Oh, the irony.....the first Speedmasters were built as racing watches when Omega threw their hat into into the NASA testing and the rest, as they say, is history. After several missions, Omega got feedback from Astronauts and NASA about changes they wanted to make to the "Moonwatch" 1) a crystal that wouldn't be prone to "pop off" 2) a sturdier bezel 3) a case without as many edges To which, Omega designed the MKII to address these requirements - unfortunately, time ran out and by time the MKII's were ready for evaluation, the was no longer a need. Ironically, the watch that became the Moonwatch was never designed or intended to go to the moon while the watch that was designed to meet NASA requirements never made it to resting. The good thing is the Mark II's were released to the public and, not as popular as the moonwatch, became a cult classic with either the black/white or grey/orange dial configurations. This review is not meant to be a "spot the difference" between the vintage and modern so I'll just touch on it briefly and then take a tour of the reissue. 1) Modern Tachy Bezel is not as wide giving more exposure to the beautiful dial 2) Both have orange markers on the racing track but the Vintage has an orange "lap" on the track, the modern has an orange ring beneath the bezel 3) Modern Movement upgraded 4) (very) slight difference in case specs 5) Date in the Modern dial 6) "professional" on the vintage dial replaced with "Co-Axial Chronometer" on the modern dial Photo from ABTW: Now that's covered...moving into the modern reissue For the movement nerds: Calibre 3330 is an automatic chronograph movement by Omega based on the ETA 7753 but with the addition of a column wheel chronograph switch and Co-Axial escapement, Free sprung-balance equipped with Si14 silicon balance spring. Officially certified chronometer. Power reserve: 52 hours The case exhibits a glorious combination of radial sunburst brushing on the top, a polished transition case line to a tradition brushed sides to another layer of polished case before hitting the case back - unimaginably well executed and beautiful (Also not the "new" bracelet with screws instead of pins) Moving around the case to the back notice the Date corrector push button on the left side of the case (and the nice detail of a polished surface separating the side from the caseback - nice touch by Omega, in my opinion) The caseback reveals the historic polished omega hippocampus and Omega symbol and text around the outer edge indicated Si14, 100m, the anti counterfit globe The Tachy bezel has lume underneath the track. The bezel is black with cut out numbers to allow the lume to shine up through the numbers - a sandwich bezel and really, really cool. Love the depth and 3-D effect And the lume is amazing Dial details: the orange ring beneath the tachy bezel is only visible at an angle (not straight on) and seems to "glow" Honestly, I was not convinced about this before buying it but can 100% say it is way cool. It is not a gimick and ads to the overall experience The subdials are sunk and have concentric rings - love and love Hour and Minute hands are "blacked out" at their base giving them a "floating" appearance on the dial Chronograph hands are all orange - central, minute and hour totalizers while the running seconds is in white for visual separation of functions Depending on angles and lighting the tachy bezel can look solid black or translucent and the dial can go from light to dark grey On the wrist it wears incredibly comfortable....I've worn SS, Ti, ceramic and this fits and wears well. The case size is: 42.4 across, 46.2 tall and 15.2 thick
Those are some really great macro shots of the MK2 especially the bezel which I didn't realise was a black mask over what looks to be a solid piece of lume underneath. Wear it in good health mate.
Wow! AWESOME photos and a great write up. I never really considered these until I saw one in person and I was enthralled. These photos emphasize all the little details that make this "oddball" stand out in a large crowd Speedies. -Jake Edit: For those who are looking at the wrist shots above, here one is on my 6.25in wrist.
I've got an original mkII and I must admit it is one of the most comfortable watches I've got. It's not a small watch but it wears like it's not even there. If they can do that with the new one it's got to be a consideration for most omega fans... and who could resist the orange racing dial?
Wow, this woke up something in me. I used to detest the Mk. II, but now I want one! The orange vs. white for distinguishing various functions is a capital idea. Yeah, I want one. At least one.
Nice analysis and great photos. If only they hadn't put the date function on it, I would have bought one.
For a purely mission-oriented watch I would agree. As a civilian, however, I appreciate the date window. Some of us old codgers are used to getting a date reminder from our watches. I still use my iPhone mostly for voice calls. That should give you an idea of how my generation is used to operating. So when I go into the bank and need to date a deposit slip I look at my watch for the date just to be sure. For some of us, the old ways are still the best ways. Old dog, new tricks? Bah! I stick with the old tricks.
Let me help the undecided here Kind of a ding magnet w all the angles and one can understand better that finding a mkII vintage in great shape and unpolished is pretty darn tough
That's a great review. I have the original MK 2 gonna have to see this one in the flesh so to speak now. Great pics too.
Fantastic review! I bought this reference last year and it's one of my favorites. It is very unique and not something you'll see many places. The dial is gorgeous and I think it wears very comfortable on my 7" wrist despite its heft and top heaviness. Wearing this one always puts a smile on my face.
Excellent write up. I appreciate the detail and the great macro shots of the watch. This is such a cool speedy. I honestly would love one for myself one day.
