#ninefortyfour #omega #speedmaster - This! is the Omega Speedmaster professional! and there’s a simple question! Is this, pound for pound, the greatest watch ever made?
Unquestionably, its one of the most iconic and talked about watches of all time! And back in 2021, it got a mild redesign, resulting in the watch you see here! The most technically advanced speedmaster professional ever!
But how good is it? How does it stack up to the competition? In this video we’ll look at why its so iconic, discuss its specs, and see how it wears, All to see if its a worthy contender for greatest watch of all time!
///WATCH MORE VIDOES///
RU-vid: / @ninefortyfour
///FOLLOW US///
Instagram: @ninefortyfour
Web: ninefortyfour.co.uk
///WRITTEN REVIEW///
- Overview -
Ok, so quick history lesson! I’m not going to discuss every aspect of the speedmaster range since 1957! But in a nutshell, the speedmaster was the watch chosen by NASA, to become standard issue equipment to all astronauts during the Apollo programme!
A few watches were considered, but the omega ultimately won out! Features such as it’s plastic hesalite crystal, which unlike sapphire, wouldn’t shatter and float about the confines of a spacecraft should it break! Plus it’s overall legibility, toughness and accuracy, made it a great fit for space travel!
The best part, is omega didn’t even know NASA were considering their watch at all. So off the speedmaster went, used on six Apollo missions! Its orbited the earth, the moon, been on space walks, saved the life of Apollo 13’s crew, And of cause, was worn on the lunar surface!
The moon watch was born. Something omega will never let us forget! And you know what, rightly so! The watch is a pretty big deal! The time keeper chosen to accompany man-kinds greatest ever exploration! And maybe greatest achievement!
This alone is enough for some to absolutely consider the speedmaster the greatest watch of all time! And that’s absolutely fine! But how does todays speedmaster stack up! Not against the vacuum of space, but as a day to day timekeeper here on earth?
The modern day speedmaster is available with a hesalite plastic crystal, like the originals, or a more modern sapphire option. This video will focus on the latter, known as the sapphire sandwich, featuring sapphire crystals on the front and back!
- Size -
So this latest iteration of the speedmaster comes in with a dimension of 42mm, a thickness of 13.4mm and a lug to lug of 47.1mm. It has a lug with of 20mm. The weight, including this leather strap is 93g
- Design -
The design of the speedmasters case is asymmetrical, featuring a built in sheer guard on its right hand side.This protects the Chronograph pushers and crown from impacts, but does somewhat distort the wearing experience! The watch is marketed as a 42mm watch, which technically, from one side to the other it is, but it certainly doesn’t wear like one.
The dimension across the watch from top to bottom, is only 39.6mm, I guess its a bit like measuring a Rolex submariner across its case but also including its crown guards… like the speedmaster they’re only on one side, and are there for protection, they just don’t extend all the way down the side of the case.
The overall design pays homage to the original speedsters but is mixed with more modern aesthetics shared with other omega models. The case features sweeping curvaceous lug profiles, with inward and outward facing bevels, We have a mix of brushed and high polished surfaces that excentuate the overall design of the case.
The design is made up of various facets and sections, helping the watch to wear well on a variety of wrist sizes. The mid-case section is only 4mm thick and features a brushed finish, the bezel section steps in, creating a circular recess around the entire watch, this is all of high polish leading up to the bezel lip.
This section has a height of around 3.4mm, sitting below 2mm of visible crystal. The last 4mm is made up of the case back, making up the entire 13.4mm height, which for a Chronograph isn’t overly thick!
Finally we have two Chronograph pushers at the two and four o’clock positions, and a crown at three, all of which are recessed into the sheer guard.
- Verdict -
So what’s the verdict on the the Omega Speedmaster Professional? Does it have a case for being considered the best watch ever made? Well yes and no. It depends how you look at it.
If you have your romantic head on, then yes, I really can’t think of another watch that has a back story and history like this! The word icon is thrown around way too much, but this really is a true icon of the watch world, and if you love watches, their history and what they stand for, especially if you have an interest in aeronautics, then its a no brainer, you should absolute have one in your collection at some point!
20 дек 2023
