IMHO Omega may allow experiments with Olympic or Moonwatch derivatives like DSOM but may not do so with Moonwatch Apollo iterations. I believe last two editions of Apollo XVII should be considered as confirmation of my words hereby above!
We are just lucky the released them and they didn't know about the ultramen ( after all it is a Japanese character 😗 ) imagine the comments if they only released ST2 in Japan 😗
Japan-based buyers were able to purchase ST2s same as people from anywhere else in the world. In terms of time-zone, Japan would have been good, as it was for us in Australia, because it was in the evening. Releasing an ST2 only in Japan never would have happened. An Ultraman yes, but not an Ultraman as ST2.
I hope you do not mean Omega is capable of coming up with new fresh designs instead of copying some of its bestsellers, but doesn’t want to?
I don’t mean that. What I mean is: it’s just business, and not some personal affront by Omega to previous buyers and collectors.
Omegas job is to sell watches. Lots and lots of watches (over one million per year?). I am not sure they can accomplish that as well if they never produce anything that remotely looks like a small batch they produced 15+ years ago.
Much criticism has been posted about these Olympic LEs, that they are shameless knock-offs lacking creativity, which shall kill premiums and eliminate the fun of collecting.
I wonder why these criticisms have ignored the fact, that the Apollo XI 35th Anniversary panda LE, which is positioned in those comments as being the holy original of which its premium and rarity should be protected, is almost a direct copy of the Mitsukoshi LE, limited to only 300 pieces for a Japanese department store, which was released only a year before the Apollo XI 35 LE.
If copies of previous LEs are shameless items that lack creativity, why is the Apollo XI 35 LE regarded so high?
Anyway, I had a chance to see both the Olympic panda and the Apollo XI 35 LE within neighboring shops (I am now in Tokyo), and even though they look identical from a distance, they do give different impressions when looked closely. The indexes of the Olympic panda looks taller and more pronounced, as well as longer. The two dots beside the 12 o'clock index are applied in the Olympic panda. The tip of the second hand is painted red in the Olympic panda. These details make the Olympic panda look more 3 dimensional, and the Apollo XI 35 LE subdued in comparison. I haven't seen a Mitsukoshi LE, but judging from photos, I would say that the Apollo XI 35 LE a closer copy of the Mitsukoshi LE than is the Olympic panda.
Much criticism has been posted about these Olympic LEs, that they are shameless knock-offs lacking creativity, which shall kill premiums and eliminate the fun of collecting.
I wonder why these criticisms have ignored the fact, that the Apollo XI 35th Anniversary panda LE, which is positioned in those comments as being the holy original of which its premium and rarity should be protected, is almost a direct copy of the Mitsukoshi LE, limited to only 300 pieces for a Japanese department store, which was released only a year before the Apollo XI 35 LE.
If copies of previous LEs are shameless items that lack creativity, why is the Apollo XI 35 LE regarded so high?
Something that seemed acceptable 15 years ago, simply because majority of people knew about it years later does not mean it would be so nowadays.
The knowledge of Omega "copying" the Mitsokushi to produce the Apollo IX 35th would have been largely unknown, and so potential of dilution of collector held watch was minimal. The world was not like it is today, where every release is highly scrutinised, LE sell out online in around an hour, a new release in Japan can be in the hands of a European or US collector in a matter of days, and the expectation of making a quick buck on a flip or a large return if held for years is very high.
I am curious what some feel would fall under the category of being 'creative'. It's a Speedy Pro, so by definition three registers. Case size is fixed as well (except can be with and without crown guards). That basically leaves with you color options for the dial, and going panda/ reverse panda. And/ or play with bezel colors, hesalite vs sapphire, and maybe make some with precious metals. What the heck else can you do other then that and still have a Speedy Pro? And all of that has already been done. Granted the colored dials were primarily on automatics (i.e., non-Pros), but for the most part those don;t look all that great.
I suspect Omega will always sell a steady stream of 'regular' Speedy Pros. And they also need to find a way to sell a lot more watches then that. There is zero reason not to make one with a certain color combo, etc. just because it is like another one from 15 years ago that sold out at the time.
I would welcome some comments on what Omega 'should' do to remain a viable, profitable watch company, vs just "they should not do that"
All this angst about "lack of creativity" got me thinking. If Omega had brought out a range of limited Speedmasters that were radically different from the look/colours/size of current or past Speedies, I bet you'd get a bunch of aficionados complaining about Omega departing from the Speedmaster heritage/DNA/family look and needlessly cheapening or diluting the brand.
I was questioning how some were criticizing the the Olympic LEs based on the perception that the "creativity of Omega" was lost. There was a post that even went on to say that we should refrain from buying such "copycat" pieces. From such ethical perspective, those criticizing the Olympic LEs should have walked away from Omega watches as soon as they knew how Omega copied the Mitsukoshi LE to make the Apollo IX 35th LE. Such knowledge may not have been common back in 2004, but it is nothing new either.
Also, your comments seem to imply that "it was acceptable back in 2004 because it was unknown and thus did not put any potential threat to collector held watches, " but such perception is eurocentric and seems to exclude Japan from "the World." The Apollo IX 35th LE was sold in Japan a year after the Mitsukoshi LE.
I said it seamed acceptable because until you and me heard about it .... well everything was over. So, what could you do post factum? Nowadays we learnt a couple of ours after the launch right? Even today what could you do, apart of expressing opinion and eventually abstain from buying the 5 Lords of the Ring? :::: Otherwise we simply give Omega thumbs up to keep on doing .... well what they have already done.
