Do you consider the Speedmaster to be a luxury watch?

SouthernScot

Not sure where I stand on this one but here's my experience. For my 21st birthday my parents wanted to buy me a watch and gave me the choice with a price limit of £65, quite a bit of money in the dark ages! I whittled it down to a choice between a Speedmaster and a Rolex Submariner at that time both were about the same price, on that basis if you consider the Sub a luxury watch then the Speedy should be too. I choose the Speedmaster because at that time I went to a lot of motor race meetings and wanted to use it for timing. It is a 105.003-65 which then meant nothing to me. I used it as my everyday watch for forty years including going dingy sailing which inevitably led to the occasional soaking, so it was certainly treated as a tool watch.
For my 60th birthday my wife bought me a gold Seamaster Aqua Terra which I would definitely class as a luxury watch and it is treated as such, although ironically at today's values it is not worth anything like as much as the Speedmaster.
What does this prove? No idea!

Lonestar

They go together 😉

Hence the interest of many of us for vintage watches... devoid of pretentious and polluting marketing influence!

(vintage speedies aside, it's a bit more complex for them it seems!)

tyrantlizardrex

ahh yes... the NEED for a helium escape valve on the Seamaster 300.... for the hundreds of thousands of deep water saturation divers out there...

akshayluc420

No, I NEED it to fill my watch up with the Helium, so it's nice and light on my wrist. Steel is quite heavy you know! 😜

(Reference for those that don't know: https://omegaforums.net/threads/big-problem-with-helium-escape.39163/)

tyrantlizardrex

ahh yes... the NEED for a helium escape valve on the Seamaster 300.... for the hundreds of thousands of deep water saturation divers out there...

Mouse_at_Large

ahh yes... the NEED for a tachymetre bezel (with a wandering dot) on the Speedmaster.... for the hundreds of thousands of vehicle drivers out there who are lacking a speedometer...

😜

Larry S

Its all pretty silly when you consider that most people just gasp at anyone buying a watch that cost more than 500 bucks.

Taddyangle

I bought my speedmaster after seeing George Clooney wearing one. I was like wow, I need to buy a speedmaster.

D dafuture

In my mind, I certainly consider the Speedmaster to be a luxury watch. It may not have a COSC certified movement or a fancy bracelet, but what you're buying is a beautifully made tool watch with an amazing history meant to withstand the depths of outer space. It may be more functional than flashy, but if that doesn't qualify as a luxury watch for the average consumer I don't know what would.

w.finkenstaedt

Quick correction: the Speedmaster was never made to go into outer space. Omega made it as a GADA sport watch/chrono (they marketed it as such). NASA just tested pre-made chronos without any modifications and the Speedmaster is the only watch that survived all of the tests and remained accurate.

Note this doesn't mean it's a particularly durable movement in this day and age; modern movements are infinitely more durable.

D dafuture

You're right, my mistake. I'm relatively new to Speedy history, so forgive me for that one. However, my general point still stands: they withstood NASA testing and were sent to space. You may not be purchasing the most technologically advanced watch given the advancements in horology since the 60's, but you're still getting a finely made timepiece with major ties to the history of mankind. Even if it's not the most durable movement around, I'm sure Omega would not continue to sell it if it was unable to withstand the rigors of daily wear.