Omega Speedmaster Professional ref. 3592.50, 'De Luxe' Apollo XI w Boxes & Booklet

Dealer description — Oliver & Clarke

The Omega Speedmaster is one of the most historically important, if not the most important wrist watch ever produced, full stop. Its story can be summed up with one simple acronym: NASA. Surely, this is not a watch that needs an introduction with our audience.... And as with so many other icons and popular vintage models, the Speedmaster has seen countless iterations and variants over its nearly 70-years of continuous production. The piece that we have here today is a neo-vintage example from circa 1992, and in typical Speedmaster fashion, what looks to be just an ordinary Speedmaster is actually something more when inspected more closely. This is a 'Speedmaster De Luxe' Reference 3592.50 'Apollo XI' anniversary dating to circa 1991. On the surface, it's all Speedmaster Professional from the era, with the same 42mm twisted-lug case, pushers, crown, external bezel with the black tachymeter insert, and matte black Tritium dial and matching handset. Flip this piece over however, and you will be delighted to find that the Calibre .863 manual-winding movement is on display via a sapphire exhibition caseback. The condition of this particular example is excellent. The case and matching bracelet show signs of light previous polishing, retaining correct finishing throughout and shows normal wear. The matte black dial inside is beautifully preserved, with lightly patinated Tritium indices that are uniform in color. The handset also matches the dial nicely. Omega has produces a few different runs of Speedmasters with sapphire exhibition casebacks over the years, but it must be said that this neo-vintage reference, with that patinated Tritium dial and handset and this fantastic period bracelet, we think, has to be the most desirable, as many of the others were later and absent of this vintage charm. Been looking for a Speedmaster with a twist? Here you go!