2017 marked the 60th Anniversary of the Omega Speedmaster limited edition copy watches, one of the most recognizable and popular watches and one that is also known as the “Moonwatch” by watch collectors and enthusiasts. Being a NASA certified instrument for all manned space missions won’t in itself suffice for a lasting success as that of the “Speedy.” No, it also took the Speedmaster’s evergreen and balanced aesthetic, highly comfortable fit, and excellent reliability. Throughout the years, we have seen the Speedmaster mature from tool watch to luxury timepiece. While among the most iconic pieces from major brands, it still remains as one of the most affordable.
Today, we are setting off on a course that will help us discover a few prominent production pieces and, with them, some fascinating chapters in Speedmaster history. Not trying to create a definitive guide here by any stretch of the imagination, just enough to help you converse with other Speedy fans and discover more of the near-infinite number of minute details the Moonwatch took on over its last 60 years.
The fascination of collecting and learning about the Moonwatch comes from individual stories, trivia, history, and minor tweaks of design details, be it a font, bezel print, logo details, hands, or other stuff only those bitten hard by the Speedy-bug can appreciate. For a lot of us, the sense of satisfaction steps in when you are able to hold a conversation with other collectors, or when you become the expert at a birthday dinner, who can articulate further details on how a timepiece, so often overlooked, played a prominent role in some of NASA’s most challenging projects.
Coming up are our top choices of three iconic Speedmaster references, sort of an extension to this incredible selection of quint-essential Speedmasters by our David Bredan. But, we would love to hear what your favorite reference, further knowledge, or piece of trivia is, because we’d love to consider them for future articles. Be it a limited or special edition, or merely one of the references from the core collection, we know these few are everything but inclusive of all the Speedmaster has in store. Anyhow, let’s get started with these “Ultimate Ice Breakers For Your Next Watch GTG!”
Let us begin with some quick basics about vintage Speedmasters:
1.The Omega Speedmaster cheap fake watches were introduced in 1957 as a sports chronograph to strengthen Omega’s positioning as the Official Timekeeper of the Olympic Games.
2.The name ‘Speedmaster’ was derived from Omega’s model naming convention, in line with the ‘Seamaster’ and ‘Railmaster.’ ‘Speed’ was chosen for its tachymeter…
3.The tachymeter scale of the Speedmaster is the first to ever appear on the bezel of any watch in the world.
4.The applied metal Omega logo can only be found on a handful of early Speedmaster references produced between 1957-1968, fitted with a cal. 321 movement – except for the 145.022 transitional model – you can read more about it here.