Speedmaster “First Omega in Space” Numbered Edition Chronograph

While there have already been comments bewailing the fact thatthe Speedmaster “First Omega in Space” fiftieth anniversary numbered edition isnot the size of the Speedmaster Professional, perhaps said commentators may be somewhatmollified when they consider the unparalleled value offered  by this commemorative piece. Besides, it isappropriate that a watch that honours Wally Schirra’s choice to give his CK2998 Speedmaster some wrist time – two years and five months prior to NASAofficially adopting the Speedmaster - aboard the Mercury Atlas mission of 1962is sized as its contemporaries were.

Of the Speedmaster offerings at Baselworld, this is thepurists version. The other two, notwithstanding the allure of the Z – 33, canbe seen as ‘monetisations’ of the Speedmaster’s incredible brand power.  Tracing its genotype back to the classic calibre321 that powered Schirra’s original Speedie, the calibre 1861 under the bonnet offersauthenticity and great value for money for the USD 5,300.00 price tag. 

The hand-wound calibre 1861 is still one of the smallestchronograph movements on the market and this allows a nice comfortable caseheight of 14mm in the Schirra Speedie. The case aesthetics are of the laterperiod and feature the familiar faceted lugs. The 1861 is fundamentally the same calibre as that designed by Lemania’sAlbert Piguet in 1942. The main differences between its early predecessors arethat of a column wheel having been replaced by a cam, a steel braking lever replacedby a more shock-resistant Delrin lever and a change of balance and beat rate.  For a chronograph movement to have been aroundfor seventy years with so few modifications is a testament to the brillianceand execution of its design. 

      

The classic ‘white on black’ lacquered dial, originally inspiredby the instruments on Italian cars of the period, together with the Alpha handsprovides superb readability.  The hourmarkers and hour and minute hands are coated with super luminova.  Unlike the original, the Schirra commemorativeSpeedmaster has a sapphire crystal to better protect the dial from the bumpsand grinds of contemporary life.

As a numbered edition, special attention has been paid tothe screw-in caseback.  The Seahorse medallion(the Speedmaster was conceived as part of the Seamaster collection) is deeplyembossed, and around the perimeter of the medallion in raised lettering are thewords “THE FIRST OMEGA IN SPACE” and “OCTOBER 3, 1962”, The numbering is etchedon the case back rim.  The watch comeswith a brown stitched leather strap.

There are many reports of the how’s and whys of NASAchoosing the Speedmaster as the official NASA mission watch, and it behooves anyproud owner of a ‘real’ Speedie to know the history of the marque. A goodwrite-up on the NASA evaluation and testing process can be found here.  A fuller history of this iconic brand can befound here. From the inception of the concept, Omega’s design chief, PierreMoinat, wanted the Speedie to both stand out from the crowd and appear thenatural choice for a motoring chronograph. He succeeded on both counts, andOmega is not boasting when it states that the Speedmaster is the “world’sdefinitive chronograph”.   

The Schirra commemorative Speedmaster will be availableafter September 2012

Basel-world 2012: The Omega Spacemaster Z-33

Ever since Omega somewhat belatedly patentedits ‘Ligne Pilote’ case design in November 2010, watch aficionados knewsomething was up. Informed speculation leaned towards an upgraded X33 sittingin a pilot line case.....and it was right. 

Featuring a freshly minted calibre 5566quartz movement, the Z-33 offers analogue time-telling adjustable at the crownand a range of digital functions that will be very useful to pilots - even inthese days of iPads and digital paraphernalia that allow pilots to doeverything except have sex with their chief stewardesses. Functionsinclude Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) and two other time zones, also allowingowners to cross theinternational date line and accommodate forward and regressive datechanges.  The chronograph function of themovement can measure elapsed time from destination, and ten separate flightscan be logged and represented visually

With four pushers and a crown, the SpacemasterZ-33 is a complicated piece of kit. If you have problems programming digitalrecorders or setting up a new television set, this will really flummox you.But, with a little practice and a certified membership from MENSA, you shouldget the hang of it! 

The design is pure brutalism with adark side that will appeal to anyone who nurtures and enjoys their Jungianshadow. The classic titanium pilot line case, a derivative of the Flightmastercases of the late nineteen-sixties and early seventies,  features a deep linear adoucissage finish thatradiates from the centre point of the watch and you can almost cut yourself, orothers, with the sharpness of the perimeter edges. The 19.3 mm case is much thicker than theearlier Flightmaster cases and overall measurements are a whopping 43mm by53mm.  

The dial is simplicity itself. A deepcharcoal ground is highlighted with white superluminova indices with the outerring featuring the classic Flightmaster five-minute configuration. Two mirrorimage digital displays with black backgrounds pulse out red characters.  Dagger hands, also coated in superluminova areskeletonised to allow better visibility of the digital displays.

A choice of rubber or leather straps isoffered, but the rubber strap with the red outlines, in my opinion, completes theimplicit ‘menace’ of the design story. This is the ultimate electro-mechanical tool watch, and it may wellbecome a cult piece just as the Omega X-33 has. Available only from Omega boutiques, the Z-33 will set you back aroundUSD 5900.00 and will be available from May, 2012.

Oh, and for those who may have described, or willdescribe, this wonderful piece of ordinance as “fugly’, I simply ask, have youlooked at yourself in the mirror lately?

Omega Speedmaster Racing Chronograph

I’m not going to say much about this 40mm, $4800.00 entry-levelSpeedmaster, save that it looks racy, sporty, fun and is generally a nice piece ofdesign. It will certainly hook in the neophytes and those who don’t know their Speedmastersfrom their Mixmasters.  

Said to honour the Speedmaster’s original purpose, that ofan accoutrement to well heeled petrol-heads who were into car racing, this new,let’s call it a driving Speedie, comes with a choice of dial colourcombinations including maroon and blue, and you may pick between a standardbracelet or black rubberised band with colour outlines.

The subdials arefinished in what is described as a “Clous de Paris” pattern. Clou is a Frenchword used colloquially to refer to carbuncles and boils, and also to nails andother forms of fastening. I suspect the Omega marketing department would much preferus to think of the latter definitions, as I can’t imagine they would have usview the subdials as being finished in the style of a Parisian boil.

It’s what under the bonnet that doesn’t impress me atall.  Hyperbole for effect, but if you’relooking for a movement that needs to be tucked into bed and told a story everynight just to keep it happy, then maybe this model is for you.  If you want a Real Man’s Speedmaster, thenyou have only one movement choice, the bulletproof calibre 1861.

I thought Omega was going to consign the effetePiguette-based chronograph movements to its women’s collection, and to see acalibre 3330 under the Speedmaster appellation is a tad disappointing. Why nota worked up calibre 1164 based on the famous Valjoux 7750 ‘tracteur’?  At least it would stand up to the kind of bullying towhich men’s watches are often subjected.  

You'll have to wait until November before this collection reaches Omega boutiques and retailers.  

Omega Day-Date Thirtieth Anniversary Constellation

The Constellation Day-Date has been a long time returning. Thelast fully in-house Constellation movement with the day-date complication wasthe calibre 1021, phased out in 1979. 

Between now and July, Omega will release various iterationsof the 38 mm case Day-Date Constellation, starting with diamond bezel models that will setyou back between thirteen and thirty-eight thousand dollars and culminating inthe release of the all stainless model with black dial in July, priced ataround $8300 US Dollars. I say “culminating” because I think the black dialledall stainless Day-Date is a classic in the making. 

Under the dial is a modified calibre 8500 movement which Omegahas designated as the calibre 8602 to identify the Date-Date complication.  This family of ‘in-house’ co-axial calibresnow has five years of history behind it; five years in which no major design ormanufacturing fault has surfaced,  atruly remarkable track record for a new calibre.  Featuring a silicon balance and co-axialescapement, the series is one of the most beautiful looking new millennium movementson the market.

The Constellation Day-Date arrived at Baselworld 2012,thirty years after Carol Didisheim’s first Manhattan version with the famous griffes(or claws) created a sensation at Baselworld in 1982. (Click here for the storyof how the griffes came about).  I’msurprised that Omega has not made more of the Didisheim link to today’sConstellations and  acknowledged hercontribution to one of the most enduring designs in contemporary Swisswatchmaking. 

There is a remarkable balance to the dial design that respectsthe minimalist approach to Constellation dials. The curved day aperture istucked neatly between the eleven and one o’clock markers and the date aperture unobtrusivelyreplaces the six o’clock marker.   

While most men will eschew bezels that have the numerals setwith 116 full-cut diamonds (seen in the picture above),  a wait of a mere four months will net you asilvered or black dialled version of this classic thirty-nine jewel chronometer.