‘Vampire’ Ruby Omega Speedmaster Canopus White Gold

No, you haven’t had a stroke. No, this isn’t aftermarket. And yes, that’s a Speedmaster. Meet the Omega equivalent of an off-catalogue application piece. Long time viewers here will know, we don’t talk about much in gem-set. Usually, it’s not that interesting. But this is different. This is a watch that’s still very poorly understood and never seen. We know there are 5 variants, all in precious metal. We know they’re for Omega’s best clients. And we know they originally asked roughly 170K USD. This is the first I’ve seen one offered on the market, ever, and it’s quite a ways under that RRP. Now, this is a controversial watch. Do Omega need a Rainbow Daytona? It’s not for me to say. But it’s a watch you should know of, and a side of Omega we don’t really see very often.

Up until 2022, Omega had made 12 gem-set Speedmasters. Then @horology_ancienne started asking Omega what might be possible. And it turns out, something was already in the works. What resulted were five watches, made in infinitesimal quanitites. They were never publicly offered. We know there is a sapphire, ruby, rainbow, and diamond in Canopus white gold, then ruby in pink gold. According to a totally unsubstantiated message we received, Omega are making about 4 per year and each variant will only be made in 20 examples. We don’t have any official line from Omega on how limited they will be; if anyone has concrete information, please inform us below. Whatever the number is, it’s an example of Omega truly listening to their best clients and bending the knee. In that light, it’s closer to the VC Everest than a normal Speedmaster, at least in brand philosophy (I want a titanium 321, if anyone is listening).

Each uses 48 baguettes in the bezel, a truly exceptional setting exercise. Each of the dial’s hour indices are rectangular, but with a stepped cut to follow the topography of the stepped dial precisely. And then the crown is a rose-cut ruby as well. Otherwise, it’s your standard Canopus gold 3861 Speedmaster. It’s somewhat interesting that this was the flagship chosen for all this work and not a 321, which I suppose tracks. This is the most advanced Speedmaster made today and that modernity fits the job description. Just figure out a way to do a pave dot over ninety and I”m sold.

This is a new watch, which isn’t really what we normally cover. So there’s not much to say for condition here. It’s the real deal and a full set. It comes from a well-regarded California retailer.