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Gem Set Speedmaster
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Cod Holliday
·I am surprised people still think these are fake. No they aren't. TRF has actual members with gem set speedies bought from OB.
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DrmexicoII
·I am surprised people still think these are fake. No they aren't. TRF has actual members with gem set speedies bought from OB.
Can't speak for everyone but I now know these are real thanks to the conversation in this thread. Conversation now seems to have moved on to whether people like them or not, and factory set gem pieces in general. For what it's worth I'm in the "don't like" category but also appreciate that some are more tasteful than others.
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Aludic
··@SpeedyBirthYear
As much as I agree with @DrmexicoII that the conversation here has evolved into a like / dislike thread, I am a little surprised by the amount of hate that people seem to have for these pieces and how little admiration there is for those. Whilst I am unlikely to ever own one of these five, I have to admit I quite like the one @Omarrye found above.
I am sure I am not unbiased as I am the (proud, if I may add) owner of a vintage Speedmaster in WG, which I love and wear, I would be the last to condemn a tool like the Moonwatch for doubling as a serious luxury piece. Still, judging by the demand for the BA 145.022-69's in solid YG, I'm definitely not alone...
Which leaves me wondering; what makes people dislike these five pieces so much? Is it the watches themselves, the fact that these are difficult if not impossible to obtain for pretty much every 'normal' person, or are we simply looking for something else to criticise now that Omega doesn't do regular LE Speedmasters anymore?
For me, there's no point in passionately disliking a watch, nobody gets harmed and no-one forces anyone to buy one. 😉
Genuinely curious to learn!
Oh, and seriously keen to see one of these in the metal as I'm very, very curious what these are like IRL. 😁
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Pastorbottle
·The problem is that as a general rule ( to which I’m sure exceptions exist) is that the people that go for this sort of thing are actually more horrid than the watches! 😁
😁
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DrmexicoII
·As much as I agree with @DrmexicoII that the conversation here has evolved into a like / dislike thread, I am a little surprised by the amount of hate that people seem to have for these pieces and how little admiration there is for those. Whilst I am unlikely to ever own one of these five, I have to admit I quite like the one @Omarrye found above.
I am sure I am not unbiased as I am the (proud, if I may add) owner of a vintage Speedmaster in WG, which I love and wear, I would be the last to condemn a tool like the Moonwatch for doubling as a serious luxury piece. Still, judging by the demand for the BA 145.022-69's in solid YG, I'm definitely not alone...
Which leaves me wondering; what makes people dislike these five pieces so much? Is it the watches themselves, the fact that these are difficult if not impossible to obtain for pretty much every 'normal' person, or are we simply looking for something else to criticise now that Omega doesn't do regular LE Speedmasters anymore?
For me, there's no point in passionately disliking a watch, nobody gets harmed and no-one forces anyone to buy one. 😉
Genuinely curious to learn!
Oh, and seriously keen to see one of these in the metal as I'm very, very curious what these are like IRL. 😁
It's a fair question. And I find myself struggling to answer... it can't be because I think they're violating the "tool watch" original intention as I love a lot of the speedy gold variants. Also love the gold date just! So, it must be the gems... Something about the gems makes it overtly blingy and I guess I don't like that. I admire them in terms of craftsmanship if they're factory set. Can't abide the iced out after market crap.
Like I said, some are more tasteful than others. And maybe I'd like them more in the flesh. Or maybe I'm just a massive snob with a chip on my shoulder and imply something about the wearer if they get the gems out...!
Is there a hole digging emoji? Might need to add a few here... 😁
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YYTIN
·As much as I agree with @DrmexicoII that the conversation here has evolved into a like / dislike thread, I am a little surprised by the amount of hate that people seem to have for these pieces and how little admiration there is for those. Whilst I am unlikely to ever own one of these five, I have to admit I quite like the one @Omarrye found above.
I am sure I am not unbiased as I am the (proud, if I may add) owner of a vintage Speedmaster in WG, which I love and wear, I would be the last to condemn a tool like the Moonwatch for doubling as a serious luxury piece. Still, judging by the demand for the BA 145.022-69's in solid YG, I'm definitely not alone...
Which leaves me wondering; what makes people dislike these five pieces so much? Is it the watches themselves, the fact that these are difficult if not impossible to obtain for pretty much every 'normal' person, or are we simply looking for something else to criticise now that Omega doesn't do regular LE Speedmasters anymore?
For me, there's no point in passionately disliking a watch, nobody gets harmed and no-one forces anyone to buy one. 😉
Genuinely curious to learn!
Oh, and seriously keen to see one of these in the metal as I'm very, very curious what these are like IRL. 😁
Not sure this is an answer to your question but I would say a WG speedy is a completely different kind of luxury :
One that you buy for yourself, mostly like a little personal secret, the others would appear to be IMO more like one you buy for the others to notice how 'important' you are. But as most of the people of this thread I guess, this is only a rethoretical view and not one based from personal experience.
Also the WG remains in the realm of extravaganza I can imagine treating myself one day, and the others are... well far beyond my understanding. Call me jealous 😗.
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Twocats
··Married... with childrenI think for most it doesn't work because of the tool watch vibe of a speedy, even if it is gold. I personally don't wear yellow or red gold as it does not suit my Irish pasty skin tones. I am also not keen on modifying a watch purely for aesthetic reasons. I know I modified my Canopus and FOIS but one was a practical reason and the other was a laugh, both can be reversed back to OEM delivery condition easily.
It might also be due to the mentality of men of a certain age where our partners wear diamonds and other precious stones, not us. Not many women are comfortable wearing a 42mm tool watch plus the weight of that watch would make your wrist numb.
Would I wear the Speedy Vajazzle ? yes I would if it were gifted to me but I would rather spend that sort of money on a nice VW 911 TARGA.
It might also be due to the mentality of men of a certain age where our partners wear diamonds and other precious stones, not us. Not many women are comfortable wearing a 42mm tool watch plus the weight of that watch would make your wrist numb.
Would I wear the Speedy Vajazzle ? yes I would if it were gifted to me but I would rather spend that sort of money on a nice VW 911 TARGA.
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BLOW UP
·As much as I agree with @DrmexicoII that the conversation here has evolved into a like / dislike thread, I am a little surprised by the amount of hate that people seem to have for these pieces and how little admiration there is for those. Whilst I am unlikely to ever own one of these five, I have to admit I quite like the one @Omarrye found above.
I am sure I am not unbiased as I am the (proud, if I may add) owner of a vintage Speedmaster in WG, which I love and wear, I would be the last to condemn a tool like the Moonwatch for doubling as a serious luxury piece. Still, judging by the demand for the BA 145.022-69's in solid YG, I'm definitely not alone...
Which leaves me wondering; what makes people dislike these five pieces so much? Is it the watches themselves, the fact that these are difficult if not impossible to obtain for pretty much every 'normal' person, or are we simply looking for something else to criticise now that Omega doesn't do regular LE Speedmasters anymore?
For me, there's no point in passionately disliking a watch, nobody gets harmed and no-one forces anyone to buy one. 😉
Genuinely curious to learn!
Oh, and seriously keen to see one of these in the metal as I'm very, very curious what these are like IRL. 😁
So leaving the provenance and history aside, as a piece of utilitarian design, what I love about the original (and most of the many iterations of the original that stay close to the original) is it's a wonderful exercise in form following function, the modernist monochrome dials and hand set are incredibly legible with perfect proportions and really beautifully and elegantly balanced.
The quality, quantity, and application of dial lume are about as good as It gets, the whole piece is a brilliantly considered example of understated modernist (mid-century) utilitarian design with really strong influences of Bauhaus and Ulm Schools.
The bejeweled, vajazzled, and violently garish iterations are the antithesis of the kind of design philosophy that I adore, as they start to lose these key components they become little more than blingy decorative or (potential) investment pieces.
That's my two penneth worth anyway😉
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YandB
·Hey Everyone,
I’m the owner of the sapphire piece. Definitely real off catalogue. Ready this thread I’m glad I did not post here as a standalone post… the hate for it is a bit confusing. Does it look that bad? For me it’s one of the more tasteful ones on the market…
It’s my only gem set watch. I do really like it but obviously don’t wear it everywhere…
Here it is as part of my chrono collection:
I’m the owner of the sapphire piece. Definitely real off catalogue. Ready this thread I’m glad I did not post here as a standalone post… the hate for it is a bit confusing. Does it look that bad? For me it’s one of the more tasteful ones on the market…
It’s my only gem set watch. I do really like it but obviously don’t wear it everywhere…
Here it is as part of my chrono collection:
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McKnife
·Hey Everyone,
I’m the owner of the sapphire piece. Definitely real off catalogue. Ready this thread I’m glad I did not post here as a standalone post… the hate for it is a bit confusing. Does it look that bad? For me it’s one of the more tasteful ones on the market…
It’s my only gem set watch. I do really like it but obviously don’t wear it everywhere…
Here it is as part of my chrono collection:
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YandB
·They probably don’t want to make widely known that they make such vomitous contraptions……. A dirty little secret, but it’s hard to deny cashed up wankers poking large amounts of money at you in order to obtain the bloody hideous things!
I am cashed up though (proudly self earned and not from crypto etc this purchase is literally rounding error for my bank balance) and every now and then do wank, not often though…
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YandB
·The problem is that as a general rule ( to which I’m sure exceptions exist) is that the people that go for this sort of thing are actually more horrid than the watches!
If you see my collection it goes from Swatch all the way to this piece, I still have my first ever watch, Tissot that i saved and purchased from working as a teenager at a fast food join, I don’t own coloured metal, most of the time I don’t wear Rolexes or Patek because of how people like you might perceive me and my success. Your quick judgment on this piece also speaks volumes on you.
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Aroxx
·Hey Everyone,
I’m the owner of the sapphire piece. Definitely real off catalogue. Ready this thread I’m glad I did not post here as a standalone post… the hate for it is a bit confusing. Does it look that bad? For me it’s one of the more tasteful ones on the market…
It’s my only gem set watch. I do really like it but obviously don’t wear it everywhere…
Here it is as part of my chrono collection:
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YandB
·Your collection is on point and the blue sapphire looks amazing. Don't let the haters bother you. I understand gem set stuff isn't for most people but I still appreciate them. I got the same hate for defending the Rolex rainbow in another thread. I don't care what anybody says, it's a cool watch.
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BLOW UP
·Oh, I feel bad 🙁..
You've got a lovely collection and it's obviously something you love and that's really all that matters..
To use the familiar American maxim, it's just different strokes for different folks, and if it makes you happy, that is the most important thing;
you should wear it with pride, and to hell with my opinions and others like me..
For what It's worth, out of the variants that are available, I think you've gone for the best colour combination.
You've got a lovely collection and it's obviously something you love and that's really all that matters..
To use the familiar American maxim, it's just different strokes for different folks, and if it makes you happy, that is the most important thing;
you should wear it with pride, and to hell with my opinions and others like me..
For what It's worth, out of the variants that are available, I think you've gone for the best colour combination.
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YandB
·Oh, I feel bad 🙁..
You've got a lovely collection and it's obviously something you love and that's really all that matters..
To use the familiar American maxim, it's just different folks for different strokes, and if it makes you happy, that is the most important thing;
you should wear it with pride, and to hell with my opinions and others like me..
For what It's worth, out of the variants that are available, I think you've gone for the best colour combination.
No i feel opinions are fine we all have them, just attaching judgement on the character of the person I find odd. I don’t think you did that though you just felt it deviated from the ethos of the speedmaster, totally fair point of view.
