Rare Omega Speedmaster Holy Grail 376.0822 Jet Black Non-Wedge Prototype Dial?

TsoloT

And would you care to explain the none wedged 2

TsoloT

Well firstly thank you for the photo ..secondly IMHO this is a reprint and a relume ...sorry it sounds a bit over analysed but the 2 are not always present

The density of the white print is insufficient and I am otherwise impressed by the scale and position of the fonts this is better than some I have seen and of course it is a none wedge 2

The lume plots look slightly disproportionate especially at the vulnerable 3 o’clock but the 24 hour counter seems to be the most obvious tell tale as there is print over run at the 3 6 9 and 12 could I have you permission to reproduce this photo

Small point ...Your top Pusher looks to be a bit deeper set than normal ....might be the photo angle

Thank you in anticipation

oddboy

OP's 24 hour subdial

my 24 hour subdial

definitely different with regards to spacing between the 1 and 5|12.

@OmegaRolex, when we get into "one of a kind" territory, there is one explanation that is much more likely than the other.. it can be painful to accept, but a prototype is, IMHO, unlikely.

With regards to the desirability of this reference, what I like about is is that it is an evolution of the Speedmaster - much like the Mark II is, much like the Schumacher series is, and much like the modern 9300 (and other) references are. They are twists on the classic. I give Omega a great deal of credit for trying to push the moon watch in new/different directions... but it seems that the market always comes back to the original. The early Speedmasters are more sought after by vintage watch collectors in general. For me, I like the Mark II because it was designed in many ways to address issues and short comings that NASA identified in the original moon watch. I like the Grail because it is an expansion of what the Speedmaster has to offer - automatic, date, etc, in the classicly styled aesthetic. And I really like the Grail. I'm on my fourth one (well, one that I had, then sold, then bought back - with a few others before/between). But for me, it's not a Speedmaster in the strictest sense. It's tangential. It's interesting. It's a very cool watch, but it's not the same thing. IMHO, it is not "the rarest and most desired speedmasters to have ever been produced by Omega." It is rare, it is desired (by a subgroup for the larger Speedy fanboy population), but not the rarest or most desired.

I am grateful for this thread though. I have learned a few things about this reference that I didn't know before. As always, a real pleasure to hang out here.

pitpro

This is not meant to pick on you OmegaRolex. I normally refrain from criticizing
anyone's watches. But these 376.0822's do not have much discussion about them
on the internet and the knowledge base on these is slim. This thread you started is important
for posterity and information purposes. Consequently, I feel the need to weigh in on this
dial. The print quality is Very poor. There is black showing through all the white printing
on the dial, so it is very thin. This is not Top tier watch manufacturer quality and would never
be used by Omega. The prints also don't have clean straight edges. If viewed from an angle
with a loupe, dial printing should be raised enough to reflect light. I see no evidence of that
on this dial. Since the watch wasn't mass produced, using the original Singer dial plate to
re-print one would almost be a necessity.
Just a guess from observation but I would say at least 30% of the 1100 Grails have non-original
dials.

OmegaRolex

Pay careful attention to the intact 10 marker which is missing on all known service dials.

oddboy

the modern service dials have the 10 as well. see my post above where i show a Mark V dial (missing the 10), a modern service dial (with the 10) and an original (though unfortunately relumed) dial. Some service dials do in fact have the 10.

OmegaRolex

. Your point of using a loupe is nonsense, as close inspection of any factory dial will expose underlying (normal) defects with manufacturing. I have yet to see macro examples of dials other than my own.

ConElPueblo

I think it is odd that from reading this thread it would seem that apparently this rather uncommon and once un-loved model has a number of service dials, fake dials and bezels, nearly all of which far surpass the quality of fake/redialed items otherwise found in the world of vintage Omega... I draw my own conclusions.

pitpro

I would kindly disagree. There are plenty of Rolex dials out there
that quality wise are getting imperceptible to the human eye from the original.
Daytona's being the most prolific.
And encountering Service dials and variations of them are very common in Rolex collecting.