A vintage Omega Speedmaster just smashed expectations to become the all-time most expensive watch made by the Swiss brand.
This 1957 Speedmaster Ref. 2915-1 sold at Phillip’s Geneva Watch Auction XIV for $3.4 million—nearly 26 times the maximum $131,000 pre-sale valuation, according to Robb Report.
The reason for that extraordinarily high figure pertains to the model’s “holy grail” status as a member of the Speedmaster’s very first—and most collectible—generation. It was also the world’s first chronograph to feature a tachymeter scale on the bezel instead of the dial.
The 2195-1 and subsequent -2 and -3 variants featured large “Broad Arrow” minute and hour hands, a metal bezel, and a slightly ovular Omega “O” that would round out on later editions. On the 38mm caseback, the “Speedmaster” designation is relegated to the edge instead of the center.
The multimillion-dollar example here features what was a tropical dial that’s faded to a milk chocolate shade with age, while the once-radioactive luminous material injected into the dial and hands has given way to a golden tone.
This 1957 Speedmaster handily took the previous the most-expensive-Omega record from Elvis Presley’s Tiffany-signed Omega, sold by Phillips for $1.8 million in 2018, per Robb Report.
But both are still a long way off in price from this $31 million Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime, which still reigns as the world’s most expensive watch.
