Among the largest developments that year’s Baselworld watch fair in Switzerland was the possible lack of the Swatch Group, as well as the subsequent fallout from this conclusion of 1 of the world’s biggest watch makers to stop what’s arguably the biggest horological series around the calendar.
Now Baselworld 2021 has been gone, Omega, part of the Swatch Group, has revealed its new pieces past the 25,600 Speedmaster Apollo 11 50th Anniversary watch unveiled in March. Highlights of this new collection comprise three superlative chronographs demonstrating fresh technologies and material science.
What’s more, ultimately of last month, Omega declared the uk rollout of its e-commerce platform, meaning that customers are now able to purchase direct from the brand online in addition to through official bricks and mortar shops and third-party retailers. The upshot of this is, of course, these desirable watches now are much easier to get.
Speedmaster Apollo 11
The watch that went into the moon gets its second high profile limited edition from the 50th anniversary from the Apollo 11 moon landing, once the Speedmaster’s legend has been made.
In a much-reduced manner, it is also an integral characteristic of this #7,370 steel-cased version, which while more reachable, and published inside a version numbering 6,969 pieces, nevertheless makes for a flamboyant celebration of the brand’s biggest moment.
The 9 o’clock subdial features the gold-engraved picture of Speedmaster-kitted astronaut Buzz Aldrin as he steps down to the lunar surface. The watch’s bezel, housing a black porcelain ring engraved with a gold tachymeter, can also be made from the brand new metal — a (mostly) steel Speedy this possibly, an all-action tool view it is not.
However, the crucial development here and this really is a milestone for the Speedmaster — is incorporated in the movement, which according to this new continues to be under development for four decades. Because of the’Moonwatch’ Speedmaster Professional models, Omega has ostensibly stuck in to the exact same hand-wound motion, Calibre 1861, ever since the late 1960s, with little updates or aesthetic variations.
While pleasing from the historical perspective, that has left it something of an anachronism throughout the brand’s project over the past few years to upgrade its whole watchmaking to its Master Chronometer standard — meaning accuracy to within five minutes a day, resistance to magnetic fields of up to 15,000 gauss through using new materials, all controlled by Omega’s special Co-Axial escapement.
With the Omega Speedmaster Apollo 11, the anachronism is brought to an end. Calibre 3861 asserts the crucial architecture and look of this classic Speedy engine, however contains all of the Master Chronometer elements, for instance, Co-Axial escapement.
It marks the symbolic completing an enormous project to transform Omega’s watchmaking towards the most innovative volume watch production found — rivalled only, of course, from the brand along with the crown. The new movement isn’t on show, however: rather, the back of this watch is adorned utilizing a laser-engraved picture of Neil Armstrong’s footprint on the lunar surface, encircled in gold by the 20th century’s most famous quotation.
Incidentally, while Calibre 861 made its debut in 1968, the watches that landed on the moon in '69 nevertheless included its predecessor, Calibre 321. Omega watches also announced the revival of that calibre earlier this year, though a watch to contain it hasn’t yet emerged. Speedmaster lovers, stay tuned in.
