Posts Tagged ‘Speedmaster’
‘Green DON Bezel’ 2998-6 Omega Speedmaster
A watch may lead an infinite number of lives, but only some result in patina. As the saying goes, one should use their tools. This is a ‘pre-moon’ 2998, and no, your eyes do not deceive you, that bezel is green. Only a very narrow range of 2998 bezels are known to occasionally exhibit this…
Read More‘Red Racing’ Dial 145.012-67 Omega Speedmaster
This is the rarest racing dial and a dream Speedmaster. It’s known as the ‘Red Racing’ or sometimes ‘Black Racing’, as both colors are distinct to this dial. Apart from the real astronaut watches and prototypes, they’re as special as Speedmaster collecting gets. There are two iterations, one with a ‘professional’ line at 12 and…
Read MoreTropical Dial ‘US 6th Fleet’ 105.003-65 Omega Speedmaster
The Speedmaster has no shortage of nuance. Its ardent supporters will not let you forget. But arguably, the clearest delineation in the pre-moon time, when this was just a chronograph aimed at racing, was its lugs. Straight lugs became lyre lugs directly after this, the 105.003 better known as the ‘Ed White’ for its time…
Read More‘Red Racing’ Dial 145.012-67 Omega Speedmaster
This is something of a final boss for those who worship at the altar of Moonwatch. It’s known as the ‘Red Racing’ or sometimes ‘Black Racing’, as both colors are distinct to this dial. There are two iterations, with and without a professional line, and fewer than 10 examples of each are known. For many…
Read MoreOmega Speedmaster Apollo-Soyuz 35th Anniversary
A Speedmaster with a meteorite dial just seems right. However, it didn’t happen until 2010. Though it’s often assumed that the platinum 321 was the first meteorite dial Moonwatch, it wasn’t even second (that was the Grey Side of the Moon). Because the appearance is so similar, it’s often mistaken for the platinum 321. But…
Read MoreBA 345.0802 Omega Speedmaster
Omega gave the world the 861 Speedmaster in 1968. Despite many loupe-carrying nerds decrying the changover from column wheel to cam switching, the movement proved so effective for Omega that it remained in production effectively unaltered until 1992. And even then, the change wasn’t huge moving the 1861. Effectively, you were getting a Lemania 1873…
Read More‘Italian Albino’ 3893.20 Omega Speedmaster
A white dial Speedmaster is like a Ferrari in Le Mans Blue or Just the Two of Us by Bill Withers off vinyl, so wrong it’s right. Since my earliest years of watch writing, I’ve been shouting from the rooftops that there is a magic about white dial Speedmasters. Prior to the introduction of the…
Read More‘Blueberry’ Ed White 105.003-64 Omega Speedmaster
Omega’s classic DON bezel can exhibit some of the most varied ghosting you’ll find on any vintage watch. I’ve seen their palette age naturally to bright burgundy, green, and blue depending on the environment. Anyone who’s bought a box of crayons can tell you, those three are nowhere near each other on the spectrum. There…
Read More3575.20 Omega Speedmaster Moonphase
If you know where to look, there’s a lot of fun and value to be had buried in Omega’s neo-vintage era Speedmasters. The 3575.20 feels like a greatest hits album comprised of some of my favorites. There’s a bit of Italian Albino, 2915 Broad Arrow, and OG ‘Speedymoon’ all going on here, Now That’s What…
Read More‘Green DON Bezel’ 2998-3 Omega Speedmaster
A childhood hero of mine, by the name of James May, used to famously spend his summers between doing Top Gear making shit documentaries learning about wine. He was accompanied by storied wine critic Oz Clarke and would drive around France in an attempt to be educated, but mostly an excuse to drink daily. In…
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