speedmaster

Omega Speedmaster Professional Apollo-Soyuz 35th Anniversary Watch

A new Baselworld and a new limited edition Omega Speedmaster Professional watch right? Like clockwork... This year the piece is known as the Omega Speedmaster Professional Apollo-Soyuz 35th Anniversary Watch, and is meant to celebrate the 1975 launch of the Apollo-Soyuz spacecraft - an historical mission due to its collaboration between the US and the then USSR. This was also the final mission with a space shuttle bearing the "Apollo" name. It is known as the first international space flight. In remembrance of this event, the watch will be limited to just 1975 pieces with a specially engraved caseback. The watch will also feature a special dial made from meteorite - probably the best feature of the watch. Personally, I love meteorite watches, and it has always looked pretty darn good on the Speedmaster Professional. You can see that the meteorite has been given two colors, a lighter tone for the subsidiary dials. Otherwise, the watch pretty much remains the same. With the same steel case and manually wound mechanical chronograph movement.

With all this focus on preserving the heritage of the moon landing and space shuttle events, I think that the Swatch Group (parent company of Omega), should step in and try to save NASA, from a short-sighted US Government that is contemplating the closure of the extremely important US treasure. A couple of hearings on behalf of NASA would help at least. That would be an event worth watching CSPAN for.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Gallery: OMEGA Speedmaster Professional Apollo-Soyuz 35th Anniversary Watch

Tags: 1975, 35th anniversary, Apollo Soyuz, meteorite, Omega, Professional, Speedmaster

Omega Speedmaster Ladies 38mm: A Man's Watch By Any Other Name?

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Men's watches are in for women. In Europe and Asia for example it is exceedingly common to see a woman wearing a Panerai watch. They look good together as well. Though this is still a clear case of a woman wearing a man's watch. The opposite is not particularly common. Then you have the odd case of the man's watch in drag. Which is basically what you have here. The new for 2010 Omega Speedmaster Ladies 38mm watch more or less looks like a man's watch that has been shrunk by maybe a couple of millimeters and given a diamond bezel treatment. Is that all it takes these days to go from man-tool to she-jewel?

"Strong enough for a man, but made just for a woman" should be a borrowed slogan of this watch. Having said that, if the shoe fits and the style looks good on the ladies, who cares? I just find it amusing that Omega is playing dress up with masculine style watches and giving them a speckled treatment around the edges and calling them "miss." Maybe in a year or two the watch will come in all steel, have a black alligator strap, grow 2mm in size and no one would know it started life in a pink colored room.

As such, for this Speedmaster Ladies 38mm, you know the case size, which is in steel with pink gold pushers, dial accents and the bezel - which has 54 diamonds all around it. Inside the watch is an Omega caliber 3304 automatic movement with a 12 hour chronograph, time, and the date. Strap is gray alligator, and this is one watch that any man close to the female owner might mistake for his own. Debut of the watch will be in a few months at Basel 2010. Price TBA.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: 2010, 38mm, ladies, omega, speedmaster, watch

Omega Timeless Olympic Speedmaster 5-Counter Watch

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

A sexy Speedmaster is here. This is the first retro styled watch I've ever really drooled over. I really love the combo of design elements here from the new style Speedmaster case, to the railroad style numerals and of course the Olympic game touches. It all started back in 2008 with Omega's limited edition Speedmaster Summer Olympics watch in gold with a new type of movement modification giving a five Olympics rings style chronograph and calendar. When I discussed it back then I loved it, and I still do. Then recently I saw that they were to released an De Ville model with the same movement. Finally someone at Omega realized the style was a hit.

Now I discover that at least two more Speedmaster and Seamaster based models are coming with the same movement. Not only that, but they are part of a new Timeless Olympic collection that features connections to Omega's link as the official time keeper of the Olympic games. Until now, these were all limited editions as far as I know. So let's recap. Cool movement is being used in more watches, and there are going to be at least four Timeless Olympics collection models with Olympic design cues. I am thrilled.

The best model in my opinion is this Omega Timeless Olympic Speedmaster 5-Counter watch. Simple, straight-forward name and a great, clean look (also little text on the dial). Omega takes the look from classic Omega timepieces and combines them with the modern look of the Speedmaster case. It is an interesting combo. You also get the vintage style red Omega logo. The arrow hour hand mixes well with the dagger minute hand and the older style Arabic numerals. The tachymetre bezel completes the Speedmaster character. The rear of the watch likely has some Olympics themed engraving. Size is probably about 42mm wide and the watch will be in steel.

Inside the watch is the Omega Caliber 3888 Co-Axial automatic movement - which is likely Chronometer certified. Functions more or less include a 12 hour chronograph and day-date calendar. A very cool and functional design the perfectly arouses our thoughts of Omega and the Olympics. Only thing they left out was the Olympic rings logo as the counterweight on the chronograph seconds hand - but having it in would have obstructed the dial too much. Price will be 5,380 euros, likely available early next year.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: 5-counter, chronograph, olympics, Omega, speedmaster, timeless, watch

Second Man On Moon Buzz Aldrin At Omega Store NYC June 3rd

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches, Events

While the second man on the moon, Buzz Alrdin was the first to be recorded saying anything while on the surface. Now we will speak and meet with the public - along with select interviews at the Omega Boutique store in New York City on June 3rd, 2009. He is due to meet the public 4:00pm and will be joined by Omega CEO Stephen Urquhart. Omega's on going pride of it's status as developer and provider of the one one and only "moon watch" is now celebrated by its 40th year.
After all this time, Omega has preserved the basic elements that collectors love in the Apollo 11 Speedmaster Professional Moon watch. Omega regularly releases new Moon Watch models, but each stays true to the original. Buzz will bring along some moon landing memorabilia as well on the June 3rd event. It should be a noteworthy gathering for all Omega and Moon landing event fans. The Omega Flagship Boutique is located at 711 Fifth Street between 56th and 55th, New York City.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: boutique store, BoutiqueStore, buzz aldrin, BuzzAldrin, moon landing, MoonLanding, omega, speedmaster

Omega's New John F. Kennedy Speedmaster Watch Ads

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Please note that the US President in this message does not endorse this ad. This is a brand new advertisement campaign from Omega with permission from the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation. The ads will not be limited to the US, as this international campaign is part of a larger effort by Omega to increase demand for the brand worldwide. Recent efforts include the opening of a flagship store on 5th Avenue in New York City, as well as a celebrity appearance by Michael Phelps (which makes sense as Omega is the official Olympics watch).

The Kennedy connection is of course possible due to licensing from the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation that owns Kennedy's image's right of publicity. The idea behind the campaign is that because the Omega Speedmaster Professional was the official watch used by US astronauts, and eventually saw its way to the moon, it has a connection with John F. Kennedy who was instrumental in advancing US efforts to visit the moon and fund the space program. He was killed in 1963, several years before the space program was even looking too promising. I like how the ad displays the Speedmaster Moon Watch in the retro image, making it look perfectly at home, and helps advance the idea that it is really a timeless tool watch design. This year celebrates the 40th anniversary of the moon landing, for which special edition Omega Speedmaster Professional watches are available.

Ariel Adams publishes the popular watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: ad, advertisement, JFK, john f kennedy, JohnFKennedy, moon watch, MoonWatch, omega, speedmaster

Omega Speedmaster Professional Moon Watch 40th Anniversary Limited Edition: Now In Platinum

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

The quintessential function-first, tool watch has finally gotten a healthy dose of gaudiness. It was only a matter of time before Omega decided that it needed to price a version of the Omega Speedmaster Professional Moon Watch out of its core consumer's spending threshold. Available starting at Omega's new flagship 5th Avenue store in New York City - 69 pieces of the new 40th Anniversary Limited Edition Apollo 11 Moon Watch, in platinum, will tempt collectors. The watch case, bracelet, and hands are done in platinum. An 18k gold engraved plate on the caseback, and as the seconds subsidiary dial, are emblematic of the successful 1969 moon landing mission. The gold plate on the dial pictures an eagle landing on the moon, to celebrate the historical statement made famous by event stating, "the eagle has landed."

Even after 40 years, the watch remains very true to the original. Size of the case is 42mm wide, while the crystal is made out of an acrylic compound called Hesalite. Why not sapphire? Because the plastic is shatter-proof (even though it can scratch), and a shattered sapphire crystal in a space shuttle would be a disaster. The movement is a still manually wound Omega Caliber 1861 movement. Again, this has to do with the fact that an automatic movement would be worthless in a gravity-free environment.

The platinum version is in addition to a stainless steel version of the 40th Anniversay watch, which will also be in a limited edition, but of 7,969 pieces instead of the 69 pieces for the platinum version. From afar, the only thing telling the watches apart from is the color of the engraved plate on the dial - which is gold for the platinum watch, and sterling silver on the steel version. I would guess that price for the platinum version is $100,000 plus. Still a good looking watch, but did they take it too far? We will only know after seeing what Omega comes up with for the important 50th anniversary in another 10 years.

Ariel Adams publishes the watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: 40, 40th, anniversary, moon, moonwatch, omega, platinum, professional, speedmaster, watch