Verifying a '68 "Ultraman" without the Extract of the Archives?

Ultraman321
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Hi all,

Posting from Finland, so please excuse any awkward English.

I’m hoping to get some advice on a Speedmaster I inherited from my father. It’s a family piece that sat broken in a drawer for decades until I had it fully serviced at an official Omega service center last year.

I realized its potential rarity when I first contacted a watchmaker about servicing it. The caseback reference is 145.012-67 SP, and the Omega-certified watchmaker confirmed that everything appears correct for the “Ultraman” model. Unfortunately, by the time I discovered this, the Extract of the Archives service had already been discontinued.

I tried contacting Omega directly with a full set of photos (movement, serial, etc.), but the reply I got was just a generic email telling me to have the serial number checked by an Omega-authorized watchmaker - which I had already done.

So my question is: what are the best ways today to verify the authenticity and history of a watch like this, now that Omega’s official channel is no longer available? Are there trusted independent experts, reference materials, or community resources that people here would recommend?

I’ve attached some photos.

Thanks very much for any help!

IMG1.webp IMG2.webp IMG20240718144059.webp IMG20240718144048.webp IMG20240822120254.webp IMG20240822120513.webp IMG20240822122629.webp IMG20241226134249.webp
 
Porteroso
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I cannot help, but what a nice watch you have. Very cool that you have a connection with it. I'm glad Omega did not replace the dial.
 
Harbormaster
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Do you happen to know what was fixed or what parts were changed at the service?
Very nice watch BTW!
Edited:
 
Ultraman321
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Porteroso Porteroso
I cannot help, but what a nice watch you have. Very cool that you have a connection with it. I'm glad Omega did not replace the dial.
Thanks a lot! Yes, I’m very glad too that the dial was left untouched during service.
 
Ultraman321
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Harbormaster Harbormaster
Do you happen to know what was fixed or what parts were changed at the service?
Very nice watch BTW!
Thanks! The replaced parts were: mainspring, center wheel, lower wheel, upper pusher + its gaskets, and the caseback gasket. Everything else, including dial, hands and bezel, was left untouched. It runs very well after the service.
 
Ultraman321
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Ultraman321 Ultraman321
Thanks! The replaced parts were: mainspring, center wheel, lower wheel, upper pusher + its gaskets, and the caseback gasket. Everything else, including dial, hands and bezel, was left untouched. It runs very well after the service.
Also the bracelet isn’t original - I bought a modern Omega replacement at the time of service.
 
Harbormaster
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Ultraman321 Ultraman321
Thanks! The replaced parts were: mainspring, center wheel, lower wheel, upper pusher + its gaskets, and the caseback gasket. Everything else, including dial, hands and bezel, was left untouched. It runs very well after the service.
Very lucky that’s all they did! Looking forward to hearing what the real experts have to say about this beauty!! 😎
 
malilis
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Superb watch ... congratulations ... no matter what you learn or don't learn, the watch is yours and you can just enjoy it !!
 
gatorcpa
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Ultraman321 Ultraman321
So my question is: what are the best ways today to verify the authenticity and history of a watch like this, now that Omega’s official channel is no longer available? Are there trusted independent experts, reference materials, or community resources that people here would recommend?
The Omega Extract of the Archives was never intended to verify the authenticity of any watch. As a practical matter, it was used for that purpose, which created opportunities within Omega for alleged fraudulent activities. This is one of the reasons the service was discontinued and not reinstated.

Omega knows their records are not perfect (no watch company has perfect records) and IMO, it is unlikely they will ever comment on authenticity again. You might want to consider contacting one of the higher end auction houses about an appraisal for insurance purposes. They might take on a project like that for a fee. Again, it won't be perfect, but it will be another piece of evidence that hopefully points in the right direction.

You've probably already seen this webpage:

https://speedmaster101.com/blog/ultraman-resource-page/

If your watch meets the criteria shown there, I would say there is good chance it would be accepted by many collectors as all original.

Hope this helps,
gatorcpa
 
Ultraman321
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gatorcpa gatorcpa
The Omega Extract of the Archives was never intended to verify the authenticity of any watch. As a practical matter, it was used for that purpose, which created opportunities within Omega for alleged fraudulent activities. This is one of the reasons the service was discontinued and not reinstated.

Omega knows their records are not perfect (no watch company has perfect records) and IMO, it is unlikely they will ever comment on authenticity again. You might want to consider contacting one of the higher end auction houses about an appraisal for insurance purposes. They might take on a project like that for a fee. Again, it won't be perfect, but it will be another piece of evidence that hopefully points in the right direction.

You've probably already seen this webpage:

https://speedmaster101.com/blog/ultraman-resource-page/

If your watch meets the criteria shown there, I would say there is good chance it would be accepted by many collectors as all original.

Hope this helps,
gatorcpa
Thank you very much for this detailed reply and for the link - much appreciated. You are right, the Extract was not meant as an authenticity service, but it seems many collectors relied on it for that purpose. I’ll definitely take a closer look at the Ultraman resource page. Thanks again for the helpful perspective.
 
Foo2rama
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Without it in hand, it seems to meet all the criteria... and I personally would authenticate it as a real one, as well as having better then average dial and hands. I would also want to verify the hands are Tritium though.
 
bgrisso
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Very nice. I don't know what an official Omega service center is in Finland, but I'm very glad to see the watch was not "ruined" in the process of being serviced. You are very lucky to have such a watch, and from your father !
 
Ultraman321
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Dan S Dan S
Looks plausible. Is the dial shiny?
Thank you - the dial looks more matte than shiny, just like in the photos.
 
Dan S
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Ultraman321 Ultraman321
Thank you - the dial looks more matte than shiny, just like in the photos.
That doesn't mean it's not legit, but the shiny dials are always a good piece of evidence for a legit ultraman.
 
Ultraman321
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Dan S Dan S
That doesn't mean it's not legit, but the shiny dials are always a good piece of evidence for a legit ultraman.
Maybe it’s not an ‘Ultraman’ after all. The dial looks just like in the photos I posted - I can’t really describe it any better. I’m not an expert, so I’ll just let those with more experience judge.
 
Ron_W
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Great watch and lovely pictures !
Enjoy it for what it is for YOU..... and you will have a great companion.
 
Ultraman321
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Dan S Dan S
That doesn't mean it's not legit, but the shiny dials are always a good piece of evidence for a legit ultraman.
Do you happen to have a photo of an authentic 'Ultraman' with a shiny dial for comparison? It would be interesting to see one side by side.
 
SOG53
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The Ultraman resource page sent to you by @gatorcpa discusses the shiny dial issue and it sounds like the author (@Spacefruit ) does not think it is necessary criteria, at least that’s how I read it.
 
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