Sixteen years ago this month, my friend and legendary chronograph collector Chuck Maddox passed away.
The Speedmaster Mark II was the watch that drew him into the world of watches and the Speedmaster in particular. However, his quest for the Speedmaster ST 376.0822 became incredibly famous. He searched for this watch with the same intensity as King Arthur searched for the Holy Grail. He began calling the Speedmaster ST 376.0822 the 'Holy Grail' because he was so obsessed with it.
Omega Speedmaster ST 387.0822 Holy Grail (1987-1988)
If you are not familiar with Chuck and his work, visit his site Chronomaddox. It's a great source of information for chronograph collectors, although some articles contain information that time has shown to be inaccurate. This article on the Holy Grail is also not new. It dates back to 2018, but we have made the relevant updates.
The Nickname 'Holy Grail'
'Holy Grail' is not the first Speedmaster to receive a nickname from its collectors. For instance, 'Broad Arrow' was also a common nickname for the CK2915 model. However, it can be said that 'Holy Grail' is undoubtedly one of the first nicknames collectors gave to the Speedmaster. Chuck Maddox loved the Speedmaster ST 376.0822 for several compelling reasons. The most important of these was the combination of the Speedmaster 'Moonwatch' case and the legendary Lemania 5100 movement. This movement, which Omega dubbed caliber 1045, was already used in Speedmaster Mark IV, Mark V, and some other modifications.
Thanks to the Lemania 5100 movement, the 'Holy Grail' Speedmaster resembled more of a tool watch: a central chronograph minute hand, day and date windows, and an additional 'day/night' (or 24-hour) sub-dial at the '12 o'clock' position. Furthermore, at this time (1987), Omega also used the famous ref. 1450 bracelet. It resembles the Rolex President bracelet, and many, including myself, consider it one of the best Speedmaster bracelets ever produced.
A Long Time of Misinformation
Until a few years ago, there was very little information about this watch apart from the documentation on Chronomaddox. After Chuck's death in 2008, all his work was transferred to this site, and it hasn't been touched since.
It is important to understand that for a long time, it didn't matter much whether watches received service parts or not. People simply didn't know, nor did they know what the original/exact execution of the watch looked like (read this article from over 20 years ago, and you'll see that much is 'off' today). Even in official Omega materials, such as A Journey Through Time, for example, the Speedmaster Holy Grail was depicted with the wrong set of hands. This is easily explained as the book displayed a prototype of the ref. ST 376.0822 watch. Only later did period-correct parts become crucial in Speedmaster collecting. Using 'just' authentic spare (service) parts became almost shameful.
This, along with the fact that authenticity has become a much more important aspect in watch collecting (since prices these days are much higher than when Chuck Maddox bought his Holy Grail many years ago), led to remarkable initiatives to establish the absolute truth about watches like these Speedmaster ST 376.0822. However, even with access to the Omega archives in Bienne, it's not so easy to do. The owner of the site Omegaholygrail.com, for example, has made efforts to find out all the details.
Researching the Holy Grail Speedmaster
Additionally, the authors of the books Moonwatch Only conducted extensive research on the Holy Grail Speedmaster and published it on their site. The Speedmaster ST 376.0822 model was not mentioned in the first edition of Moonwatch Only, as the focus was exclusively on manually wound Speedmaster models. However, the second edition of the book included a chapter dedicated to other Speedmaster models, including the 'Holy Grail.' Where it was previously believed that Omega produced about 1,500 pieces of these watches, new research has shown that there are 2,000.
Using the same academic approach as in writing the Moonwatch Only book, authors Grégoire Rossier and Anthony Marquie have now documented the Speedmaster ref. ST 376.0822 Holy Grail in such a way as to help collectors identify and purchase the correct model. At the very least, this will allow them to conduct a proper risk analysis before purchase, knowing what things are incorrect and require additional investment.
Rossier and Marquie
The only way to research the Holy Grail Speedmaster and determine the exact execution of 1987 and 1988 is to dive into the Omega archives in Bienne. Rossier and Marquie must have spent considerable time there, sifting through numerous data and images to find out exactly which bezels were used, the story of the two different end links for the 1450 bracelet (808 and 809), and the countries to which Omega shipped the Holy Grail Speedmaster.
The result of their research on the Omega Speedmaster ST 376.0822 Holy Grail makes for fascinating reading. Numerous images help show the correct details of this Speedmaster, including one of the original technical passports from 1986 for these watches. The style and use of images and diagrams are identical to those presented in the Moonwatch Only books, so those who have such books will immediately recognize them. Visit their site to take a closer look at them.