1979 Omega “FIFA” Ref. ST 11003 – Alaska III Prototype

A remarkable and distinctive OMEGA FIFA chronograph from the late 1970s, the FIFA Football Automatic Chronograph, features the Cal.1045 automatic movement, derived from the renowned Lemania 5100—a movement also employed in the iconic Speedmaster Holy Grail.

This timepiece owes its creation in part to NASA's enduring collaboration with Omega throughout the 1970s. With the advent of the space shuttle program in 1978, all equipment associated with space missions required recertification for flight readiness. Omega submitted three different watches for certification. These included the Speedmaster Professional ST 145.022, ultimately chosen by NASA, the Speedsonic ST 188.0002, and a prototype automatic "Alaska III" 11003. The prototypes successfully passed NASA's rigorous tests but were not selected, as NASA continued with the faithful 145.002 and ordered around 54 145.002 models with Radial dials.

The third model, which served as the foundation for the ST 11003-2 reference showcased here, was one of the three models officially adopted by FIFA in September 1979 and issued to their referees accordingly (refer to the catalogue image). This particular watch was never available to the general public.

The Cal.1045 utilized in this FIFA reference stands out as an unusual variant since it forgoes the typical 24-hour indicator found at the 12 o'clock position in favor of the FIFA logo placement.

With its limited production run, captivating heritage, a slight variation in the usual Cal.1045 dial layout, and a distinctive case shape that sets it apart from Omega's other 1970s cases, this watch is a one-of-a-kind and exceedingly rare addition to any collection.

The case is 40mm diameter, typical 70s cushion in profile, but because of the nonexistent lugs, the watch wears exceptionally well on most wrists.

Condition:

The watch is in excellent, collectors' condition.  There are no visible scratches on the case, dial or glass.  The tritium lume is aged and intact on all the markers.  The hands are original and untouched, the lume has darkened with time. 

The watch has just been fully serviced by our watchmaker and worn parts on the date setting mechanism have been replaced. 

The watch comes with an original Omega 1159 steel bracelet suitable for wrist sizes up to 7in.