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The Platinum 321 Is The Pinnacle Of Speedmaster Moonwatches

Robert-Jan
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Speedmaster-321-Platinum-Vs-Patek-5070P-11-2.webp

Omega not only introduced the Speedmaster Apollo 11 50th Anniversary editions in 2019 but also brought back the legendary caliber 321. On July 21st of that year, precisely 50 years after the Speedmaster became the Moonwatch, the brand introduced that movement in a platinum Moonwatch, the Speedmaster Calibre 321 Platinum ref. 311.93.42.30.99.001. Omega Speedmaster Calibre […]

Visit The Platinum 321 Is The Pinnacle Of Speedmaster Moonwatches to read the full article.
 
T
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Great article. I suppose I'll always have a soft spot for the OG Meteorite speedy though - the 2nd apollo soyuz 35th anni. I think the meteorite dial + subdials looks a tad more sexy.
 
ErichKeane
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T thatone
Great article. I suppose I'll always have a soft spot for the OG Meteorite speedy though - the 2nd apollo soyuz 35th anni. I think the meteorite dial + subdials looks a tad more sexy.
Yeah, I agree with this take. I also wish the Platinum 321 stuck to the Ed White style case (even if in platinum) and dial, rather than the 'Professional' dial and crown guards
 
Evitzee
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It's a super elite watch. I, too, think an Ed White case would have been nicer, but the standard 42 mm case isn't a deal breaker. But instead of a Pt tang buckle they should have gone with a Pt deployant buckle, it just makes it more special and more safe to take on and off. If I had this watch I'd get a steel deployant buckle and tuck the tang buckle away.
 
watchstick_81
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Evitzee Evitzee
But instead of a Pt tang buckle they should have gone with a Pt deployant buckle, it just makes it more special and more safe to take on and off.
I believe they came up with the pin buckle so that you can see the movement better. Same with the Snoopy 50 caseback animation. There’s a platinum deployant buckle available and about the same price as a hesalite Speedmaster 3861 😅.
 
dsio
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watchstick_81 watchstick_81
I believe they came up with the pin buckle so that you can see the movement better. Same with the Snoopy 50 caseback animation. There’s a platinum deployant buckle available and about the same price as a hesalite Speedmaster 3861 😅.
I don’t know if there’s an updated 3961 bracelet but there was a previous 1861 bracelet in PT950 that someone managed to acquire a while back, it was about the cost of an entry level Toyota
 
Dan S
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Platinum is so cheap relative to gold, it’s strange that platinum is still treated as being so precious.
 
dsio
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Dan S Dan S
Platinum is so cheap relative to gold, it’s strange that platinum is still treated as being so precious.
Gold comes out of the ground! Platinum on the other hand, has to be harvested by a skinny dude with a Saw-zall from underneath a Nissan Sentra, then they have to evade the cops on the way to the metal smelter.

It's a much more labor intensive process

 
SpeedyPhill
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Lunar meteorite sub-dials but which lunar meteorite precisely, paying that amount of money, any buyer would like to know as lunar meteorites are brittle fragile Stone Achondrites not as easy to work with as pure (stronger but rust-prone) Iron meteorites. So which lunar meteorite ? (NWA-number Dar Al Gani, or other ?)
Would I rather have another model, sure what about Fratello’s article “My Dream Speedmaster Is An Impossible-To-Find NASA Watch” about a Speedmaster with a practical bezel !
 
dsio
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SpeedyPhill SpeedyPhill
Lunar meteorite sub-dials but which lunar meteorite precisely, paying that amount of money, any buyer would like to know as lunar meteorites are brittle fragile Stone Achondrites not as easy to work with as pure (stronger but rust-prone) Iron meteorites. So which lunar meteorite ? (NWA-number Dar Al Gani, or other ?)
Would I rather have another model, sure what about Fratello’s article “My Dream Speedmaster Is An Impossible-To-Find NASA Watch” about a Speedmaster with a practical bezel !
Omega have been making meteorite dials for decades, 10s of thousands of watches and we've yet to see a report of one cracking thus far. I also can't remember a single person asking for their dial's Voight-Kampff test results so it may not be as common a concern as you think.

Now enamel and aventurine? Those have had some cracking.
 
watchstick_81
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dsio dsio
I don’t know if there’s an updated 3961 bracelet but there was a previous 1861 bracelet in PT950
There’s now a platinum flatlink bracelet for approx 58.000 euros (68000 USD), that’s been available for a couple of years. This year Omega launched the 321PT on that bracelet as a separate reference (approx 35.000 euros more than the leather strap option).

https://www.omegawatches.com/watch-...professional-chronograph-42-mm-31190423099002
 
D
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For me the contrast between the onyx dial and the platinum case is what makes this watch so special.
 
Gruesome
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I really like the heft a platinum case adds to a watch, but stone and meteorite dials and sub-dials do nothing for me.

Given this one has a see-through case back, it would also be nice if they made at least some of the movement plates and bridges from platinum (or a gold alloy in gold watches); I don't think it would be too difficult to do that, and the additional few tens of grams of precious metal are insignificant given the price of these watches. (100 gram of platinum is less than $5k these days.) Especially as in the case of the 321 movement Omega already makes a big to-do about how these are manufactured and assembled on a special line.
 
pdxleaf
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dsio dsio
Omega have been making meteorite dials for decades, 10s of thousands of watches and we've yet to see a report of one cracking thus far. ...
This comment is not to disagree with you on the toughness of meteorite dials. However, I know of an Apollo-soyuz that had a dial replaced because it cracked. It cracked because it was dropped by the owner. This was not in the normal wear, but it shows that it can happen. My local watch guy was the one who sent it in to Omega. I was more shocked that the replacement dial cost over $3k than that it cracked.

So yes, they're tough. But if you own one, don't drop it, which is good advice for any watch.
 
Trog
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My dream Speedy. 100% moon meteorite, 321 movement. Pt case.

1758561729997.webp
 
watchstick_81
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pdxleaf pdxleaf
I was more shocked that the replacement dial cost over $3k than that it cracked.
The 321PT dials costs approx 15.400 euros 😉 according to my Omega watchmaker. So don’t drop it indeed.

SpeedyPhill SpeedyPhill
Dar Al Gani
I read somewhere it’s the Dar-Al-Gani 400 stone, which Omega bought of big chunk of (or the complete stone)? Quite pricey!! The sourced stone is not mentioned in the booklet of the set but it’s more rare than the Soyuz 35th speedy for sure.
 
Archer
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watchstick_81 watchstick_81
The 321PT dials costs approx 15.400 euros 😉 according to my Omega watchmaker. So don’t drop it indeed.
Yep - that's right...very expensive indeed.
 
Evitzee
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Gruesome Gruesome
Given this one has a see-through case back, it would also be nice if they made at least some of the movement plates and bridges from platinum (or a gold alloy in gold watches); I don't think it would be too difficult to do that, and the additional few tens of grams of precious metal are insignificant given the price of these watches. (100 gram of platinum is less than $5k these days.) Especially as in the case of the 321 movement Omega already makes a big to-do about how these are manufactured and assembled on a special line.
FP Journe makes its movements out of 18k gold, so it doesn't present any real issues. That would certainly make a 321 movement special for their super high end platinum or gold cases.
 
winndixie
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I'm not sure platinum warrants the price difference from the regular stainless steel. That's just me though.
 
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