Omega Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday 1, 2017

Dealer description — S.Song Watches

While the Omega Speedmaster was originally designed as a racing watch, with its chronograph function and tachymeter scale, this aspect has largely been forgotten over time. Today, the Speedmaster is far more famous for its space exploration ties. Known as the ‘Moonwatch’, the Omega Speedmaster Professional made history by being the first watch flight-qualified by NASA for all manned space missions, and it became the first watch worn on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969. As a result, the Speedmaster has become a cult icon in the watch collecting world, and it's hard not to see why, as collectors can now buy into such a great story and with a generation that grew up idolising space travel and astronauts, this watch would certainly have to be one of the most important chronographs ever made. For a limited edition Speedmaster, the Speedy Tuesday is packed with intriguing little details that all come together seamlessly. At its core, it retains the visual characteristics of a modern Moonwatch, though with some subtle variations here and there. Despite these differences, the watch remains instantly recognizable from a distance, which is especially important given Omega’s extensive collection of limited editions. Starting with the case, the Speedy Tuesday comes in a 42mm asymmetrical stainless steel case, featuring a Hesalite crystal and a classic black aluminium tachymeter insert, all of which embody a straightforward, utilitarian design. The watch uses Omega’s standard lyre lugs, but unlike most other Speedmasters, the entire case is brushed rather than combining brushed and mirror-polished finishes. This reduces the ‘bling’ factor slightly, which I think perfectly complements the rugged, functional spirit of the Speedmaster. Other notable features include a sandblasted winding crown, tucked between the crown guards, and adorned with a retro-style Omega logo cast in relief. Moving to the dial, the Speedy Tuesday showcases a striking ‘Reverse Panda’ configuration, with several other noteworthy details. For example, there’s an applied retro-style Omega logo at 12:00, along with a brushed steel handset, both of which pair beautifully with what I consider the highlight of the dial: the concentric, recessed sub-dials in white opaline, filled with luminous material and encircled by radially placed numerals. Omega and Fratello have stated that these elements were inspired by the radial sub-dials of the 1978 Alaska Project III Speedmaster. Every element on the dial has been carefully considered, making this, in my view, one of Omega’s best-limited edition Speedmasters to date—a sentiment I'm confident many Speedmaster enthusiasts would agree with. Powering the Speedy Tuesday from within is the venerable manual-winding Cal. 1861, Omega’s in-house, manual-winding chronograph movement that is the descendant of the legendary 861 movements used in Speedmasters since 1969.