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Hands-On With The Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Platinum Caliber 321

  1. MPWATCH Watch Lover Nov 27, 2019

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    I think they really did a great job with this one.... Nice to see a company successfully celebrate their heritage.
     
  2. YY77 Nov 27, 2019

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    No mention of COSC or Master for the movement, is it not applicable or not important to have?
     
    rominvicta likes this.
  3. mojothewolf Nov 30, 2019

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    I think the 3861 is the COSC movement going forward. ....not the 321
     
  4. Evitzee Nov 30, 2019

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    Fanboys for the 321 don't care about rate or accuracy, they see the column wheel and lose control of their bodily functions, and they have the strange response of pulling their credit cards out. Charge now, ask questions later.

    Not quite that bad, but interesting to watch the responses to anything 321 related.
     
    GrouchoM, rominvicta and MCG555 like this.
  5. SpeedyPhill Founder Of Aussie Cricket Blog Mark Waugh Universe Dec 28, 2019

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    While Omega used the (strong) Gibeon iron meteorite, which polished show the Widmanstätten pattern of nickel-iron crystals, to make a full dial for the Speedmaster, it is possible to slide a stone-achondrite lunar meteorite to make small diameter slices for the little subdials.
    These are probably glued to the dial as these are very delicate so any future watch-service should be done with the greatest care !!!
    However I have not yet found out which lunar meteorite was used. :thumbsdown:
    Both the rare & expensive Mars- & Lunar meteorites are classified under Stone-Achondrites with some of the well-known NWA-series definitively identified as lunar basalt. (NWA = North West Africa). Any knows which was used for this 321 chronograph subdials ?
     
    rominvicta likes this.
  6. Evitzee Jan 12, 2020

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    Has any OF member bought and received a platinum version? I can't recall anybody saying they bought one.
     
  7. weimi1 Jan 12, 2020

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    I had a conversation with my dealer yesterday. After that, one has been delivered to Germany up to now. There are no firm commitments for further deliveries.
    Chrono24 allegedly has one for sale from Poland for 69,422 euros.
    Nice profit.
     
  8. MPWATCH Watch Lover Jan 12, 2020

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    I'm really into the subtle power watches in platinum. This one is the ultimate example of understated luxury. Black Onyx is my spirit dial material that compliments any metal combination. All this luxury and still a lovely example of quality within the caliber & functionality.
     
    GuruShudamundi likes this.
  9. Dualmonitors Jan 16, 2020

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    In terms of price points, the Platinum Daytona includes a platinum bracelet. The Omega Platinum 321 does not.

    Have folks discussed this point? If so, I've missed that discussion.
     
    sensui likes this.
  10. machamp6650 Jan 16, 2020

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    That's right, I forgot about this from back in October - freakin' nailed it! ::psy::
     
  11. TheDuke1979 Jan 17, 2020

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    The exhibition rear on these is something to behold, the movement looks stunning. The exhibition rears on the coaxial movements pale in comparison, frankly there’s very little to actually see.
     
  12. Alex87 Jan 17, 2020

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    Saw on Instagram a platinum 321 was delivered to a VIP in a OB in Beverly Hills. Beautiful piece, wished it came on a platinum bracelet though (not as if I have the £££££ to buy one :rolleyes:).
     
  13. Dualmonitors Jan 17, 2020

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    No interest on this point?
     
  14. Evitzee Jan 17, 2020

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    I mentioned it on page one of this thread back on Oct 1, 2019. Appears no one cares about a Pt bracelet for this luxury watch, even as an option.
     
  15. queriver Aug 14, 2020

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    This recent Watch Advisor video with Gregory Kissling, Head of Product Development at Omega, about the Platinum 321 Speedy is definitely worth a look for more detail about the complexity involved in producing it.
     
  16. EricCsN Aug 14, 2020

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  17. eugeneandresson 'I used a hammer, a chisel, and my fingers' Aug 14, 2020

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    Y’all gotto admit : that dial is ::love::::love::::love:: A fitting tribute to the return of the 321...not meant for us pedestrians (insert sobbing emoji here).
     
  18. Archer Omega Qualified Watchmaker Aug 14, 2020

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    Saw this on another forum a couple of weeks ago. Some issues with the information given being accurate...

    For example the timing tolerances...Omega just updated Work Instruction 28 which shows the timing tolerances for all their various movements - the update was a month before this video was published. They list the 321 as having a tolerance for average daily rate of between 0 and +16, not the -1 to +11 that is stated in this video.

    The statement that the coupling clutch bridge being made out of German Silver due to friction is strange. There's no friction between the bridge and the rest of the movement, and the wheel in that bridge rides in bushings, so the material of the bridge isn't really relevant to friction in any way.

    They again perpetuate the idea that the column wheel is much more difficult and expensive than a cam - it really isn't.

    But, this is a marketing video so I guess that's what you can expect.

    Cheers, Al
     
    queriver, dstfno and LeonDeBayonne like this.
  19. queriver Aug 14, 2020

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    Just so I understand this, in the 321 video by Watch Advisor, they were talking about the relative difficulty and expense of manufacturing column wheels vs cam system. Gregory Kissling said the move to the 861 movement was due to Omega wanting to "industrialise" the chronograph and "increase production" (View from 7:00mins.) This, using other words, seems to be saying the cam system is cheaper/simpler/faster to manufacture than the previous column wheel based system. Are you saying column wheels are similarly difficult and expensive to manufacture or talking about them being similar to service?
     
  20. Archer Omega Qualified Watchmaker Aug 14, 2020

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    I've covered this topic many times...

    In the 1960's, I'm sure making a column wheel (the individual part) was much more complex than making a cam. Today, with modern CNC machining, making a column wheel is as easy as making a cam.

    Vintage parts are generally priced at much higher prices than modern movement parts are, so keep that in mind as you read below...

    The 321 column wheel is under $100 to purchase as a spare part. A column wheel for a 3313 is under $40, as is the column wheel for the 3300. The two parts of the cam (upper and lower) for the 861/1861 cost more than either of the column wheels for the 3313 or 3330, but are a little less than the column wheel for the 321.

    On the new 3861, the two parts of the cam (what they for some reason call the upper and lower wig-wag on this movement) cost more than the column wheel for the Cal. 321.

    So all in if we are talking about a part that ranges from less than $40 to around double that, is this really a significant thing in the cost of making the movement?

    Note that the remainder of the parts to make either system work is about the same in number...there's really nothing in it between the two.

    People have been lead to believe that cams are somehow inferior, and are less complex than column wheels. Like most good stories, there's a kernel of truth there from the past. The cam on the 861/1861/3861 is fairly simple, but here is probably the most ubiquitous cam there is, from a 7750:

    7750 cam1.jpg

    From the top shot above, what you would see on the movement if there weren't parts in the way, is that the cam is made in 3 layers, all with very different geometry. The underside is more complex:

    7750 cam2.jpg

    Excuse the stains - I haven't cleaned this one up yet. But it's anything other than simple in design...

    Cheers, Al