.

Alan Bean’s Omega Speedmaster BA145.022-69

“Tribute to Astronauts” watches in the Omega Museum

I do believe that there’s always a market for good pieces. The recent scandal is very unfortunate for all parties involved, but it should not sap all the fun out of vintage watches and auctions in general. The gold Speedmaster BA145.022-69 has been my grail for a long time, and an astronaut-owned one would be the best. But I also realize that even with a lower-than-expected result, it greatly exceeds what I can and want to spend on a watch.

That’s why I enjoy the fact that there are several important “Tribute to Astronauts” watches in the Omega Museum in Biel. This way, I can at least enjoy them by looking at them up close and in the metal. At this point, I have no idea who purchased the Apollo 13 model, but as far as I am aware, it will not end up in a museum.

Speedmaster BA145.022-69.

Settling for a non-astronaut BA145.022-69

In the end, it will be interesting to see if the market for these will go up again when they come up for auction less frequently. There must be still a few astronaut-owned examples out there that will surface at some point. If you want to settle for one of 1,014 gold Speedmaster BA145.022-69 watches that weren’t presented to members of the White House and NASA astronauts, there’s a nice one here (with the original crater box).