Once again - the "case" is the assembly and is a mix of parts. Some parts are steel and some are gold.
Perhaps to you, but anyone with knowledge of building anything would know that the individual parts all have names and part numbers and as you mentioned some of these parts can and are available individually.
But you were not giving examples of what individual parts are supplied by Omega, you suggested that the new Speedy case was steel and yellow gold and that's not right, the case will be ss.
🤨
In the watch and watch repair world "yellow" refers to gold or gold tone, and "white" refers to SS, white gold, platinum, etc. So if you for example ask your local parts supply house for a generic crown for a watch, you specify "white" or "yellow". Same thing for an acrylic crystal with a tension ring in it - it will be Y for yellow (gold) or W for white (silver). It's just the particular lingo in this industry - all industries have their own.
Here's what I can tell you about the sapphire crystal shape:
Diameter - 34.2 mm
Height - 4.8 mm
Shape - convex
Outside radius - 145 mm
Inside radius - 143.4 mm
Thickness to the center - 1.6 mm
It's not the same crystal, so the crystal for the 311.33.42.30.01.002 is as follows (same order):
34.2
4.65
concave
145
143.2
1.8
Omega has used 2 distinctly different sapphire crystals on sandwich Speedmasters. The earlier one seems to have a more pronounced dome. The recent one less sicand has a more visible milky ring as a result. My Broad Arrow has a domed one which looks great, o g
Concave? That would suggest it domes inwards over the dial, that can't be right can it?
In fact, it happened at least once: Romain Jerome Moon Dust DNA, with real Moon dust from a rock taken back to Earth by Apollo 11.
https://newatlas.com/romain-jeromes-moon-dust-dna-watch-collection-with-real-moon-dust/10887/
Given the relationship between NASA and Omega, I am confident that - if they truly intend to use Moon dust for the LE 50th Anniversary Apollo 11 Speedmaster - NASA will allow Omega to buy them some Moon dust, and do it.
Now pardon me to have read only a few of the 44 pages of this topic, from want I undersand, here some of the rumors we have for this edition:
- gold + steel
- rumor of 321 but some says it is confirmed that it will not be the case
- moon dust
- limited edition production, > 6000
- annoucement next week (between 14th and 17th of May)
Based on that, here my expectations 😀
Not using the 321 for this very special edition, after having announcing they can reproduce it the same year of the anniversary? Does not make any sense... With this announcement, they knew the expectation to have it for the anniversary watch will be huge.
So for me, they will fit it with an upgraded 321 : at least with the new material, so silicon hair spring & titanium balance. And given what we had with the 3861 Moonshine Gold LE, they could go as far as fit it with the coaxial escapment. So in the end, maybe not the 321, but a "3321" Any other caliber choix would be a huge mistake. 3861 was the historically correct choice for the Moonshine Gold, "3321" would be the correct one for the Steel version. And it fits both rumors about the choosen caliber: a 321 that is not a 321.
BTW, Omega 321 resurrection was announced the 8th of January. 1969, January 8th: the Apollo 11 LM arrived at the Kenedy Space Center. Maybe I'm searching for clues too much 😁
For the gold+steel, not sure what to do with it.. Maybe white gold? or an Apollo 11 / footprint medallion somewhere..
Moon dust is commercialy feasible as it was already done before, with an only 4-year old luxury brand... I think I'd like to see subcounters with moon dust, or even the whole dial. It could give it a slightly vintage look
I hope that for the rest, it will be close to the 105.012, DON bezel but with black ceramic, and opened case-back. Movement colour either "moondust gray" (in the spirit of what was done with the Apollo 8 Dark Side of the Moon) or the copper colour of the Omega movement back in these days.
In the end, a modern homage watch that looks close to the original moonwatch from front, with an equally nice modernized caliber, and some homage details visible in the back
Am I out of my mind with all this? or do some of you buy the idea?😟
For the production numbers of the limited edition, 1969 is the obvious choice but it could be too obvious, and too low given the demands. Another number could be choosen but each time, it had a meaning. They will need to justify it. I hope they won't chose a random number ending by 69.
Duration of the EVA of Apollo 11 was about 2h30, that is closed to 9000s. The time spent by the first watch of the Moon... could be a good choice. If we have to stays in the 6xxx, could they do something cool with the date? Maybe 6972 (69-07-20)?
Now for the announcement date. 18th of May would be a very good date for the announcement. It will the 50th anniversary of the launch of Apollo 10 which was the "dress rehearsal" mission of Apollo 11 (they did exactly all Apollo 11 did, except the powered descent to land). So announcing it for the "dress rehearsal" anniversary date (or the day before it because 18th is a Saturday), then make it available either the 16th of July or the 20th of July.
No idea about the box itself, but the model of the LM in the Moon would be great, and... Moonfire! I have the standard edition, it is an awesome art book
Oh come on. Nobody is trolling. But some of the diversions we see in this massive thread verge on the odd. Enthusiasm is what it is all about, but when it diverges into silliness it gets, well, silly. All of a sudden in the last day or two real moondust has made its appearance as part of the 50th package, someone else decided that the bezel would be white gold, and we keep getting signals from some that the 321 must be the movement and somehow, magically, Omega will pull a swtcheroo and make it the movement of choice even though it has been confirmed by Omega that that isn't going to happen. Speculation is fun but when it has been confirmed by the manufacturer of various parameters of the watch thinking otherwise is just delusional and non productive. I wouldn't expect many people to read all 46 pages of this tome but new folks drop in and start talking about 'facts' that have already been discussed, and either confirmed or denied. In the last day one poster was talking about what the size of the edition will be even though 6969 pcs has been confirmed multiple times. It makes no sense trying to tell us that the edition will be a different quantity. At this point there are many parameters of this release that are known and they have been discussed many times.
I'm in this gig further than most....I'm financially committed to this watch after having paid 100% of the price of admission (plus tax) over six weeks ago. I want to see this watch as much as anyone else. But I don't get the continued whining on why this watch is wrong when we haven't seen it yet. After it is released there will be plenty of time to pick it apart as to what Omega did right and what they did wrong, and what they should have done. Someone will start another thread at that time as this thread is labeled EXPECTATIONS. Soon it will no longer be about expectations.
I suspect 'First Watch on the Moon' is all that counts to most now rather than 'Flight-Certified by NASA'...
For me personally, I wholly disagree.
Oh I "got it" alright, but it's another example of always trying to be right and having the last word.
