Posts Tagged ‘Speedmaster’
‘Red Racing’ 145.012-67 Omega Speedmaster
For those who worship at the altar of moonwatch, there’s a lot to learn. Good luck distinguishing a CB case from an HF. Same goes for a 105.002 from a 2998. This problem is made worse by the fact that Omega people are so keen to demonstrate themselves as in the inner circle that they’ll…
Read MorePulsations Bezel 105.003-65 ‘Ed White’ Omega Speedmaster
For every mission that rockets up to the ISS, NASA appoints one Flight Surgeon. This role is given to an MD and requires the oversight of health care or any medical issues that arise, known as the ‘personal doctor to the astronauts’. To be able to credibly call yourself a space doctor, that’s a title…
Read MoreMoonshine Omega Speedmaster Apollo 11 50th Anniversary
Historically speaking, when Omega gets it right, they get it really right. There have been solid gold Speedmasters before and there have been solid gold Speedmasters since. But the Apollo 10 50th, and BA145.022 it references, are surely high-water marks. I will always remember the first time I saw a BA145.022 in person at a…
Read More2915-2 Broad Arrow Omega Speedmaster
The first of everything is not necessarily best. The first Beatles album, Please Please Me, comes nowhere close to Abbey Road. The Porsche 911 began as a VW Beetle. Mead comes nowhere close to an 18 year old sherry-casked Yamazaki. But Omega’s Speedmaster is one of the exceptional cases where everything was perfect from the…
Read More‘Ed White’ 105.003-63 Omega Speedmaster
In 1965, Ed White became the first American astronaut to walk in space. Needless to say, he is a hero. But he was so much more: an aeronautical engineer, USAF Officer, fighter pilot, crewmember of Gemini IV and Apollo I. He puts my entire life, and likely yours, to shame. Mr White tragically passed in…
Read MoreCB Case 105.012-66 Omega Speedmaster
Watch enthusiasts are, almost by definition, students of detail. Early Speedmaster productions, particularly pre-moon, offer a wealth of varying tiny details which may fill a lifetime of study. Few of them, however, are able to spotted across a room. I can only think of tropical dials, broad arrow/alpha handsets, straight lugged cases, and, for those…
Read More‘220 Error’ Bezel 145.022-69 Omega Speedmaster
Is it an expression of pride in scholarship or admission of madness that collectors often adore outright mistakes in watchmaking? The most infamous of this bunch must certainly be the double nine Air-King, royalty of the skies and mistakes in equal measure. Perhaps lesser discussed, however, is Omega’s equivalent: the 220. These bezels were applied…
Read MoreTropical 2998-1 Omega Speedmaster
2889-1. There is no shortage of adjectives one could throw at this title . . .321, chocolate, radium, pre-moon, base 1000, and alpha-handed, I could go on. Save to say this: the 2998 is a sweet spot in pre-moon references for its alpha handset, chunky straight case, and historic significance. No, I don’t mean the…
Read MoreApollo 15 40th Anniversary Omega Speedmaster
Apollo 15 was the fourth moon mission and first to focus on long duration lunar surface stays with a heavy focus on scientific operations. In total, the crew spent 18 hours and 37 minutes on the surface and twelve days from start to end. Perhaps most notably, however, it was the first moon mission to…
Read More2998-3 ‘Lollipop’ Omega Speedmaster
Adetail can make all the difference. The 2000s black series CLK AMG has just ever-so slightly anabolic wheel arches and multi-spoke alloys which allow the educated observer to mark it apart from some dime-a-dozen Germanic grocery getter. Similarly, a Japanese whisky with an age statement hidden on the corner of the label, these days, makes…
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