Gentlemen The other day I posted the sad story about the 'One who got away' (https://omegaforums.net/threads/the-one-who-got-away.89334/), a Mark III in pristine state. I dealt better with the loss knowing that at least the Mark III ended up on good hands (an OF member and connoisseur of 1040 calibers). It turns out the best way to heal a broken heart is to find a new love. Or in this case, a new watch with a caliber 1040, or more precisely, a 1041: the Speedmaster 125. I dare to say the state of the one I got is pretty amazing but the watch is in need of a service to bring it back to the chronometer grade performance levels. For now, I'm pretty happy and feel the search for a cal 1040 is over.
Indeed! I got pretty large hands and my wrist size is about 18cm (around 7.1 inches) and I feel this watch wouldn't really wear well with smaller wrists. Planning to put it on the timegrapher later today and see how it is performing.
Amazing, I fell in love with these the very first time I saw one and decided there and then I would be buying one at first opportunity... that was before I realised the dimensions. As much as I love a 70's chunkster, with as slim wrist I have my limits. Wears really well for you though, looks absolutely brilliant on the wrist and what condition! Enjoy it.
Congrats, nothing like a little "retail therapy" to forget about the one that got away! As to dimensions, I won't deny that it is a large, heavy watch. BUT, it's surprisingly (along with the Mark IV) one of the two thinnest of the 1040 family. In terms of thickness, diameter, and weight it is really similar to a modern 43.5 Planet Ocean. Actually I believe the 125 is significantly lighter than a PO on a bracelet (I read somewhere the PO is 220g on a bracelet). I think the 125, like the Ploprof, just looks much bigger in photos than it actually is. That's the tradeoff for not sticking to traditional watch designs...
@Andy K I agree. Given its size, it wears nicely. The bracelet also is pretty cool, I like the idea of using threaded bolts instead of regular springbars. The only bad part of the design is not being able to put it on regular bracelets or bands (so no NATO strap or mesh bracelet on this one). The only thing I personally don't like about the bracelet is the clasp, as it is typical vintage from the 70's. I'm still getting used to properly lock it in place, otherwise it pops open after a little while. I wonder if I could replace only the clasp for something more modern? About the watch: after a full day wearing it, I'm really loving the dial. The way the applied OMEGA + 125 + Logo reflects the light is pretty mesmerizing. Depending on the angle, it reflects light like a mirror and in other angles it turns dark and almost disappears in the dark dial. I wonder why Omega don't regularly do this on other watches? (i.e. it is generally only the logo that is applied or sometimes not even that...). The contrast of colors between the dark dial and the hands makes easy reading the time in what would otherwise look a busy dial. The concept of having a central minutes hand for the chronograph is also really cool, I can't go back to regular small registers (like the 1861 and Valjoux 7750) for minutes, but that is true ever since I got a Mark 4.5 with a omega caliber 1045. I also like the detail of the pulsometer crystal, it is a bit uncommon and a nice complication (given I already have 3 other regular chronographs).
Considering the many firsts on this watch (e.g. first automatic chronograph with chronometer certified caliber, special model to celebrate 125 years since the company was started, huge mineral crystal, crazy integrated bracelet, etc), I think is quite puzzling that Omega doesn't seem to care much about it. An example is that Omega's website doesn't even have a photo of the watch: https://www.omegawatches.com/watch-omega-speedmaster-125-st-378-0801
Found some cool ads featuring the Speedy 125: a) The model announcement ad: the dial is a prototype* (notice the '60' at 12 hours). *http://www.calibre1040.com/cal-1040-collectors-guide-dials/j/ b) Together with its brothers: Moonwatch and Speedsonic. Seem to be a logic product market positioning: automatic + manual + electronic. c) With some long gone watches: Constellation auto chronometer, Megaquartz.
Doing some research, it seems to exist 2 dial models: @Andy: thanks for addressing my question on the subject. a) What seems to be the original: b) What seems to be a service dial: notice the typography of numbers and characters is slight different, so is the hour marks.