Who/what got you into Speedmasters?

I’ve had my Speedmaster (311.30.42.30.01.005) for a little more than 4 years. I would never had bought one if not for the comfort obtain from educating myself on Omega Forums for a year before purchasing. So thank you to everyone who posts here and shares their knowledge and advice. If it wasn't for all of you I would not have taking the plunge and I am truely grateful I found this amazing community.

Here is how I got interested in the Speedmaster.

I am not a watch collector. Before owning the Omega I’ve worn a handful of watches, and none was worth in excess of $300. But my fascination with the moon and the moon watch were defined by a couple of key events. Born in 1965, one of my earliest childhood memories was the moon landing. I remember my parents had friends over, but don’t remember anything about the landing itself. But I do remember asking my Dad on that warm July night if we could walk outside to look up at the moon.

I wanted to see the men on the moon. I distinctly remember walking down our front steps, getting far enough from the house to see the moon, and looking up at the moon with him. That moment planted a seed, and I have always been fascinated with space travel and read many books about both the astronauts and what it took to accomplish the lunar landings.

When I was 10 I visited the Museum of Science of Industry in Chicago. They have the Apollo 8 command module there. Also on display were some personal artifacts of the crew, including Jim Lovell’s Speedmaster. I remember gazing through the case and thinking, “That’s one cool looking watch!” I never actually saw someone wearing one in person until about 25 years later. My brother’s neighbor. It brought back memories of seeing Lovell’s and again the feeling of, “that’s one cool looking watch!”. The symmetry of the dials. Its elegant simplicity. Its classic beauty. Seeing the watch again as an adult coupled with all I had read about the space program and knowing the story behind the watch made me have an even deeper appreciation of it. I never obsessed about the watch, but always knew that if I ever splurged on a watch, this would be the one.

So when my 25th wedding anniversary was approaching in 2019 and my wife asked what I wanted - I knew I wanted THE watch. The Omega Speedmaster Professional in all its hesalite beauty. I didn’t want a vintage one, or a used one, but a brand new shiny one that I could call my own, wear every day, and scratch up myself.

It was the perfect way to both treat myself to a watch that inspired me when I was 10 and to wear a constant reminder of our marriage. I knew that every day I wound the watch it would remind me of how you need to take care of your marriage to make it tick. Every time I see the hands circling forever it would remind me that my wife and I will be together forever.

I’ve worn the watch every day since I acquired it. I’ve put a few of my own scratches on it. I love to wear it. It looks great on ANY strap. I’d be happy to wear it every day on the same strap, but putting it on different ones sure is fun. The watch still has me star struck every time I put it on - just like a 3 year old looking for the men on the moon, or a 10 year old gawking at Jim Lovell’s Speedmaster in a museum display case.

When I first came to this forum I read every post and skipped each post about Speedmasters. I just did not care for them, and I had no use for a chronograph. After a while it seemed like something was missing in my collection. Even though I disliked them in the beginning, my affection for Speedmaster slowly grew. I am a bit of a space geek, so the first watch in space nudged me further in the direction. I was skeptical for the Cal. 3863, due to the issues reported by owners. I waffled on sapphire or hesalite, and fell for the solid back. I purchased a secondhand modern Speedmaster with warrenty left on the clock. Sadly I was forced to sell, due to a delay in my home equity loan to fix the fire damage on my house. I was able to justify that because, I would really have preferred vintage over modern. My current grail watch is a watchco Ref. 164.025, so it may be a while before a Seamaster finds its way back to my collection. I hate Cosmographs, that is another good reason.

My first real watch was a constellation day date in 1987 that started me on Omega. A Tudor mini sub after that, then in 1997 I saw a 3521(?) white dial triple calendar speedy that I had to have. Had to sell them in the early 2000s, but have replaced them with an identical Connie and a 3523.80. But in the last 15 months I’ve gotten four new 3861s.