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·TL;DR: I’ve found a second example of a transitional ’97 Speedy with T Swiss Made T dial and luminova. Is the combination legit after all?
Over the years, we’ve seen a few discussions here about the existence of transitional Speedmasters with T Swiss Made T dials but luminova instead of tritium. According to MWO, the switch occurred in 1997, roughly at the same time at which the Speedy reference changed from 3590.50 to 3570.50. MWO also states that the 3570.50s from that time could come with:
-a gilt-plated cal 861 or a rhodium-plated 1861
-tritium dial with “T Swiss Made T” or luminova dial with “Swiss Made”, with the former in the serial range from 48.339.xxx to 48.385.xxx.
The earliest thread I could find regarding the topic, albeit referencing MkIIs, is this one by @Lonestar :
https://omegaforums.net/threads/more-education-t-swiss-made-t-always-tritium.37052/
A T-Swiss-Made-T dial with luminova, so seemed to be the majority opinion, indicated either a redial or a relume. Then, in 2021, this sale ad by @robinhook popped up in our classifieds:
https://omegaforums.net/threads/3-5...transitional-ref-3570-50.127765/#post-1726872
Here’s a picture taken from the thread, credit to @robinhook of course:
His example is exactly the aforementioned configuration that has been considered by most to be a myth. The comments underneath the sale post also convey quite a bit of skepticism. The serial of his is 48.365.845, so it’s right there in the aforementioned range of tritium 3570.50s.
Now, I’ve come across another one. Serial of mine is 48.366.686, so they are within a few hundred examples of each other. I figured that a second one makes it much less likely to be a coincidence/incorrect and that it might be interesting to revive the matter. I’ll provide whatever info I can to clear this up, let me know if you need anything – and yes, I should buy a UV light eventually. The watch came to me in excellent condition, it has obviously been worn very sparingly. Also came in a full set, even including stickers with matching serial on the outter box and the hang tag. The movement is a 1861 that’s clean, but winding is very stiff as it hasn’t been serviced possibly ever. I emphasize the “possibly” as this we cannot be certain of, of course. Regardless: Not saying this to glorify the piece but basically to say all the signs are there it has not been fiddled with. Also, a relume on such a young watch? At the very least unlikely. The lume responds like luminova, doesn’t get a bright glow as quickly as my ’86 tritium Speedy but keeps it much longer. After a good period of exposure to light, I stored it in a dark drawer and it showed a light but easily noticeable glow even after 2 hours.
Here are a few close-ups of the lume plots, do let me know your thoughts please. The quality of the application appears to be in line with Omega standards from that time and, well, it just isn’t a redial. The only thing that I have no explanation for is the tiny, shiny black spots around some of the indices, especially noticeable on the 12 o clock one.
Bottom line to me: My gut says it’s legit.
Curious to hear what you say!
Over the years, we’ve seen a few discussions here about the existence of transitional Speedmasters with T Swiss Made T dials but luminova instead of tritium. According to MWO, the switch occurred in 1997, roughly at the same time at which the Speedy reference changed from 3590.50 to 3570.50. MWO also states that the 3570.50s from that time could come with:
-a gilt-plated cal 861 or a rhodium-plated 1861
-tritium dial with “T Swiss Made T” or luminova dial with “Swiss Made”, with the former in the serial range from 48.339.xxx to 48.385.xxx.
The earliest thread I could find regarding the topic, albeit referencing MkIIs, is this one by @Lonestar :
https://omegaforums.net/threads/more-education-t-swiss-made-t-always-tritium.37052/
A T-Swiss-Made-T dial with luminova, so seemed to be the majority opinion, indicated either a redial or a relume. Then, in 2021, this sale ad by @robinhook popped up in our classifieds:
https://omegaforums.net/threads/3-5...transitional-ref-3570-50.127765/#post-1726872
Here’s a picture taken from the thread, credit to @robinhook of course:
His example is exactly the aforementioned configuration that has been considered by most to be a myth. The comments underneath the sale post also convey quite a bit of skepticism. The serial of his is 48.365.845, so it’s right there in the aforementioned range of tritium 3570.50s.
Now, I’ve come across another one. Serial of mine is 48.366.686, so they are within a few hundred examples of each other. I figured that a second one makes it much less likely to be a coincidence/incorrect and that it might be interesting to revive the matter. I’ll provide whatever info I can to clear this up, let me know if you need anything – and yes, I should buy a UV light eventually. The watch came to me in excellent condition, it has obviously been worn very sparingly. Also came in a full set, even including stickers with matching serial on the outter box and the hang tag. The movement is a 1861 that’s clean, but winding is very stiff as it hasn’t been serviced possibly ever. I emphasize the “possibly” as this we cannot be certain of, of course. Regardless: Not saying this to glorify the piece but basically to say all the signs are there it has not been fiddled with. Also, a relume on such a young watch? At the very least unlikely. The lume responds like luminova, doesn’t get a bright glow as quickly as my ’86 tritium Speedy but keeps it much longer. After a good period of exposure to light, I stored it in a dark drawer and it showed a light but easily noticeable glow even after 2 hours.
Here are a few close-ups of the lume plots, do let me know your thoughts please. The quality of the application appears to be in line with Omega standards from that time and, well, it just isn’t a redial. The only thing that I have no explanation for is the tiny, shiny black spots around some of the indices, especially noticeable on the 12 o clock one.
Bottom line to me: My gut says it’s legit.
Curious to hear what you say!
