Tag: Omega Speedmaster

The Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch’s Lunar Landing Birthday: A Chance To Reflect On The Speedy Pro’s Permanence For Watch Lovers Of All Walks

Posted on by Adam Keith

I’m not trying to overdo the Speedy Pro thing…I’m really not, I promise!  That said, I did write about it the other day…so, why another tribute?  (Hint: July 20, 1969!) The Omega Speedmaster, the Moonwatch to be specific , is a very special watch–indeed, a nearly cult-level object–that transcends collector proclivities, generations, and even sticker shock snobbery. (It just might be the watch that unites humanity…and in these times, that’s no mean feat.) And it was just over 52 years ago this day that Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin left their quasi-eternal footprints on the dusty surface of our moon, and stepped into the human collective consciousness of all that was conceivably possible, all while doing so with Omega’s now illustrious black dialed, luminous dialed, stainless steel chronograph strapped to their life-preserving spacesuits.

(A reissue of the legendary 321 Speedmaster…the “Ed White”, a legendary and coveted precursor to the Moonwatch)


Yesterday, another cosmic milestone was achieved as Jeff Bezos and his vaunted Spaceflight venture rocketed the controversial entrepreneur and a small crew of lucky individuals into the periphery of space, paving the way for future endeavors in broader human travel beyond the Earth. The watch on their royal blue (Origin) wrists, clearly visible in the many press photos, is none other than the trusty Omega Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch…a piece with direct lineage back to those pioneering days of the Kennedy-era space program.  Accidental choice by Bezos and company?  Surely not, but again…this is a watch that somehow–beyond its gears, levers, cogs, and far removed from its classic styling and chronograph and time telling functions–represents the best that humanity is capable of. You might say it carries the promise of what The Twilight Zone’s legendary host Rod Serling would intone in his unforgettable narrative tone….”imagination.”

Mark Bezos explaining something about space travel, while his brother and crew savor their new MOTMs…I’m sure that’s what’s going on.


The Omega Speedy Pro is also a repository of stories, and legends–most of them growing from profound seeds in the era from which it was birthed. Stories such as the manner in which it was chosen–not by committee or submission, but by a random walk by a NASA employee into a jewelry store tasked to buy various chronographs that might suit the arduous needs of astronauts; afterwards, not only was the Omega Speedmaster chronograph the only candidate which passed the torturous tests of extreme G forces and other hazards, it was the only one to survive fundamentally intact!  The rest, as they say, “was history.” And how about Apollo 13 in 1965, the mission that was supposed to make it to the moon originally, but couldn’t quite get there? Facing extreme danger from various equipment failures in their shuttle, the crew valiantly made do with what they had to return home, and among other improvisations, used the chronograph function of the trusty Speedy Pro to time rocket ignitions to aid safe re-entry into Earth’s orbit, a feat earning the Omega brand the now-famous “Snoopy Award” from NASA (and….giving Omega real legs for hot special editions of their Speedmaster in years to come–including possibly the hottest Snoopy Omega Speedmaster ever, here.)

(Buzz Aldrin…OG moonwalker, and a true hardcore Omega wearer!)

Greater than a watch, the Omega Speedmaster Professional is a piece of history, accomplishment, adventure, and even more than that, Hope. How many objects can claim similar? I’ve known people who–very much unlike myself–had virtually zero interest in mechanical (or “luxury”) watches particularly, yet somehow they knew–well, in fact!–the Speedmaster Professional story, and wanted one–either because they loved tales of high-striving 20th century innovation, enjoyed nerding out on the specifics of the US space program, or found some deeper connection with the lore this piece holds.  The fact that the “Man on the Fuckin’ Moooooon!!!!”–as the incomparable luxury watch raconteur ArchieLuxury calls it–has masculine great looks, timeless design, and is probably the strap monster of all strap monsters (looking good with just about any strap fixed between its 20mm lugs, and I mean ANY), is just frosting on the cake.   

Humanity may disappoint, often. But!… the Omega Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch–and by connection, its close relatives within the Omega Speedmaster collection–keeps us looking to the skies. And on that note, I’ll raise my glass to many more commemorations for Omega’s historic, triumphal space chronograph.

Omega Speedmaster Professional Co-Axial Master Chronometer: Sometimes Seeing Is Believing (…And Now, I Really, Really Want This New Moonwatch!)

Posted on by Adam Keith

Watches can be tricky things, in terms of the way in which they appeal to us. Have you ever lusted after a piece, only to see it in person and be left…instantly and sadly, horologically flaccid?  The same can occur in exactly the opposite way too: Sometimes a watch, or some specific configuration of it seems just ok or ho-hum at best, to distasteful and boring at worst, then you see it live, and a lightbulb goes on, as if by magic.  “Want!” your now one-track mind says, as you feverishly begin plotting where funding for this unplanned acquisition will come, and what forgiveness you may need to beg.

“Must…get…funds.”

The latter occurred for me over this last weekend on an impromptu watch get-together with a fellow WIS pal. He’d just acquired the acclaimed new Omega Speedmaster Professional “Sapphire Sandwich”, in the hot off the press 3861 Master Co-Axial configuration, and…on the much ballyhooed, updated circular link bracelet. I knew I would admire and appreciate the watch (it’s a Speedmaster Professional after all, how can you not, even after the hundredth encounter?). Even with as ubiquitous as Speedies can seem at times, Omega’s Man on the Moon chronograph is a recipe that always just satisfies, no matter the generation; then too, I was excited to see the subtle dial changes and new Co-Axial chronograph caliber, and what promise it held.  What I wasn’t nearly as sure about was this glittery stainless steel bracelet option he’d opted for, that hadn’t spoken to me at all, but everyone seemed crazy about. Was I overly cynical, or were they simply starstruck? Since press release, the taper looked rather off to me in numerous photographs, and somehow it came off a tad dainty, even dare I say rinky dink, for lack of a better (and perhaps less harsh) term. Yes, it channeled the retro vibe of early Speedmasters quite well, but it just looked too flimsy to my eye for the robust Speedmaster case, and made the ensemble look disproportional…like a huge noggin perched akwardly on narrow and slight shoulders. Why subject a classic to such indignity when a rugged strap in leather or sailcloth, or a jaunty NATO would look better suited and leave money in the bank, as an added bonus?


Well, boy did my assessment change the instant my friend handed me his new Speedmaster!  Slipping the Omega onto my wrist, I was instantly smitten by the combination: far from shoddy or insubstantial, the bracelet was luxurious, supple, and quietly fluid–in much the same manner as Rolex President bracelet is…well, at least before the latter get abused with too much stretch from owners that wear them like bangle bracelets, at any rate. Subtle and elegant, the polished vertical strip on each side of the center link granted just the right amount of sparkle to this legend of classic tool watches, a gleam that played marvelously with the cambered sapphire crystal, polished flanks of the signature Omega lyre lugs, and polished outer edge of the dot-over-90 tachymeter bezel. Another touch I’d felt skeptical about but instantly clicked with was the bracelet taper and Omega clasp with engraved vertical striations; in photos, it looked insubstantial and even overly fussy to me. In the metal, though, my initial judgments proved utterly unfounded: it was elegant and distinguished, and gave the bracelet an added measure of dressiness without going overboard. Closure with the double button release mechanism was positive and deluxe in feel, and the bracelet draped beautifully, its quality construction keeping everything put without the need for excessive tightness.  I love straps, and particularly so on Speedies, but this watch, were it mine, would live on the bracelet just about full time.  It’s just too good, and this is coming from a guy who would have only bought this piece on a leather or nylon before. Yes, I am a convert!

Of course, the surprising turn of events behind me, I could now relax and simply enjoy the dial detailing and revised Omega Co-Axial 3861 movement and those explorations were most pleasing, as well.  Not only was the movement lavishly decorated (albeit largely by machine) with broadly laid Geneva stripes, glinting bridge bevels, and a fine brushing on the chronograph levers, the pump pushers were a veritable delight to use. Start, stop, and return to zero operations were crisp, tactile, and precise to the fingertip, with just the right feel in engagement, and almost imperceptible stutter or jump of the central chronograph seconds; a cam chronograph it might be, but if I’d not known better I might’ve thought I was activating one with a refined column wheel mechanism. And the dial was very well rendered too, the minor shifts of the (applied) Omega logo and model signature compared to the previous version scarcely perceptible. The dreaded “milk ring” effect at the crystal edge that convinces so many to opt for the hesalite Speedy over the sapphire model was essentially a non-issue here, especially with all the aesthetic and technical virtues in place. To conclude my thoughts, the revised Omega Sapphire Sandwich Speedmaster Professional is one very satisfying watch even amongst lofty horological company, and one I would be delighted to own and wear…frequently. I’ll go so far to say that this new Co-Axial Speedy Pro gives Omega’s much more expensive Ed White Calibre 321 Speedmaster one hell of a run for the money, despite the undeniable allure and exclusive nature of that hand-built, column wheel controlled retro-homage masterpiece. The legend lives on, and this reference and its related variants will keep a lot of us eager to participate in the Moonwatch story, however humble our own life adventures may prove against that pedigree.