No, it won’t be for everyone. But you’ve got to hand it to Omega: the new Speedmaster Chronoscope is a visually unmistakable and technically impressive addition to the everlasting Speedmaster collection, of which the famous Moonwatch is but the brightest star. Reaching back into the design archives of the 1930s and 1940s, which produced some beautiful handwound classical chronographs with elaborate pulsometer/telemeter dials, Omega has taken this period-specific aesthetic and functional priority, and given their modern lyre-lugged icon a very different flavor. They’ve also given us a brand new twin-barrel Co-Axial chronograph movement with vertical clutch engagement, the very first of its kind to be manually wound. That’s a big deal, because it appeals to the die-hard purists, and keeps this watch quite thin, all things considered. But the watch is 43mm, you say…how could this possibly be pressed into a formal watch role? Well, besides the point that sartorial standards have relaxed a lot in recent years (and a whole HELL of a lot more so after the events since 2020), this is but part of the contradictory charm of this watch. Here we have a big, bold Speedmaster with a vintage dial, which is large–impressively so, even–yet also slim (at 12.8mm in height) and in its own way, quite discreet. What can one say? It’s idiosyncratic, I dare so charmingly so, and that may be the ultimate draw for watch collectors who appreciate what Omega has created.
When you consider the pretty familiar outer tachymeter bezel and the complex dial, it’s clear that there’s definitely a lot going on here. That said, the key element to appreciating the why of that, is grasping the genuinely useful aspect these types of scales offered at a time when a chronograph was a genuinely state of the art mechanical tool, be it to race car drivers, scientists, or even a doctor taking a routine note of his or her patient’s pulse in the silence of an examining room. On the last point, that’s what the secondary inner track is intended for, which as graduated for thirty beats (“pour 30 pulsations”, in French), would be stopped after counting off the same number of heart contractions, that scale giving a fairly accurate readout of just what that all important muscle’s tempo was. How about the other scales? Well, the innermost one to the handset arbor, highlighted in the press image below, is a secondary readout for the tachymeter bezel, allowing measurement of things going at a more relaxed speed–a potentially handy supplement to the graduation of the bezel itself. And, just below the applied polished Arabic markers that grant blessed calm to the plethora of numerals floating about, is the telemeter (“telemetre”) scale, a graduation useful to determine distance from an event in which visual and aural inputs are related, but slightly divergent–such as a lightning storm or something similar. And that’s that! Once grasped, the three rings become clear and actually useful implements, rather than a hopeless hodgepodge of tiny numbers. And, while no one can say this has anything approaching the calm of a dress watch dial, it becomes rather easier to accept, and even truly….enjoy. Organized chaos? Perhaps. Better yet? A multifunction watch before such things were even an “Apple” in the eye of a tech designer, if you’ll pardon some pretty atrocious punning on my part.
Offering a 60-hour power reserve, the caliber 9908 is typical modern Omega: beautifully conceived and presented, if efficiently rendered and industrially finished, intelligently designed to a fault, and rife with the ultimate in high quality watchmaking technology. This of course, starts with the George Daniels-designed Co-Axial escapement for maximum friction reduction, a true technical marvel of our time, and one of the few exotic escapements to have really proven itself a worthy competitor against the age-old yet still always dependable lever. The chronograph mechanism, concealed under the large bridge is operated by a traditional column wheel in the way of classical chronographs, yet the vertical clutch arrangement assures minimal friction and resultant wear as the mechanism interacts, keeping efficiency at peak, at least in theory. The freely sprung balance wheel makes significant use of Silicon, as do all the current Omega Co-Axial calibers, assuring superb consistency of the hairspring contraction, as well as virtual invulnerability to magnetic fields up to 15,000 Gauss–one of the many tests this METAS certified caliber must undergo, as well as passing precision tests of the movement while fully cased to a standard within 0 to +5 per day. The finishing, as noted, might not be artisanal in the manner of a Blancpain, A. Lange & Sohne, or many a top notch independent artisan, but it is nonetheless beautiful to behold, and very much in keeping with the high tech mechanics it contains. One very interesting aspect is that the signature ray-style Cotes de Geneve (“Cotes de Geneve en Arabesque“, per Omega) expands outwards from the balance wheel rather than inwards from the center, sort of a quiet note to the ingenuity and superb performance of the Co-Axial Escapement. And, a mirror polished bevel right over the balance wheel’s aperture–engraved with the jewel count–is another touch sure to delight the sharp-eyed, appearing almost like the impossibly bright periphery of our sun as warming rays spill forth from it at dawn’s first light. And that’s a worthy visual for this, or indeed any, modern Omega caliber, which collectively stand at the pinnacle of what mass-production luxury watchmaking can offer.
In typical Omega fashion, the brand is offering numerous variations of the Speedmaster Chronoscope for its customer base. It could be said that this is a bit of a two-edged sword, the downside being that there just might be too many variations, a factor which might arguably dilute the line. I personally feel that while this criticism has validity when aimed at Omega’s limited edition efforts, the breadth of models in standard production lines is a a strength! Strap or bracelet, Omega has you covered. Multiple dial colors and combinations? Check. You can have it your way, thus paving the way to have a watch that you’ll really bond with. Keeping that in mind, the multiple steel variations (of which there are some really amazing dial choices!) can be had with a scaled up version of the lovely, finely articulated bracelet seen on the 3861 Speedmaster Professional MOTMs. One very appreciated aspect of this watch’s bracelet variant is the presence of a more refined micro-adjust system, which has been a minor complaint by many where the new Speedy Pro is concerned. Omega took heart here, and has given its customers a better mousetrap; that “mousetrap”, I’ll add will probably come in handy given the greater size and heft of this piece compared to more standard Speedmaster offerings. Most opulent, and the visually richest of the models is the one released in the new Bronze Gold–a material particularly suited to spiritually connect with the vintage aspects of this unusual watch. As in the revised Seamaster 300, this specific alloy of 9K gold and bronze alloy (comprised in part of silver and palladium) should retain its color without unsightly excess patina, yet retain the warmth and beauty that traditional 18K rose gold presents. And, all at a lower cost and with the clandestine yet always appreciated conversational aspect of an exclusive material. (Well, for us watch weirdos, at any rate! 😉 )
There are many superb watches out there, but there’s also a lot of hype and grossly inflated prices. If pressed to ask what luxury watch brand currently offers the best dollar-value ratio all things considered–history, quality, horological innovation, movement performance, and brand support–I tend to answer “Omega”. While not perfect (and in the world of big watch brands, who is?), and certainly capable of some unfortunate marketing peccadiloes now and again, the Swiss brand of modern James Bond, 1960s adventures on the Moon, and Escapements for the Future, continues to produce tour-de-force timepieces that really offer a tremendous amount at quite fair asking prices. And, in the last few years, they just seem to be getting stronger with each release. Given all the Speedmaster Chronoscope embodies, a starting price of $8,400 for the stainless steel models and $14,100 for the bronze gold offering seem decidedly reasonable. It might not be a Speedmaster Moonwatch, and you probably already have one of those (or several, if you’re eyeing this) – but this advanced and technically alluring model deserves a place in any collection of great chronographs, Omega or otherwise. Those who adopt a Chronoscope, will probably find it making its way onto their wrist more than they might have first suspected!
