The Omega Seamaster 1948 Co Axial "London 2012" Limited Edition

The Seamaster 1948 homage caused more than a few ooohs and aaahs amongst Omega devotees at this year's Baselworld watch fair, and, fortunately, for those instant gratificationists who cannot wait for the 2012 opening ceremony and must have one now, this limited edition of nineteen-hundred and forty-eight pieces goes on sale on July 27^th.   

The Seamaster 1948 is derivative, rather than an entirely faithful replica, of one of the very first of this line to be released: the calibre 343 RG powered Seamaster chronometer, model 2518.  Seen below, this beefy lugged celebrity is one of the most collectible of the early bullet-proof, “bumper” calibres. And, it is an entirely appropriate choice for the 2012 Olympics, commemorating Omega’s timing of the 1948 London Olympics known as the “Austere Games”. At that time, large parts London were still in ruins; food rationing remained in force, and rubble strewn streets were still a common sight. The 1948 London Olympics was also notable for being the only Olympics where athletes brought their own food and "the Magic Eye", Omega's newly developed photo-finish technology was used for the first time. 

In comparing the two pieces, the similarities, rather than slight differences, in design stories become apparent. The applied Arabic numerals at the quarter hour are almost identical, save for the six o’ clock marker that is not present in the original. The faceted arrowhead markers, again, are reasonably accurate facsimiles, the rounded Lance Alpha hands are true to the originals and the chapter ring is the same. The big difference is the size of the sub-seconds dial and the use of a flat opaline surface in place of the domed silvered dial on the 1948 version.  The seconds sub-dial could not be located lower on the dial because of the 26mm calibre 2202 movement powering this larger commemorative model. However, I would have liked to have seen a replication of the domed dial as it softens the overall styling of the piece.  

The case of the Co-Axial is 39mm in diameter, 5mm larger than the vintage version, and while the wide polished bezel and case middle have been reproduced faithfully, the polished lugs on the new version are marginally more curved. An 18 karat London Olympics medallion replaces the original plain case back. Designed by Wolff Olins, this official logo adds collecting provenance to the piece.

 The power plant is, as mentioned above, the exclusive Omega calibre 2202 co-axial. This movement is basically a jewelled-up calibre 2500C with a sub-seconds configuration, a heavily modified version of the ETA calibre 2982. It has appeared in previous museum homage watches such as the Omega Centenary limited edition piece and also provides the power for the De Ville Prestige collection.  Featuring a three-level co-axial escapement and breguet overcoil balance, the movement offers a power reserve of around 48 hours and is chronometer certified.

So, does the 48 Co-Axial stand as a worthy successor to previous Seamaster Olympic commemorative watches? I think so. Its classic design certainly stirred the passions of collectors at Baselworld, and while I would have rather seen it come with a domed dial, it needs to be remembered that the watch is a contemporary take on an old favourite. Priced at around $USD 5500.00, it is not cheap for a steel cased, 2500-based Omega, however its limited numbers and Olympic associations almost guarantee its future collectability.  On aesthetics alone, I think I would take the plunge. 

Omega Launches the Apollo 15 Speedmaster 40th Anniversary Limited Edition

On the July 26, 2011, at 09:34:00 am, it will be forty years since the Apollo 15 mission blasted into orbit from the Kennedy Space Centre at Cape Canaveral, in Florida. It was touch and go initially because the second stage of the Saturn V rocket ignited prematurely, nearly setting off as catastrophic event where the exhaust of the first stage engine was fed back into the propulsion system.

Also notable was the fact that Apollo 15 was the first of what were described as the “J Missions”, featuring extended stays on the moon for exploration and data collecting. It notched up another first with the moon (rather than world) premiere of the lunar roving vehicle, seen below in the company of lunar module pilot, James Irwin, saluting the US flag - although he could have been waving enthusiastically to his mum back on earth - at the Hadley-Apennine landing site. The mission lasted twelve long days.

The circular mission patch showed a stylised rendering of red, white and blue birds flying over the Hadley-Rille section of the lunar surface, which is adjacent to the Appenines Mountains. Encircled by a blue border, the mission and crew member’s names are printed on a white background against an inner red circle. Fashion designer Emilio Pucci designed the patch, but Commander David Scott and crew chose the colour scheme. 

A new limited edition Omega Speedmaster commemorates this milestone in the US space program of the seventies by incorporating the colour scheme of the Apollo 15 mission patch into its dial design. The minute index is in blue, white and red, replicating the outer circles of the patch. This colour scheme continues with a blue ring around the small seconds subdial, and white and red rings around the 12-hour and 30-minute counters, adding an edge to the otherwise conservative Speedmaster livery.

The case-back identifies its limited edition status and features a nicely executed image of an astronaut hooning about in the lunar rover, echoing many a boy’s fantasy in those days to go dune buggying on the lunar surface. The lunar rover subject on the medallion was chosen to mark the rover's first outing on the moon

The case design is archetypal Moonwatch, with all the customary features that mark the iconology of the Speedmaster design. The case is generously sized at 42mm, but what makes this, and all others of the moonwatch (Speedmaster Professional) ilk, special is the calibre 1861 movement. This classic hand-wind chronograph traces its DNA back to the incredible aviator chronographs produced by Omega in the early 1930s, with its more direct descendants being the calibre 321, designed by Albert Piguet in 1946, and calibre 861, an upgrade introduced in 1968. It is pure horological history on the wrist, and any serious collector of chronographs has at least one.

There have been numerous comments on watch fora about Omega having introduced too many limited edition Speedmasters, but most of that commentary is informed by investment and perhaps exclusivity considerations rather than satisfying a market of collectors who, like in many areas of collecting, want to build limited edition collections and wait eagerly for the next in the series. The Moonwatch limited editions are also created to appeal to the growing number of nostalgists who have developed a renewed interest in memorabilia from America’s pioneering space adventures.

So, is the price tag of around $7000.00 worth the trouble? For lunatics who claim that the US moon missions never took place and harrangue elderly astronauts for being part of the "conspiracy", of course not!  But, I would say yes, particularly for those who like to collect the series, and most certainly for those who wish to have a legend purring away on their wrists.