Omega Speedmaster Professional Apollo-Soyuz “35th Anniversary”

Above: Deke Slayton and Aleksey Leonov meet in space. © NASA

On July 17, 1975, the unimaginable happened: two Cold War-rivals met in space. The timing was propitious as both super-powers were suffering the debilitating effects of their belligerency down on planet earth. It was a perfect distraction for Americans reeling from the US military defeat in Vietnam, the worsening US economy and the unceremonious dumping of arch-villain Richard Nixon as President. It also provided a useful diversion to the Soviets, suffering under the crushing Brezhnev regime and the privations of a bleak and oppressive one-party state.

The Apollo-Soyuz Test Project saw astronauts Tom Stafford, Donald K. "Deke" Slayton and Vance Brand in an Apollo command and service module docking with a Soyuz capsule manned by Russian cosmonauts Aleksey Leonov and Valeriy Kubasov. This historic ‘coupling’ ushered in a new era of cooperative ventures between two countries that once were fierce rivals in the "space race." As Tom Stafford remarked, the Apollo-Soyuz mission "showed the whole world that if the Soviet Union and America could work together in space, they could work together on the Earth." And so, while the effluxion of time has muted the significance of this important event, it was a very big deal at the time. Big enough indeed for Omega to mark the occasion with a limited edition Speedmaster release at Basel 2010.

The OMEGA Apollo-Soyuz “35th Anniversary” Speedmaster Professional is like any other Professional with the exception of its unusual dial. In a limited edition release of 500 pieces, it is powered by the indestructible hand-wind calibre 1861, a direct descendant of the Moon Watch. (click here for an excellent review of the 1861 by Jack Forster)

The dial was produced from a meteorite (Omega has not revealed where or when the object was found) that hurtled through the earth’s atmosphere and survived high-speed impact with the terrestrial surface. The meteorite’s unusual structure is the result of its very high temperature when it enters the Earth’s atmosphere, followed by a period of cooling. The dial is a single piece cut from the meteorite; accordingly, because no two pieces of the meteorite are exactly alike, each watch in this limited edition is absolutely unique.

The black colour of the meteorite dial is the result of a surface oxidation process. The silvery seconds hand and chronograph counters appear in the meteorite’s natural colour. In the flesh, this is a stunning looking piece and may well turn out to be eminently collectible because of its limited numbers and one-off dial treatment.

Click on the above pictures for high-res images and for an incredible resource on Speedmasters click here for jean-Michel's Speedmaster-Mission.

Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra Annual Calendar

The new Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra Annual Calendar is about the closest thing you will see to line breeding in horology, for this Seamaster is a living embodiment of the genetic material that made the House of Omega such an unassailable presence in the world of production watchmaking during the halcyon nineteen-fifties and sixties.

Precision, ingenuity, quality, durability and style were the foundations upon which Omega’s reputation was originally built, and it’s gratifying to see a strong selection of these genes combine with today’s technology and meticulous production processes to create the Seamaster genotype we see in the Aqua Terra today. This is not hyperbole, but recognition of the long and restorative journey undertaken by Omega towards its true origins.

While some horological petrol-heads (a complimentary term that describes lovers of mechanical watches) have slated Omega’s Basel offerings this year as somewhat pedestrian, another way to view the company’s 2010 Basel releases is that of a year of consolidation: a year of building on a solid base of real accomplishment and innovation over the last decade. Let’s not forget the U.S. financial debacle and its impact on many of the boutique and less honorable Swiss brands, and let’s not forget that crises of this nature have a way of influencing trends and preferences. And so, we see prudence and circumspection reflected in the Omega 2010 portfolio – rightly so for any responsible watch producer.

The Seamaster Aqua Terra Annual Calendar is a natural outcome of this period of consolidation. Firstly, Omega recognises that that the Aqua Terra collection is a favourite amongst those who know their watches and are impressed by good engineering, good design and thoughtful innovation. Secondly, the AT Annual Calendar is powered by the in house Co-Axial 8601/8611 series (see here for a review of this family of calibres). Thirdly, the classic design of this model means that, unlike some of the more grotesque tool watches on offer across the brands today, the Aqua Terra is a stayer, and a likely collectible of the future.

The AT Annual calendar has authentic and not faddish style. Let’s explore the aesthetics of the bi-colour stainless steel and 18k pink gold model. The matt black dial is machined to create the appearance of decking, described by Omega as a “teak concept”. The surface of the dial has been radially brushed and the pink gold dial furniture strongly etched in a linear adoucissage finish. Sculpted in a contemporary asymmetric fashion, the date surround compliments the blunted applied arrow head hour markers beautifully. The classic Omega symbol and logo are applied in pink gold and all lettering is expertly embossed. A faceted and blunted Dauphine hour hand is contrasted by arrow-headed minute hand and second sweep. This uncluttered but strong union of design features renders a pleasing, timeless and sophisticated effect.

The case is an understatement. The polished pink gold bezel is offset by a brushed finish on the case body with a classic black polish chamfer that curls around the lugs, referencing four decades of case design of the Seamaster marque. A semi-recessed crown completes this elegant and subtle case design.

As mentioned earlier, The AT Annual calendar is powered by the OMEGA Co-Axial calibre 8601/8611. It is a high-precision COSC-certified chronometer that features the additional functionality of an instantaneous jump annual calendar complication. The movement automatically recognises months with 30 and 31 days and needs to be manually corrected only once a year, on March 1st. It also features an exclusive Si 14 balance spring that eliminates issues of magnetism and results in minimal loss of recovery of oscillating performance of the balance wheel when subjected to disturbances or shocks.

Perhaps in hindsight the Aqua Terra Annual Calendar will be viewed by collectors as a milestone piece, a watch that represented the very DNA of a revived and revitalised Omega manufactory.

Omega Constellation Double Eagle Four-Counter Co-Axial

This latest Omega Constellation launched at Basel 2010 is a Constellation Double Eagle Co-Axial with four counters staggered across the centre of the dial, a flow-on design from the Beijing Olympics Speedmaster that featured a similar but first-time-ever five counter configuration.

The Speedmaster counters – entwined Olympic rings - were in tribute to the Olympic tradition and contributed to a truly stunning piece of dial design. So, once having pushed the envelope, it was always a possibility that Omega designers would return to this idea and modify it for inclusion in other Piguet—based calibre 3xxx lines……

But a Constellation???…And using an aggressive black, red and silver livery more suited to the wrist of a Hell’s Angel’s sergeant-at-arms than snuggling the delicate and refined styloideus ulnae of a fully paid up member of the Beverly Hills Country Club????

Contrary to the opinions of some, many Omega aficionados enjoy the more ‘edgy’ styling of the Double Eagle family- even the chequered dial when framed in a gold case - but the question needs to be asked, couldn’t Omega designers have found a better home for this ‘look’ than the Double Eagle? Perhaps as a new signature piece in the Speedmaster range?

For some time now, Omega has aligned some of the Constellation family with the game of golf, particularly competition golf, hence the Double Eagle appellation. We’re not talking public golf courses here, but the kind of golf courses that offer membership to those who can actually afford the price of one of these watches, and that’s where this Double Eagle appears to fail the positioning test. It’s sporty for sure, but ‘golfy’, country clubby, neo-patrician and ‘let’s go for cruise in the Bentley’, it ain’t.

This new Double Eage four-counters is powered by the co-Axial calibre 3890, is a COSC-certified chronometer and has integrated black rubber strap with a satin-brushed stainless steel foldover clasp.

The dial offers eighteen carat white gold faceted hour markers, faceted and truncated Dauphine hands, and applied OMEGA symbol and name. Above the four counter configuration is a window revealing the day of the week. A date window at 6 o’clock completes the dial, which is protected by a domed, scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment on both sides.

The screw-in transparent sapphire crystal case back gives you an eyeful of the well-finished movement and the case is equipped with a black aluminium bezel with silver Arabic numerals that is more at home on a diving watch than on the back nine. This is divided by the signature Constellation ‘claws’.

The Constellation Double Eagle Four-Counters was meant to express a distinctive flair. Distinctive the dial is, but miscast in the Constellation range.

Click on the pictures above for larger views