One of my big fears with switching from a large and bulky Seamaster to my Rolex GMT2, and hopefully a Speedmaster, has always been the size of the watch face. As it turns out, my 40mm Rolex is not hard to read at all. In fact it's superb. So I'm thinking the Speedy will be just as easy to read, if not easier. I still want to check one out in person at an AD, but I'm already feeling good about my impending addition. Before allaying my fears, however, I had an idea. Perhaps a crazy idea. It messes with the very DNA of the Speedmaster and may be sacrilegious. But here goes. What if Omega made a version of the 42mm Speedy based on the Moonwatch Professional but without the tachymeter? Eliminate the bezel completely and make the face bigger. The face layout would remain exactly as it is now but it would be considerably larger. The sub-dials could be larger and more legible, all the hands larger, and yet the overall external dimensions of the watch would remain the same. Does anybody see even a glimmer of sanity in this idea? I pulled this one straight out of my butt and I've been kicking it around in my own head for some time now. I almost expect a mob of Speedy traditionalists at my door, torches and pitchforks at the ready, but I do want opinions. Interesting concept, or blasphemy? Give it to me - I can take it.
Pretty much never going to happen as the tachymeter is at the core of what the Speedy is. There are plenty of two register Speedy's in different variants as well as all kinds of dial and hand combos where the hands contrast a bit more vs the dial. As for non-tach Speedys in general - well, that's what the Seamaster and Railmaster lines are for
@ras47 I have a feeling the vast majority of members here will strongly disagree with you. Heck, many members don't even like Omega putting sapphire on a Speedy because it messes with the original concaution of parts. With that said, I can see why you would think ditching the bezel would create an appealing design. I can draw a parallel between your idea and the creation of the Black Bay 36, which happens to be a beautiful utilitarian piece. In my opinion, the BB36 represents everything a simple tool watch should be... less the damn exposed crown tube. Removing a functional bezel works on some pieces likethe BB36 shows, but it wouldn't work as well on many watches. An important note: the Black Bay's significance in watch history is a spec of dust compared to that of the Speedy's, and thus many people would go apeshit if Omega removed the Speedy bezel. However, the potential of causing people to lose their minds did not stop Omega from putting curvy text on the dials of their $20k limited edition 1957 trio set. My contention: a Speedy would not be a Speedy without its tachymétric bezel. It's meant to be a sporty/utilitarian chronograph, and without a functional bezel it would become sort of a dress chronograph. With all of that said, and ditching all horological significance to the side, I don't think it would look right without its bezel.
Put it back in! Teasing aside, the purpose of the tachymeter is for calculation of speed, distance, and time. This is part of the core history of the Speedy and its removal would most likely result in the fall of the human race.
Consider, though, that removing the bezel from the design to make the dial larger would not affect the underlying movement architecture, which has specific places where the sub-dials presumably must appear. The entire movement would need to be redesigned if the intent was to make sub-dials larger and spaced slightly more distant from the center. Speedy Pro is already a highly legible watch, FYI, easily discernible at even very low angles. I love it even more so precisely for that reason, and legibility is a huge pet peeve of mine. (I have an older Rolex with polished hands; drives me nuts having to angle it this way and that to catch a dark reflection to get good contrast.)
I'm actually surprised it took even this long for somebody to suggest that. I was thinking it when I first posted.
Doing a Google image search for "automatic chronograph" brings up a multitude of two and three register chronos both with and without tachy scales, but even I would say that a tachy (or other graduated) bezel is an essential stylistic element of a Speedmaster. Anyway, without a tachy bezel, where would the wandering dot go??????
After reading these replies, it's official. This was a STUPID idea. I definitely should put it back where I got it, but I'm afraid of the sharp edges! That didn't take very long to decide. And if I had a Speedmaster I could have timed it and told you exactly how long it took.
Easy to conceptualize visually. In photoshop : Just cut out the dial from bezel, blow it up so it's as big, then overlay it. *voila*.
There's nothing wrong with not liking the looks of the Speedy. There are many other watches, both from Omega and other manufacturers. You don't have to make the Speedy into one of them.
Oh, I LOVE the look of the Speedy. I was *hoping* to preserve most of that look while improving it. Yeah, I get it now - not a good idea. You don't mess with perfection. I repent.
The tachymetre track was added to an external bezel on the Speedmaster for the express purpose of maximizing the dial space for the chronograph itself, in order to increase legibility.
To add what @marcnorth posted, the movement would either have to be redesigned or the overall size of the case would have to shrink considerably with the elimination of the bezel. For some examples see the Seamaster 321 chonographs that used the same movement as the first Speedies but without bezels, but still had wonderfully legible dials and fantastic overall looks at cases around 34-36mm. That being said I'm sure there are plenty of modern alternatives out there with similar aesthetics, provenance and quality that could quell your tastes but without the bezels; see JLC, Longines, or even Omega with their Aqua Terra chrono line.
Loving it except for one important thing that you'd like to change isn't really love... kinda like with a partner...