In 1957, the Speedmaster came with a clear steel Tachymètre bezel but it was hard-to-read and was replaced by a black Tachymètre bezel in 1959... By 1961, the Speedmaster came with an option for a Telemeter, decimal and even a Pulsometer bezel. In 1969, after 5 years of use by NASA astronauts, Omega got feedback that the spacefarers preferred a "60-minutes" bezel as a Tachymeter bezel wasn't practical at all... Moreover by 1978, a radial dial was the preferred option for a clear easy-to-read dial. Speedmaster chronographs with a "60-minutes" bezel were made available to the astronauts and have been worn between 1971 (e.g. Al Worden) and 1975 (e.g. Vance Brand) during training. Besides the (unused) Alaska Project, NASA astronauts finally got their radial dial Speedmaster in 1981 but these came with a Tachymètre bezel while the 1972 Alaska Project Speedmaster had a clear "60-minutes" bezel . Any chance Omega is going to produce a practical Speedmaster chronograph with a clear easy-to-read "60-minutes" bezel instead of the old/useless Tachymètre bezel ? Maybe with an easy-to-read dial as well ? The 50th anniversary of their Alaska Project could be a great occasion to do so... or to make a "60-minutes" bezel an option the same way the 1961 bezels were made available as an option for doctors or enigeers... .
Indeed a set of bezels could be added in the box, even at the bottom of a small cardboard crater box as used in the early 1970s
I always live in hope of one of these... If they remake this then that is my ultimate Speedmaster. I would want for no other watch. Please Omega if you ever do it, change nothing about it.
I guess it's easy to replace a bezel on a Speedie if extra bezels would come with a "practical" Speedmaster... small tool required ?
Yep makes it a lot easier to read both the time and the chronograph hand... anything but a Tachymètre bezel
Anything else you want to change on the iconic watch that you have posted hundreds upon hundreds of photos of on the wrist of nearly every astronaut known
Unless that bezel rotates, I find it as useless as the standard bezel — I’m not five years old and don’t need big numbers from 0 to 60 to interpret where the chrono seconds hand is on a watch dial. Now if it rotated, that would allow multiple timing events — one indicated by the minute hand and rotated bezel, the second by the chronograph dial. I could see that as practical. Aesthetically, I also find a wider diver-style bezel unattractive. One thing I like about the Speedmaster over other chronos is the relatively narrow bezel. Finally, if Omega had moved to this option in the 60s, think about how many fewer DON bezels there would be!
While the Tachymeter bezel is certainly old, like a slide ruler, it's not useless. A diver style bezel on a non-diver watch seems out of place to me. Folks like me are just un-young enough (I'm loathe to say "old") to remember a time before electronic calculators. I like knowing how to use a slide ruler for calculating, and there may come a time when the old knowledge is necessary. Not The Apocalypse, but perhaps a time when you're out of cell reception, your iPhone battery is dead, and you're on your own. We mature individuals will be able to deal with situations while the new generation will be paralyzed, staring at a blank phone screen. OK, that ends my obligatory "You young whippersnappers" speech. Don't worry, kids - you'll get there one day too. The only thing that would replace the Tachymeter or Pulsations bezel for me would be a 24-hour rotating bezel if Omega were to add a GMT complication to the Speedmaster.
Well only 2 or 3 photos so far of the astronauts wearing a classic Speedmaster with 60-minutes bezel ...
Reading the watch from 3 feet away with little reference to 12 o clock while wearing a spacesuit might make it worth while. Or mission critical tasks while under heavy vibration might make sense for the bezel. Otherwise the the 60 minute fixed bezel seems stupid to me. Percentage aka decimal bezel makes more sense, that’s at least putting a non redundant piece of information on the watch.
All the functions suggested in this thread, including the 60 minutes rotating bezel as well as GMT complications, are implemented in the X-33s, which happen to be speedmaster professionals. So a "practical" speedmaster is done already, and obtainable at a reasonable price. An intermediate solution would be to produce a quartz speedmaster (preferably solar powered together with wave-ceptors) that is indistinguishable from the outside from a classical speedy pro, retaining the "aesthetic functionality" (including the sweeping hands). But I suppose the whole point of choosing an expensive luxury brand watch these days is to deviate from practicality, with the watch function installed as an excuse to wear jewelry.
De gustibus non est disputandum but it would be the ultimate Speedmaster for spaceflight aficionados Here's Apollo 15 Command Module Pilot Alfred Worden wearing a classic Speedmster with a 60-minutes bezel... as astronauts requested ! .
