3693.50 Omega Speedmaster ‘150th Anniversary of Omega’

This isn’t a new Watches & Wonders release and it’s unrelated to Omega’s Trilogy set, apart from being heavily 2915-inspired. This is from 1998 and is one of very few Omega limited editions from that time which is actually limited, at just 150 examples. 150, rather significantly, for the 150th Anniversary of Omega. This was the brand’s birthday present to itself: a solid yellow gold throwback to the best watch the brand has ever created (fighting words, I know). It predates the Speedmaster ’57 branding and is instead known as the 150th, one of the hardest hitting 90s Speedmasters out there that nobody talks about.

Rarity isn’t all though, there’s a mix of elements here than many collectors prefer to the steel 3594.50 of the time. First, they’re numbered, which is sick, and that caseback went back to the original qualified by NASA inscription which was unusual for the time. Then they upped the crystal to sapphire, instead of leaving hesalite. And rather unusually it’s a 1863 (rather than 1861) under that solid back, which is the more finely decorated version of the calibre usually reserved for exhibition casebacks. That’s damn cool. You’ll also note: no fauxtina, which is marvelous.

With just 150 examples, it’s actually a lot harder to find one of these things than you might think. It’s one of very few Speedmasters from this time that has a tendency to show up at a Sothebys or Christies rather than Chrono24. For the last decade prices have been oscillating between 14K and 16K US at auction fairly consistently for the 3693.50.81 without bracelet. The bracelet version of this is 3193.50, which usually trades just over 20K. That’s no sapphire sandwich money, but can you imagine if Omega made something like this today with comparable rarity and quality of effort? It really is the ‘Moonshine’ Apollo 11th 50th of its time, and deserves about 5x the attention it receives today. I suppose that’s what happens when a brand goes through 20 years of ceaseless limited editions . . .but good value for us nerds in posterity.

This example is a sans-bracelet 3693.50 and it’s minty. Case looks full, dial is perfect, and the level of wear is extremely light. It includes its full set, and comes from a well-regarded retailer out of Thailand.