Watches Blog Wrist Watch Reviews

It is not rocket science: everyone is after the same type of watches. For whatever reason, whether thats a genuine interest, lack of confidence, or the fear of missing out on things. It doesnt matter, in all honesty. I am happy to notice a small shift in things, at least in some of the watch collecting circles out there. People buy (again) what they truly enjoy and like. This 18 carat rose gold Omega Speedmaster Day-Date reference 3623.33.01 is one of those watches that only a few people will care about.And thats also fine, it means that those who do enjoy it, will be able to pick one up for a fair price. I wont say cheap, as 5,650 is a lot of money to many.? But compared to the more favored [...]

Omega Speedmaster Plaisted Polar Expedition 1968!A sextant and a Speedmaster was all they had to calculate their exact position. Four brave men who had travelled for 44 days to conquer 1320 kilometres across the Polar cap reached their destination: the exact geographic North Pole at 90 degrees latitude North.The mission was led by American explorer Ralph S. Plaisted. The other men in his team were Gerald Pitzl (navigator), Walter Pederson (the mechanical engineer) and Jean-Luc Bombardier (scout and technician). All four men were wearing an Omega Speedmaster Professional reference 145.012. The same reference that was used during the Apollo 11 mission approximately a year later.During this mis [...]

Buzz Aldrins Speedmaster!Once in a while we have guest contributors for the Speedy Tuesday topic. Todays it is Boris of the Watches and Art blog and contributor to WatchTime.net. Just recently, he also contributed to Speedy Tuesday with his wonderful Omega Speedmaster ref. 2998-61. Today, Boris contributes with a story on his Omega Speedmaster Professional 145.012, supposedly the same reference that Buzz Aldrin had in space. Although it has never been confirmed and weve seen other references for Adrins watch as well.Note In the meanwhile we know that Aldrin and Armstrong wore 105.012 references and Collins wore a 145.012 during the Apollo 11 mission. This has been confirmed to us by Omega.O [...]

Omega?Speedmaster Pro 145.022This weeks Speedmaster is something that came out of a dusty cabin in Finland. Aki from Finland received this Omega Speedmaster Professional reference 145.022 from his dad, after it had been collecting dust for years. Although the papers and original invoice have been lost, the watch still has the original red box from 1982.Speedmaster Pro 145.022The Omega Speedmaster Professional 145.022 was introduced in 1968, the first watch to have the Lemania based caliber 861 movement. In comparison to the previous Speedmaster Pro 145.012 model, the most obvious changes are the dial, chronograph second hand and bracelet. Under the hood, Omega stopped using the column wheel [...]

The Speedmaster long before it became know as the MoonwatchIt is Speedy Tuesday Today we have a guest contributor that writes about his much beloved Omega Speedmaster. Our friend from WatchesandArt in Germany has sent us his story on his love for Speedmasters and queste for the right one (CK2998-61).Over the years, I have had different Omega Speedmasters from different periods of time. I started with the famous Moonwatch, an unworn example in 1998 which I kept for over a decade before letting it go. In the meantime, many other Speedies from different periods of time arrived on my wrist, references such as the reference 145.022 from 1969, 145.012 from 1967 and 145.003 from 1965. None of them [...]

Speedmaster Pro Ref. 145.012-67Today we feature one of the most popular vintage Speedmaster watches with a caliber 321 movement: The Speedmaster Pro reference 145.012. We have featured this specific reference number many times before here, as it was one of the watches that was worn by an Apollo 11 crew member in 1969. Also, as it is one of the most common caliber 321 Speedmaster models, it means you are able to source one without too many problems (and money).Speedmaster Professional 145.012We did a comparison between this Speedmaster Prfofessional 145.012 model and a modern Speedmaster Professional 3570.50 in the past (click here for that story), to show you the changes Omega applied to the [...]

Trip To New York!Its Speedy Tuesday I remember that a few years ago, I wasnt too fond of all the limited edition Speedmaster Professional models that were being introduced. However, over time that changed a bit although I still do not get all of them and I am now looking forward to Baselworld each year to see if there is a mission patch model or limited edition in the new collection. One of the biggest regrets I had when it comes to watches, is that I did not buy the Omega Speedmaster Professional Snoopy when it came out in 2004.Ive come so close to pull the trigger on a Snoopy Speedmaster a few times, but it was either too expensive in my opinion (which I regretted later again) or not com [...]

Dutch Speedmaster GTGIts Speedy Tuesday As you probably know, the first steps on the Moon were set by NASA astronaut Neil Armstrong on July 21st at 2:56 (UTC time) in 1969. 44 years later, a perfect date to have a GTG with Speedmaster enthusiasts to have a lunch.Gerard Nijenbrinks of the in2watches.com watch blog and I invited some Speedmaster collectors and enthusiasts to meet in The Hague, The Netherlands. Some of the attendees just have one Speedmaster, others had dozens. The love for the Speedmaster was very much the same though. From vintage to new, all kinds of Speedmasters were brought to the table.To give an impression of the meeting (or GTG), we show you some pictures taken that day [...]

Omega Speedmaster Mark IIIts Speedy Tuesday Once in a while we ask someone to contribute to Speedy Tuesday. Today I am honored that my long time friend Ruckdee was willing to do a write-up on how he got his Omega Speedmaster Professional Mark II. It isnt a story about the watch, but a story about things that matter in life and sure, the watch plays an important role here.My Speedmaster Professional Mark II by RuckdeeSeeing RJ's recent call for a Speedmaster Mark II, I feel I should contribute with a small story of my own.?It may be more about the journey than the watch itself, so please bear with me. If you are a son and you are not speaking to your father or mother, I highly recommend you [...]

Omega Speedmaster LegendIts Speedy Tuesday As you probably know, when the Speedmaster was being introduced in 1957 there were no signs of a role in the space program yet. The Speedmaster was essentially meant for sports people and race car drivers. Once in a while, Omega still grabs back to the heritage of car racing and introduces a Speedmaster that has a link with racing.Michael Schumacher was ambassador for Omega for a long time before hopping over to Audemars Piguet. However, when he won the world title in F1 racing for the 6th time (2003), Omega decided to introduce a Speedmaster broad arrow model to commemorate this accomplishment by the German F1 pilot. The Speedmaster Legend was born [...]

Speedmaster 57 Re-editionsIts Speedy Tuesday We probably dont have to tell you that very first Speedmaster has been introduced in 1957. This highly-sought after model has become very expensive over the years (if you can find one in original condition at all). Over the years, Omega introduced several models that were heavily influenced by this very first reference CK2915 Speedmaster from 1957. The first that we know of was the Speedmaster 57 replica that they introduced in 1997. This watch was also part of the famous Omega Speedmaster Missions suitcases. This year, Omega introduced the new Speedmaster 57 Co-Axial Chronograph Calibre 9300 and 9301 models.During Baselworld, Omega showed us the [...]

A 1984 Speedmaster Mark V Reference 376.0806Its Speedy Tuesday Today we have something quite special, an OMEGA Speedmaster Mark V from 1984. OMEGA introduced the Speedmaster Mark series in 1969 with the Mark II and it lasted till the Mark V (1984). The OMEGA Speedmaster Professional (either 145.022 or as we know it now 3570.50) was always available as well during these 25 years.Chris L from Manila sent us some pictures of his Speedmaster Mark V, that is in his collection since 2006. A time piece that is hard to get (there is currently only 1 for sale on Chrono24) for Speedmaster enthusiasts. Although most of the Mark series are very well documented on the legendary Chuck Maddox website, we [...]

GoodPlanet and OMEGARemember our trip to Capri in May 2011 to join OMEGA during the introduction of the new Seamaster Planet Ocean? During this event, Yann Arthus-Bertrand joined for an evening and it was announced that OMEGA support his work for the GoodPlanet foundation. The GoodPlanet foundation released a movie Planet Ocean to demonstrate whats going on in our oceans today and what the consequences of our abuse of these oceans might be in the future.Last week, Fratellowatches attended the screening of this movie in Amsterdam. Hosted by OMEGA and Mooi PR, the Planet Ocean movie was shown to the press in The Dylan hotel in Amsterdam. After a nice reception with drinks and some food, we wer [...]

3rd Generation Speedmaster pre-ProfessionalIts Speedy Tuesday Earlier this year, Bert and I went on a horological trip to Switzerland and visited the OMEGA museum in Biel. One of the people from the museum showed us a number of Speedmasters that they had on archive (that is: not displayed in the museum). One of them was this very early Speedmaster 105.003 also known as the 3rd generation of Speedmaster pre-Professional model. One can dispute that, as there were three reference numbers before the 105.003.The CK2915 as the very first Speedmaster, the CK2998 is the second generation of Speedmasters and then there was the 105.002. This watch is basically a CK2998, but at this time, OMEGA introdu [...]

OMEGA Speedmaster Professional Apollo 11Its Speedy Tuesday and today we put this stealth Speedmaster Professional Apollo 11?limited edition in the spot lights. Stealth? Yes, as it appears to be a regular Speedy Pro Moonwatch until you take a closer look at the caseback. The special engraving tells you that this is a limited edition (9999 pieces) to commemorate the Moonlanding on the 21st of July 1969, at 2:56 GMT. This Speedmaster Professional Apollo 11?ref. 3560.50 (or ST 345.0223) was introduced in 1999 for the 30th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission in 1969.Apollo 11? SpeedmastersDuring the Apollo 11 mission, astronauts Michael Collins, Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong were all wearing Sp [...]

Speedmaster DateIts Speedy Tuesday Today we have an OMEGA Speedmaster Date reference 323.30.40.40.04.001 or Panda Speedy as the owner calls it. OMEGA has been using these Panda dials in different models, including the Speedmaster Professional (Apollo 11 35th Anniversary edition in 2004 and the Speedmaster Mitsukoshi edition for the Japanese market in 2003). This Speedmaster Date also has a white dial with black sub registers, looking like a Panda face.As you can see, the Speedmaster Date case is not much different from the Moonwatch with its brushed sides and polished facets on the lugs. The 40mm case is just slightly smaller than the Moonwatch / Speedmaster Professional and makes it a comfo [...]

OMEGA Speedmaster 311.33.42.50.01.001Its Speedy Tuesday We received with pride a number of photos of the 2007 OMEGA Speedmaster 1957 50th Anniversary model reference 311.33.42.50.01.001 from Darren Townend. Friend of the show and serious Speedy collector Lets zoom in a bit on this awkward but very cool Speedmaster model, limited to 1957 pieces only.Different from the MoonwatchThis Speedmaster 1957 was actually introduced in the very same year as the OMEGA Speedmaster Professional 50th Anniversary model with the Seamonster logo printed on the dial (in gold color). In our Speedy Tuesday article of 21st of August 2012, we actually discuss this model in-depth with a lot of background informa [...]

Speedmaster Broad Arrow or Speedmaster Professional?Its Speedy Tuesday Dont let the broad arrow hands fool you Often confused with the Speedmaster Broad Arrow, this Moonphase model is definitely part of the Speedmaster Professional collection. This Speedmaster Professional Moonphase is based on the Speedmaster 57 re-edition ref.?3894.50.37 that was introduced in 1997/1998. It was in production from 1999 till 2003 and has the famous hand-wound Lemania based caliber 1866 movement. This is a modified version of the caliber 1861 movement, that can be found in the current line-up of Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch timepieces.This Speedmaster Professional Moon Phase ref. 3575.20 clearly has Pro [...]

Speedmaster 311.30.42.30.01.004Remember our post about the Speedmaster Racing a few weeks ago? Well, theres more to it During our appointment with Jean Claude Monachon (Head of Product Development) of OMEGA weve heard the true story about the OMEGA Speedmaster Professional 311.30.42.30.01.004 Racing that was introduced during Baselworld 2013.Tintin Destination MoonTintin Destination Moon (or Objectif Lune) is the 16th comic album of Herg s Tintin series. It was written 19 years before the Moonlanding (Apollo 11 in 1969) and 8 years before the first manned space flight (Yuri Gagarin). The story about Tintin, Haddock and professor Calculus continues in the next album, Explorers on the Moon (1 [...]

In 2021, Omega updated the iconic Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch with the caliber 3861 movement. A very good reason to update our Speedmaster Buyers Guide as well!This guide dates all the way back to 2014, and since then, a lot happened. Not only did we have our own way with Omega and the two Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday watches (in 2017 and 2018), Omega also introduced a number of interesting Speedmaster watches to the collection. What about the Speedmaster Calibre 321 from 2020, or the new Moonwatch Master Chronometer models in gold? Time for us to update this Speedmaster Buyers Guide.In this Speedmaster Buyers Guide, we give you an overview of the most important references of the Speedm [...]