Is this the new Speedmaster?

elsewhere it’s been conjectured that because that paint is often chipped off in service (when removing hands), the may be essentially preemptive (the idea, I suppose, being that if chipped off it’s irregular and more janky looking?)

For me it's fine and somehow more technical.
To be honest I just checked on my old Mark II and there the centre is also not painted, but I wasn't aware of that before. In MWO I also find a lot of the old watches where the centre is not painted, maybe that's also the reason why they went this way.

I couldn't resist...

Some first thoughts:

I'm eating my words about the dial. It is much better in person. Even with the sapphire, the "grey" effect seems to be crazily exaggerated in the photos. In all lightings I've seen the watch in so far, the dial is a consistent matte black. The concentric circles are clearly visible to the naked eye, and the step is also fairly sharp. Not at all the impression I got when looking at the leaked studio shots.

For everyone asking about how Omega managed to reduce the thickness, I'm pretty sure they removed the soft-iron cover, making the watch sit noticeably lower on the wrist. Now, the caseband/lugs sit flush with my wrist while the caseback disappears, whereas the previous generation casebacks would make their cases "float" a little above the wrist. Omega may have also resized the thickness of the caseband and crystal, but that may just be due to the improved proportions rather than an overall difference in thickness for those parts. The 105.012-style caseband is also extremely nice. There's something about it that makes the watch look both sporty and elegant, while the 1861's case profile always struck me as a little too thinned out at the periphery.

The bracelet is an absolute banger – I have so many things to say about it that I would probably have to start a new thread.

Will post a comparison with my 145.022-71 and Apollo-Soyuz Speedyorite once I have the time.

Oh, and the 3861 movement is beautiful.

I was just coming here to ask a similar, albeit more imposing version, question - for reasons far too explained in another thread

I’d appreciate if anyone with a sapphire 3861 might do me the favor of taking a close up profile picture of the watch, attempting in particular to get a good profile of the crystal?

I’m looking to compare it to the following profiles, so something along these lines would be ideal for comparison’s sake:



And, do any 3861 sapphire owners have on hand other modern speedy sapphires to be able to compare their impressions of the “milky ring” or “halo” effect?

Basically, I’ve found that the cal.321 has basically no “milky ring” and a different sapphire than did the 1861 or FOIS, and I’m curious to now know whether the 3861 appears more like the the 1861/FOIS or the cal.321 (both in terms of the physical profile of the sapphire but also the degree to which the “milky ring” is perceived.)

Also had a chance to see the new hesalite in the metal at the OB today... and I can not say enough good things about it!!!

First and foremost: the bracelet fiiiiiiiiiinaaallllyyyyyyy has a heft to it that oozes quality and strength. Just this part is worth getting this new watch over the outgoing generation, in case you were wondering.

Most every other updates, albeit invisible to the masses, for us WIS, are also well done IMO: Love the stepped dial e.g.

I could have done without the “in 1965” on the case back, but not a deal breaker.

Overall, terrific job from Omega on this next step in the Speedmaster’s journey.

And a couple of pics:

Some AML porn:


(Apologies for the dust. Still learning how to take better shots.)

crystal height is the same

Yep