In 1974, at the Ice Hockey World Championships in Helsinki, in addition to the world championship, there was a competition for the fair play trophy. The team that won the Fair Play Cup then and for the next two years at the World Championships in Germany and Austria received a trophy donated by Omega. In Helsinki, the cleanest game was played by the Czechoslovakian team, whose players received Omega Speedmaster 125 wristwatches in addition to the trophy. The watches donated in Helsinki had a total value of 24,000 marks, which is approximately 28,000 euros in today's money.
The Omega Speedmaster 125 model, ref 178.0002 , was released in 1973 to celebrate Omega's 125th anniversary.
The Omega Speedmaster 125 model, ref 178.0002 , was released in 1973 to celebrate Omega's 125th anniversary. Inside ticks the chronometer version of the 1040 movement, the 1041, which was the first chronometer-certified automatic chronograph. From the outside, the watch looks unusual for its time. Even for a 1970s watch, it is large (42 x 51 mm), thick (15 mm) and also heavy, requiring some muscle from the wearer. The watch's thick integrated steel bracelet was also something completely new for its time. According to some sources, only 2,000 pieces were made, but as a result of active discussion and research in recent years, worldwide watch enthusiasts have come to the conclusion that the real number was certainly significantly higher.
In 1974, a magazine reported on the watch in question this way: “The prize watch for fair play is quite special. This Omega Speedmaster 125 is the most advanced mechanical wristwatch: an automatic chronograph chronometer. Which means that the watch is a stopwatch that is automatically wound on the wrist by gravity and has an official chronometer certificate issued by the observatory for its accuracy.”
The Omega Fair Play Cup trophies were on display for the public during the games in the Omega Center window in Helsinki, at Aleksanterinkatu 11.
The Omega Fair Play Cup trophy was awarded at the Helsinki Ice Hall after the last match at the same event as the championship medals. The award watches were presented to the players at the closing ceremony that evening. The Omega Fair Play Cup trophies were on display for the public during the games in the Omega Center window in Helsinki, at Aleksanterinkatu 11.
The World Championship was won by the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia was second, Sweden third and Finland fourth. Canada boycotted the championship in protest against the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF)'s strict amateur rules.
For the first time in the history of the World Ice Hockey Championship, two players were convicted of doping. They were Sweden's Ulf Nilsson and Finland's Stig Wetzell, who tested positive for ephedrine. The games in which the doping was detected were ruled 5-0 to the opponent.
The 125 model was produced in relatively small numbers and there are surprisingly many of them in Finland. Legend has it that several Czechoslovakian players sold their watches in Finland before leaving home to raise money. Could your vintage Omega Speedmaster 125 be a former World Cup prize watch?
Source: Kelloseppä magazine, issue 4, 1974.