Speedmaster Apollo 11 50th Ann. Steel or Gold? Experiences and opinions, please!

C csf

UPDATE:

I have had my stainless steel 50th anniversary about two weeks now. As I posted previously, I have never owned an Omega (or any other premium watch), and never owned a manual winding watch. I bought this watch only because I just liked the way it honors NASA and Apollo 11. All the accents some here found "over the top" on this watch are exactly what I love about it. I am also now becoming an Omega fan as I read and learn about their history here. So here are just a couple of notes about my new watch. ( I assume each watch will be a little different.)

1) Power reserve is about 2 1/2 days, so around 60 hours. Pretty good !

2) Winding . . . a bit of a learning curve. When the watch is totally unwound, twisitng the crown is initially pretty easy and I can hear little clicks as I twist it. As the winding continues, the tension increases slowly and the clicks become quieter. When the watch is fully wound, its very easy to feel the crown stop . . . so I have no worries about overwinding it.

I have large fingers, but it takes about 60-70 "twists" to fully wind it from a totally stopped position . . . . I can't really see it but I think each twist of mine is probably about a half a revolution of the crown..

If I fully wind it, and then try to wind it again after only 24 hours, the crown is still pretty tight and there is not that much twisting available yet . . . so I am winding it every other morning. Hopefully this is not a problem.

3) I am storing the watch at night with the dial flat and up toward ceiling, and the watch has not really lost or gained any major time . . . I have not checked actual seconds yet, but only the minutes, which are still spot on..

4) The top pusher of the chronograph is a little bit looser than than the bottom one which resets the hands. But pulling the crown out to set the time is very smooth and easy.

5) The hands and markers do not stay illuminated very long once the room is dark, fading quickly.

6) The bracelet is very comfortable and lightweight but the clasp seems pretty flimsy . . . I know its fine but it feels weak. I believe a NATO band or leather band is in my future.

7) I love the look of the watch and all the special accents, but in certain light it can actually be hard to read. But I still love it.

8) Finally, the lunar landing packaging is certainly special and fun . . . . but the thick red owners manual I received lists directions for many many Omega calibre movements, including the 1861, but I cannot find the number 3861 listed anywhere in that document. I am confident my watch was given to me exactly as received from Omega, with the actual factory packed owners manual. But, I am sure I am operating the watch correctly, so no big deal.

That's a summary of life with my new Apollo 11 50th Anniversary stainless steel Speedmaster after 2 weeks. Hopefully this all sounds normal. Absolutely no regrets. In fact, there is something sort of satisfying about winding the watch.

Craig

Craig

P pongster

Except for the material, are the bracelets of both SS and moonshine gold the same?

P pongster

Except for the material, are the bracelets of both SS and moonshine gold the same?

Alex87

I have both versions and the bracelets are different designs but both are really comfortable.

Alex87

I have both versions and the bracelets are different designs but both are really comfortable.

C csf

Incidentally, my stainless steel band was slightly too large. I went to my local Omega dealer to have a link removed, but they wanted me to leave it there for 3-4 days. No way that was happening. So, using info on this forum and on YouTube, I ordered the proper screwdriver and other tools from Amazon, and removed one link myself in about 20 minutes with no damage or problems ! Perfect fit now and extremely comfortable.

WatchCor

I apologise if this is a redundant question , but haven't these already been sold out through AD's? Or are these still being delivered?

I understood that especially the gold one was almost sold out even before the first pieces hit AD's. 👎

Of course one can source them through other channels.😉

Alex87

Good job 👍. The only thing to consider is heat the screw with a hairdryer first to loosen the loctite. I've striped a few screw-heads in the past, but luckily resizing the bracelets on both Apollo 11 LEs was straight forward.

Evitzee

Omega does have a fiddly system with their bracelet designs, I'm used to a single threaded pin. When I first adjusted the bracelet that tiny screw came out and I thought I had snapped the pin, but it is just their design. So you have to deal with two tiny screws and a center pin. I would suggest using a little purple thread locker when reinstalling the screws, you wouldn't want them to back out and drop off.