By James Ren
Originally published October 18, 2021
I would like to discuss the Omega Seamaster Chronograph reference 145.016 and 145.029. These references both were issued in the late 60’s into the 70’s and feature a manual wind Caliber 861 movement. Perhaps because they lack a catchy nickname, they have not attracted as much attention from collectors as for example, the contemporaneous Darth Vader, Anakin Skywalker, and Jedi.
The 145.016 and 145.029 have a similar look featuring a cushion case and a three register no date chronograph. However, they differ in a number of important respects. The cushion case of the 145.016 is longer and flatter, while the 145.029 is wider and rounder. For simplicity’s sake I’m going to refer to the 145.016 as the “Popeye” and the 145.029 as the “Bluto.” The dial variations are also quite different, as we will see.
145.016 “The Popeye”
I have to give Omega Forums member Kov credit here. His research thread on the topic is a classic and should be read by anyone interested in this reference. Three of the dial references in the thread could not be found on any other image searches that I conducted. Of note, the 145.016 is very similar to the 145.006 except that there are more dial variations and it has the 861 cam switched movement instead of the earlier caliber 321.
I’ve written about this reference extensively in the context of Omega Soccer Timers. Basically, a Soccer Timer refers to a Seamaster Chronograph with a typical dial featuring a characteristic red and black subdial color scheme, a white or grey dial, and a 45 minute track along the minute counter subdial to indicate a soccer half. Curiously, of the three Soccer Timer references, the 145.016 is the only one to come with other dials that would not be considered soccer related. The six dial variants are the reverse panda, the black, the silver stick, the silver rectangle, the exotic, the gold with silver dial, and the gold with gold tone dial.
Popeye Reverse Panda
Here we see the reverse panda dial. Of the three dials, this is the only one to use pad printed luminous hour markers instead of applied markers, giving it a more sporty look. The outer tachymeter track with an arrow between 12 and 1 is typical for both the Popeye and Bluto and also, as we will see later, the Jedi. The logo is printed in white, the hands are white for contrast, and the seconds counter hand is typically orange or orange red in color. The dots on the subdials are perhaps reminiscent of the Paul Newman Daytona. These appear commonly on bracelets, which suit the sporty look. For more information on end links and bracelets for the 145.016 please see my other article.
Popeye Black
The black dial is essentially the same as the reverse panda except for the subdial color. The second example has a speckled, or “starry night” dial resulting from patination of the black paint. The seconds counter hand appears more orange in this example.
The Popeye Silver Stick
This silvery white dial features applied stick indices with a black filling, distal luminous tritium dots, black filled minute and hour hands with luminous tips, and an orange seconds counter hand. The subdial dots are also seen, as well as the tachymeter scale. The Omega logo is applied.
The Popeye Silver Rectangle
The silver rectangle has perhaps a more restrained and elegant look. The Omega logo is also applied. The hour markers are applied rectangles with a black center. The minute and hour hands have luminous tips. The dots are again seen on the subdials. I have not observed one on a bracelet. The strap seems to suit the formal look better.
The Exotic Dial
This unusual black dial has red hands with a luminous tip, black subdials, inner pad printed tritium indices with red paint distally. Uniquely among the Popeye dials, the hands are color coded with white for the chronograph functions and red for the timekeeping functions. This is the most rare variation by far.
The Silver Dial Gold Popeye
The 18k solid gold version with silver dial features a dial essentially the same as the steel with silver dial with the exception that the logo, hands, and markers are in gold.
The Gold Dial Gold Popeye
This is the same as the gold model with silver dial with the exception of a gold tone dial. This example is on a spectacular solid 18K gold bracelet.
Case Finishing
It is not entirely clear whether the anterior surface of these cushion cases came with a circular finish, a brushed finish, or both. I have heard some speculation that the circular finish represents refinishing because it is easier to apply. Certainly that accounts for some roughly done examples but here Kov from Omega Forums shows us what appear to be new old stock versions of both.
145.029 “The Bluto”
I have named this one the Bluto for its blockier and more rounded case. There are also four dial variants, namely the blue, the blue reverse panda, the silver, and the gold. Basically they match up with the Popeye except that there is blue instead of black and the gold is gold-plated instead of solid gold.
The Blue Bluto
The blue dial appears more frequently. It has pad printed luminous hour markers with an orange accent distally. One thing I like about the blue Bluto which also holds for the blue reverse panda Bluto is that the white chronograph hands are differentiated from the orange timekeeping hands by color coding. Again, we see the dots on the subdial, similar to the Popeye. The tachymeter is seen again on the outer track. Overall it has a dynamic look.
The Blue Reverse Panda Bluto
The blue reverse panda Bluto has a blue chronograph hands. We lose the dots on the subdials and gain applied linear hour markers with a black filling. Tritium luminous dots are seen distal to the hour markers.
The Silver Bluto
The silver Bluto, much like the silver Popeye, seems to be rather rare. In fact, this is the only one I can find images of online. Note that the dial is quite similar to the silver Popeye except for the subdial dots which are not seen here. Also, the luminous tip on the chronograph seconds counter hand is quite unusual.
The Gold (Plated) Bluto
This variant has a 20 micron gold plated case and “gold overlay” bracelet. The gold tone dial has a brownish tint to it and is very distinctive due to the Daytona-like black rings around the subdials. There are applied linear hour markers with a white filling with distal tritium dots. The hour and minute hands have white filling and a luminous tip also. The subdial hands and the seconds totalizer hand are gold tone as well. Overall, a very unique Seamaster chronograph.
Bluto Bracelets
I have found Bluto examples on a 1162 bracelet with a straight 172 end link, an 1170 with a 626 end link, and a 653 end link. To my eye the 653 end link seems like the most natural fit than the 626 but I am unable to determine if any or all of these came originally with the watch.
The neglected Omega Seamaster Chronographs of the 1970’s remain an affordable and interesting segment of vintage Omega. As we have seen, each reference contains several different dial types to collect. I hope you enjoyed this introduction to these fascinating watches.
The Lost Spring Bar 