Would that make the Rolex GMT a moonwatch?

 

It would make Dave Scotts Bulova a Moonwatch.

 

Omega called the X-33 the Mars watch when it was introduced.

 

If the only true 'Moonwatch' are the watches that actually made it to the surface then everything else is just promotional blurb, isn't it? Maybe the new 321 Speedmaster will have a certificate stating that the watch has been 'Certified by Nasa as being a replica of the watches that were actually worn on the lunar surface'.

 

The 861 was on Skylab so that would make it a ‘Spacewatch’

 

I’m assuming there needs to be a reason for NASA to desire a mechanical chronograph with an updated movement. James Ragan is gone. Someone needs to care enough to justify the project etc. I’m assuming there’s no groundswell in NASA to make it happen.

 

Omega is about a factor two behind Rolex in dollars per watch sold (~$3.5k/watch retail vs ~$8k), if I remember correctly. (Can't find the link where I read this first, but this New York Times article has similar numbers: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/15/fashion/watches-rolex-patek-philippe-omega.html .)
So doubling the average price seems like a reasonable strategy to catch up.

 

It's my humble opinion that Omega's watches are on par with Rolex. Omega's Co-Axial movements are every bit as good if not better than anything Rolex manufactures. So for now I'll be happy that Omegas sell for far less than Rolexes.

That said I have to get my hands on an 1861 Speedy.

 

Was just at an OB and my SA said that the 1861 is definitely discontinued, meaning no more in production. -Others hear this?

 

Isn't the 1861 just a rhodium plated 861 without the Delrin brake?

I think the 321 is a true "Moonwatch" but an 861/1861 Speedmaster is still the only watch qualified for EVA by NASA, so that still makes it a special watch.

 

The transition into a new movement is unavoidable. It's the nature of progress. The 861 will remain a valuable "heritage" movement and those that carry it on their wrists will be even more proud to do so.

To stall progress for the sake of a few (because we are not that many) old chaps an our nostalgic tendencies makes no sense.

 

Yeah, they cancelled the Time to Move event, originally scheduled for March in Zurich. If I remember last year correctly, though, they embargoed all the press, including photos, until May-ish. I don't remember there being any public announcements during or immediately after the event. They might have planned on debuting something, but we wouldn't have heard about it until later.

They said they would do regional events later this year, but who knows what that will mean for product releases.

 

I think we may need to start calling the 3861 a pre-Mars...at least that would likely be where the marketing will be heading

 

Indeed, very true.

 

Change 3 of those numbers and the same thing happened in 1968.

 

I thought that it would be a ‘pre moonwatch 2’ as the next scheduled moon landings are in 2024/2025

 

Its pretty much confirmed that the 861 will be replaced with the 3861 in the next year or so.

 

I am really looking forward to that. Nothing against the legendary movement, is just that I really like the speedmaster by itself, regardless of the movement it is carrying, and I'd really like a more robust movement, one that I wouldn't have to worry about wearing next to a big speaker and have it magnetized.
Having said that, I can only hope the price doesn't go up like crazy

 

my understanding is that anti mag will not change much... also it’s a robust movement that was made for 50 years. It’s more robust then a 321 and no one complains about how bad those 50 year old movements are or how much of an issue magnetism is for them.

 

The 3861 is a 15,000 gauss rated movement...