I received a 60th Speedmaster recently. Although I'm sure it is nothing that has not been said before, I wanted to describe why I think this is probably the coolest Speedmaster for me and comment re. some issues that people have described.
- Traditional sizing (finally!) at around 38 mm is great. Sits on 6.6" wrist perfectly while the normal Speedmaster looks more jumbo sized and less elegant. Also unique in being the smallest manual-wind Speedmaster available in modern times if I am not mistaken.
- No crown guards, large pump pushers, brushed steel tachy and sides combined with polished straight lugs really exude that raw motorsport-inspired sporty and yet simultaneously industrial look - even if one is unaware of the historical pedigree of the watch. I love this look and there is no other Speedmaster that comes close to it.
- I've always found crown guards to be an annoyance when winding a manual watch. It kills the joy in it. A lack of crown guards makes winding a far more pleasant experience. It's great to have this back on a Speedmaster!
- The Hesalite crystal combined with the all steel design makes the watch wear like a much thinner watch than it really is. It's a sort of optical illusion when looking directly down on the dial the watch looks like it's 10-11mm, and as one turns the watch to the side the thickness becomes more apparent, but because of the Hesalite crystal being thick relative to the overall watch thickness the watch still appears and feels much thinner than the 14 mm it actually is on the wrist.
- The bracelet was actually designed together with the watch, rather than as an afterthought or a rushjob, as is the case for Omega in most of their lineup sadly. Nowadays they can't even be bothered to throw in bracelets for most of their LEs (Apollo, ST1, ST2 etc.). I am in the camp that feels a luxury sports watch that is sold without a bracelet is the company shortchanging the customer, as high-quality leather straps can be easily found for little money. For the Trilogy Speedy, the bracelet completes the look - again, this feels apparent even if one is unaware that the watch is an homage.
- I read some comments re. the clasp being oversized and unwieldy, but I do not feel this way. It's solid, has just the right amount on tension on the push buttons and is no bigger (or thicker, relative to the links on the bracelet) than a Glidelock system on a Rolex. The micro-adjustment span and increments are fine for me, but then I wear my watch further up on the wrist and do not switch from above/below the wristbone as some people do; I do not require large "micro" adjustments.
- The faux patina is done right on the Speedy. Personally, it matches my skin tone so I like it for that reason alone and not just because of its resemblance to a tritium dial that has aged gracefully. IMO together with the Hesalite and the thin hour markers, it gives off a far more convincing look than it does on the colder Sapphire crystal and more lume-heavy dials of the SM300 and RM. One thing I would suggest to people who think the faux patina is too brown or too dark is to see the watch in person if they can. I've found that most photographs on the web don't do it justice (probably due to camera focus or color adjustment settings), it's a very light shade of khaki more than brown.
- The luminosity of the lume isn't overdone, probably due to the effect of the patina colour. I've worn a Reduced since 2012 and the lume on that thing outshines this by a country mile, it is certainly more legible. However I can read the 60th just fine in the early morning after a night's sleep in pitch black - the broad arrow design on the lume helps with this. I think the use of a neon-bright lume, as with the Reduced, with this vintage inspired design would make it feel less authentic.
- This is an odd one, but I like that the chronograph seconds register is steel and not white like the other subdial hands. Yes, it is less legible but it blends in with the hands and thee overall look. It's also more subtle, especially if you are the kind of guy who keeps the chronograph running all the time.
- One annoyance is that the watch does not come with the engraved logo on the Hesalite lined up with the dial. For the RM and SM300 it is lined up, but for some reason Omega do not bother with the more expensive Speedmaster. However, boutiques will reset the crystal free of charge on request.
So all in all, I think this is a great watch, a rare gem from Omega's modern lineup and a keeper.
The only thing I don't like about it is that the broad arrow hands are not as legible in all lighting conditions and angles as a moon watch, though they are fine 90% of the time. Then again there is no other luxury watch with the legibility of the moon watch. Besides, if I prioritised that, I wouldn't be spending this amount of money on a watch
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Now also seems to be a good time to pick one up, I see that the prices on the second hand market have dropped far enough to make this a (relative) steal. Cheapest I've seen in the UK is around £4400-4600 - and one of these was brand new from 2018 with the 5 year warranty. If one isn't interested in the accessories, they can probably be dumped on the market bringing the cost to well under £4000.
There seem to have been a lot of flippers who purchased this watch after the bubble craze of the cartoon dog Speedy and the Speedy Tuesdays, and their patience finally seems to be wearing thin. I do not see this depreciating much further, and if it does it's just a bigger bargain. I personally doubt that Omega will choose to reintroduce this exact design as part of their main / non-limited lineup in the foreseeable future.
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