746 articles · 10 videos found · page 22 of 26
Albert Piguet's 1942 column-wheel hand-wound chronograph caliber. Powered every Speedmaster through 1968, worn by Buzz Aldrin on the Moon, reborn from tomographic scans in 2019.
Why the Omega Speedmaster is called Moonwatch. The 1965 NASA flight qualification, Buzz Aldrin on Apollo 11, the Apollo 13 engine burn timed by hand, the Silver Snoopy Award of 1970, and every Snoopy Speedmaster that followed.
The weekly Omega Speedmaster wristshot ritual started by Robert-Jan Broer in May 2012; led to two Omega LEs (2017 and 2018 Ultraman).
Every Omega Speedmaster Professional from 1957 CK2915 to the modern Cal. 3861 Master Chronometer.
Monochrome
Omega, the official timekeeper of the Paris 2024 and 30 Olympic Games before that celebrated this year’s event with several Olympic-themed watches, like the Omega Speedmaster Chronoscope Paris 2024 and the Omega Paris 2024 Bronze Gold Edition. Among other new models that caught everyone’s – well, almost everyone’s attention – was the special edition of […]
Hodinkee
It makes sense the Olympics would be all about the Speedmaster or Seamaster, but these two watches have won me over for two different reasons.
Worn & Wound
History is a double edged sword for a budget conscious collector like me. The nerdy half of me loves to get caught up in the horological space race of 1969 and participate in the 1953 drama of debating if Smiths or Rolex wore it best on top of Everest. But while my romantic side finds joy in history, the frugal collector in me has some reservations. This side of me knows that the watch industry is in constant flux as it adapts to new technologies, reacts to wars and navigates economic shifts. It’s the side of me that acknowledges brands brimming with pedigree did not weather this history unchanged, and can’t help but notice the value from those shiny new microbrands with seemingly no history to offer. What is a collector to do when they have a romantic enthusiast on one shoulder telling them the story behind a watch matters and a frugal cynic on the other asking if a plastic chronograph is really worth a premium because its metal counterpart went to the moon? Personally, rambling blog-style until coming to some sort of conclusion aimed at making sense of an often nonsensical hobby has never steered me wrong. Provenance vs Pedigree: A Collector’s Dilemma Historical watch conversations often focus on provenance, which can most simply be defined as the story behind a specific watch. Provenance is what separates Paul Newman’s Daytona from every other “Paul Newman” Daytona. It’s what makes Buzz Aldrin’s out-of-this world, misplaced Speedmaster worthy of obsessio...
Quill & Pad
Tim Mosso explores the renewed rivalry between luxury watch titans Omega and Breitling. Once an also-ran, Breitling has been rehabilitated in the marketplace and offers competitive watches in all classes. As Rolex has moved upmarket, Omega and its Speedmaster have been left in possession of the mid-market field.
Monochrome
With the 2024 Paris Olympics in full swing, and Omega being the official timing partner for the entire event, it’s impossible to ignore the brand. Especially when prior to and during the four weeks of epic sports on display, new watches are being released. Following the official 2024 Olympics edition of the Speedmaster Chronoscope and […]
Fratello
It’s the last Tuesday of the month, which means we’re introducing a new Speedmaster strap in collaboration with the Swedish brand REM. We decided to choose a leather color we had never used before and feature an engraving of the lunar surface in a contrasting shade. The inspiration behind the Lunar Crater strap Lunar craters are […] Visit The July 2024 Fratello × REM Strap - Lunar Crater to read the full article.
Monochrome
In the past few days, we’ve introduced a new (and really appealing) Bronze Gold CK 859 and reviewed the Paris 2024 Speedmaster Chronoscope… Which makes a lot of sense as we’re now right in the middle of the Olympics. But that’s not all for Omega, as we have more to introduce. Probably the brand’s most […]
Worn & Wound
Four years ago, like a phoenix, Nivada Grenchen rose from the ashes to reintroduce two of its most famous watches: the Chronomaster Aviator Sea Diver and the Antarctic. Shortly after, the Depthmaster and the F77 re-emerged, the latter joining the integrated bracelet sports watch craze that has gripped the industry over the last decade. In 2023, in collaboration with Fratello, they launched their Racing Chronograph, a 38mm tonneau-shaped, manually wound watch deeply inspired by the automotive world, mixing many features and design cues from Nivada models from its back catalog. And now, for 2024, Nivada Grenchen is re-introducing the Chronosport, one of their rarest historical pieces. Only ten original Nivada Grenchen Chronosport watches from the 1970s were ever produced, making this model quite sought after by collectors. That is precisely why they have decided to reintroduce it, allowing more enthusiasts to own one. This new model utilizes the same 38mm stainless steel case as the Racing Chronograph. However, the similarities end there. Instead of an outer tachymeter scale printed on the bezel, it is replaced by a unidirectional diver’s bezel. The tachymeter scale is printed on the outer edge of the dial under the double-domed sapphire crystal. The Chronosport’s dial was designed by Jean Singer, who was responsible for the dials on the Omega Speedmaster racing and the Heuer Skipper. Both watches are famous for their good looks and functionality. Mr. Singer knows a thin...
Worn & Wound
It’s officially Space Watch Season. We just saw G-SHOCK release their latest collaborative release with NASA, and now Bulova returns with a new version of their popular Lunar Pilot, this one in a “blood moon” colorway. While the Lunar Pilot doesn’t have “first watch on the moon” pedigree like the venerable Omega Speedmaster, it does have its own legitimate spacefaring history. In 1971, Dave Scott, mission commander of Apollo 15, wore a similar Bulova Chronograph when he became the seventh man to walk on the moon. Unlike the Speedmaster, which was conceived originally as a racing chronograph, the Bulova on Scott’s wrist was designed specifically for use in space, specifically for timing related to critical life support systems. The Lunar Pilot has some aesthetic similarities to the Speedmaster (in their purest form, they are both black dialed chronographs, after all) but Bulova has shown a willingness to experiment with the Lunar Pilot recently, and it now feels very much like its own thing, existing well outside the long shadow of the Speedy. This latest iteration is a good example of how Bulova uses this platform to play with color and our expectations for a sports watch like the Lunar Pilot should be. As you can plainly see from the images in this post, what we have here is a very red version of the Lunar Pilot, with a bright red main dial and three silvered subdials at 9:00, 3:00, and 6:00. The inspiration here, according to Bulova, is a total lunar ecli...
Worn & Wound
This past weekend marked the 55th anniversary of the moon landing, unquestionably one of the greatest achievements in the history of humanity. When Neil Armstrong set foot on the lunar surface, it changed the world forever. We all know the story of Omega, the Speedmaster, and how that chronograph became the “moonwatch,” but there are plenty of other brands and watches that have attempted to jump on the moon landing and NASA bandwagon in some way. Some of these are successful, some of them are not. But one series of releases that I’ve always thought of as genuinely pretty charming are G-SHOCK’s NASA themed watches, the fifth iteration of which was recently unveiled. I think one of the reasons these watches work is because you could argue that NASA and G-SHOCK are organizations that share a certain ethos of problem solving rooted in science. NASA, of course, is in the business of solving problems related to the foundations of physics. The fundamental challenge of getting to the moon, after all, is escaping the earth’s gravity. There’s no moonshot if you can’t get out of low earth orbit. G-SHOCK, on the other hand, has a far more niche interest: creating the most indestructible, shock resistant watch possible. Through materials research and a lot of trial and error, they’ve been the kings of tough watches for decades. The new GW6900-NASA241 takes design inspiration from an unusual but appropriate source: old-school Casio calculators. You can imagine that a...
Teddy Baldassarre
Back in February of this year, shortly after Tudor became a sponsor of the Visa Cash App RB Racing Team, driver Daniel Ricciardo was spotted wearing a curious blue dial Tudor Black Bay Ceramic – a watch that up to that point had not existed. It was a very “Daniel Craig wearing a white pre-release Speedmaster to Planet Omega in New York” moment. As it turns out, this watch became the standard timepiece in the paddock for both drivers Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda. But the story sort of ended there and we were left to figure that this was just a racing watch…not for public consumption. That is, until this morning, when Tudor let it be known that the Tudor Black Bay Ceramic “Blue” is now a very real thing that us very real people can very truly own. And now we have a lot more images of the watch to boot. In light of the fact that Ricciardo somewhat spoiled this launch back in February, there is not much to say that isn’t known. And similar to the white Speedmaster, we are effectively talking about a dial change here. But nonetheless, let’s get into this one. The watch takes the form of the 2021 Black Bay Ceramic release which, at the time, boasted an all-black-everything design motif from the ceramic case to the dial to the strap. The BB Ceramic comes in at 41mm with a case thickness of 14.4mm. It features the METAS-certified master chronometer MT5602-U1. What is significant about that movement is that the original BB Ceramic was the watch to debut Tudor’s for...
Worn & Wound
There are only a few certainties in life: death, taxes, and new MoonSwatches being released every five or six months. Yes, as you’ve undoubtedly heard by now, Swatch and Omega have once again taken over your Instagram feed, knocking out three new versions of the MoonSwatch. This release follows a pair of Snoopy themed MoonSwatch moonphases, and of course the Blancpain x Swatch “Scuba” Fifty Fathoms. These new MoonSwatches hew closer to the original idea of the watch, but each is just a little extra, like guacamole on a burrito, which one of them kind of looks like if you squint. The three watches seen here make up the MoonSwatch “Mission on Earth” series, and as the name would suggest are inspired by earthbound phenomena. The “Desert” variant has a tan BioCeramic case and taupe dial, with an aesthetic inspired by, well, the desert. Slightly more adventurous is the “Lava” MoonSwatch, with a bright red case and an orange chronograph seconds hand that pays homage to the Omega “Ultraman” Speedmaster. The third watch, and the best of the three in my opinion, is the “Polar Lights,” which features a turquoise case and a dial inspired by the aesthetic of aventurine. As many readers will surely recall, I’m not the biggest fan of the MoonSwatch. What was once a charming idea and perhaps a way to get new enthusiasts into the hobby quickly became something of a money grab. A predictable result, no doubt. But now that there’s a regular cadence to these...
SJX Watches
Following the MoonSwatch “Snoopy” released in late March, Swatch continues to grow its bestselling line with the MoonSwatch “Mission On Earth”, a trio of models dressed in eye-catching colours, including one inspired by the Speedmaster “Ultraman” and another by aventurine glass. Initial thoughts The Mission On Earth editions stand out from the rest of the MoonSwatch line-up, especially the Polar Lights and Lava models. Unlike earlier MoonSwatch models in muted colours, Polar Lights features a “starry” blue dial modelled on sparkly aventurine glass, while Lava is a nod to the historical Speedmaster “Ultraman” with its orange hand. The new models continue to be priced at US$270, making them the same value proposition as earlier versions – they are affordable but feel equally inexpensive. The continual new additions to the line, however, will inevitably diminish the desirability of the MoonSwatch. While this might disappoint some early adopters, it is a logical step for Swatch, since the MoonSwatch has boosted its business tremendously, while the brand has no other product that enjoys comparable demand. Earthbound The Mission on Earth collection is made up of three watches. All are similar to earlier MoonSwatch models, but the new trio incorporate a detail Speedmaster enthusiasts will appreciate: radially arranged numerals on the sub-dials, as found on the experimental Speedmasters made for the Alaska II and III projects commissioned by NASA. Inspired by...
Worn & Wound
Jacques Bianchi Marseille has teamed up with Fratello Watches to create a new iteration of their already popular JB200 PoulPro. The new variant released today is now dubbed the JB200 PoulPro “Night Diver”, due to its new nocturnal layout consisting of a black PVD case and a fully lumed dial, both features being a first for Jacques Bianchi. Fratello is known for creating high quality and entertaining watch enthusiast content, and more specifically their infatuation with the Speedmaster that started with their founders creation of the #speedytuesday hashtag. Fratello has even collaborated with Omega due to the hashtag’s marketing success, and they’ve since branched out to create watch collaborations with many other watch brands just like this new Jacques Bianchi release. The JB200 diver was only just reissued in 2021, and it garnered some outstanding success due to demand from vintage watch lovers who were quite fond of the original from the early 1980s. The new “Night Diver” variant seen here is similar in many ways to the reissue, maintaining the 42mm case and 13.3mm thickness, as well as a lug to lug of 47mm. The JB200 is relatively well proportioned on the wrist, although it does have a slightly heftier appearance when comparing to the benchmark Rolex Submariner 124060 with a 12mm thickness. Much of the fit disadvantage is offset by the rest of the specs, especially the lug to lug measurement which can at times be more important than the actual case size....
Fratello
On June 3rd, 1965, Ed White was the first NASA astronaut to perform a spacewalk. White, who died during the horrible accident with Apollo 1 on January 27th, 1967, performed his EVA (extravehicular activity) wearing the famous Speedmaster 105.003. Therefore, we decided to come up with a new Fratello × REM Speedmaster strap available in […] Visit The May 2024 Fratello × REM Strap - Spacewalk to read the full article.
Monochrome
Omega is one of the largest luxury watchmakers on the market, carrying multiple emblematic models (Seamaster and Speedmaster, to name a few). However, one vital element of the brand’s success lies in its almost unique take on precision. Omega has long been a pioneer in this field, often ranking first in chronometry contests and introducing […]
Fratello
It has been a busy few months for Omega, introducing the Apollo 8, Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch with a white dial, and the new Speedmaster 38 models. I expect to see some more Speedmaster releases in 2024, not least of all because it is a significant Apollo 11 anniversary. But we should also not forget about […] Visit The April 2024 Fratello × REM Strap - Apollo XIII to read the full article.
Time+Tide
Omega expands the Speedmaster 38mm collection with a multitude of new models, choice of three materials, and two dial colours. There’s a choice of steel or Omega’s proprietary Sedna and Moonshine Gold alloys, and either brown or green sunburst dials, with the solid gold bracelets being a first for the collection. The pieces are powered … ContinuedThe post Omega launches a set of dazzling 38mm Speedmasters, with some collection-firsts (live pics and video) appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Worn & Wound
Editor’s Note: For this edition of The Three Watch Collection for $5,000, we have a collection from collector Michael Chong. Michael has chosen a trio of watches that track his varied horological interests, from a quirky Seiko to perhaps the most classic watch design of them all, the Cartier Tank. There’s also a familiar Nomos Club Campus, but this one has a twist. Since high school graduation, I have spent 5 years navigating the vast world of watches, collecting and refining my collection to reflect my lifestyle and identity. However, I underestimated this task, and I now realize that this is a dynamic lifelong journey, subject to the natural or unexpected changes that humans go through in their life, whether it is relocation, career shifts, evolving needs or wants, or amending personal tastes/niches. Below I present my ideal three-watch collection under 5k, shaped by 5 years of this process. Seiko A829-6019 – $650 In 2020, while searching for an LCD Speedmaster 186.0004, I stumbled upon the Seiko A829-6019, which also boasted a NASA connection and was more affordable. I discovered this 1982 Seiko A829 on eBay up for auction with its original bracelet and endlinks. After doing deep research ensuring it was all 100% original, I purchased it and the watch was delivered the following week. Despite some wear and tear, including a scratched bezel and faded red accents, all functions, including the alarms (extremely loud), worked flawlessly. The standout feature was the...
Fratello
Five years ago, Omega introduced the last limited-edition Speedmaster models. Who would have thought? After a good ~25 years of introducing many different Speedmaster limited editions, sometimes even more than one per year, the brand just stopped. Well, not entirely, of course, because although the Speedmaster Calibre 321 and Speedmaster Silver Snoopy Award 50th Anniversary […] Visit The Best Speedmasters Of The Last Five Years to read the full article.
SJX Watches
Swatch and Omega are once again dropping another collaboration that is bound to be a hit, the MoonSwatch Mission to the Moonphase. Inspired by the Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch “Snoopy”, the new MoonSwatch features a moon phase along with an all-white Bioceramic case and matching white strap. Snoopy resides on the moon phase display at two o’clock, which features a hidden quote printed in Super-Luminova, “I can’t sleep without a night light!”, that is invisible except in the dark or when exposed to UV light. The Mission to the Moonphase is not a limited edition and instead part of the permanent collection. Initial thoughts Although the MoonSwatch has been a massive hit in terms of units sold – the total sold to date is in the low millions – recent iterations of the model haven’t been particularly exciting, with most of them simply having the addition of a gold-plated seconds hand. With the MoonSwatch Mission to the Moonphase, however, Swatch is bringing something more interesting to the table. While it certainly isn’t imaginative, the appeal of the watch is obvious. For one, it builds on the capitalises on the desirability of the actual Speedmaster “Snoopy”. At the same time, the all-white livery sets it apart from the other MoonSwatch iterations. Like the other versions of the MoonSwatch, the new Snoopy edition offers decent value at US$310. It is inexpensive, though it does feel inexpensive since the case is essentially plastic mixed with ceramic. B...
Worn & Wound
Andrew Benzer has around twenty or thirty watches he’d like to get rid of at any given time. The longtime reader and friend of Worn & Wound’s slough pile would form an impressive collection on its own, complete with grail watches like an Omega Speedmaster Professional. The watches he holds on to are even more varied and impressive. “I love watches, I love different kinds of watches,” said Andrew in an interview. “There is no other experience that’s akin to actually having something on your wrist for an extended period of time. And as a result, I have acquired probably more watches than most people would like to admit.” That collection is in the range of 60 to 70 watches and major names like Tudor, Omega, Zenith, and Grand Seiko, and smaller brands like Brew, Ming, and Halios. But like so many watch enthusiasts, for Andrew it all started with Timex and Seiko. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Andrew Benzer (@vintage1982benz) “My godfather gifted me a Timex for my first communion,” Andrew recalled. “And I remember just thinking it was the coolest thing in the world, it made me feel so grown up. I would wear it to school every day, I wore that thing until the plastic band basically disintegrated. And just from a very practical standpoint, I always thought a person should have a watch, you should know what time it is. This is in the 80s and 90s and well before smartphones and everything.” Timex led to Casio, Casio led to Fossil, and Fos...
Hodinkee
NASA and the Lunar Missions are not all about the Speedmaster and this new LE celebrates that in a big way.
Worn & Wound
eBay Finds is back! This bi-monthly installment will feature a selection of watches currently listed on eBay that have caught the eye of editor Christoph McNeil (@vintagediver). If you come across any hidden gems on the ‘Bay drop us a note at info@wornandwound.com for potential inclusion! Vintage Seiko Speedmaster Chronograph Starting off this week with a killer vintage Seiko Speedmaster with the amazing 7A28 quartz chronograph movement. While I’m not usually a fan of quartz, you really can’t beat the 7A28 for quality, function and reliability. I don’t know how Seiko got away with usurping the Speedmaster name, but nevertheless this is a great watch. The 40mm bead blasted steel case looks unpolished, and the original bracelet with “Speedmaster” branded buckle is excellent. Dial and bezel are mint…what more can you want? Seller states it is functioning perfectly as it should. This is one that doesn’t show up all that often for auction, especially in this condition. Not one to be missed! View auction here Vintage Wittnauer Revue From 1980s sleek quartzness to 1950s fancy dress-watchness. Here is a wild vintage Wittnauer Revue with waffle textured dial and insanely curved fancy lugs. The 22mm wide 10k yellow gold case is mint, with super sharp edges and brushed finish on the back. You really don’t see watches from this era with cases this sharp very often. And the cream dial is mint, with applied gold markers and gold hands. But man, look at those lugs...
Fratello
In 2019, Omega introduced the hand-wound caliber 3861 in both Speedmaster Apollo 11 50th Anniversary editions. Then, in 2020, the brand used it as the movement for the Omega Speedmaster Silver Snoopy Award edition with an automaton on the case back. One year later, Omega introduced an update of the Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch, featuring a […] Visit The February 2024 Fratello × REM Strap - Caliber 3861 to read the full article.
Worn & Wound
The moon holds a special place in the watch world. It represents a certain sense of adventure, the furthest place man has ever visited outside of our world. The Omega Speedmaster and the Bulova Lunar Pilot may be the only watches that can claim to have actually visited the lunar surface, but countless other watches pay tribute to Earth’s only natural satellite. Citizen represents one of the few brands with lunar watches that also have some real space exploration cred to boot, and its new limited edition Attesa models continue the watchmaker’s partnership with Hakuto-R, a Japanese lunar exploration mission. Citizen has released three new Attesa Hakuto-R models in anticipation of the program’s latest attempt at an unmanned mission, which will occur later this year. When the lunar lander touches down on the moon’s surface, it’ll be doing so with Citizen’s proprietary Super Titanium as one of the components. That same titanium was used to make the cases of the latest Attesa Hakuto-R watches. With colorful dials that evoke the moon’s surface, the new Attesas are immediately eye-catching. Underneath the dials, the pieces are powered by the Citizen 4950 Eco-Drive movement, which gives the watches an impressive battery life thanks to their ability to charge from any natural or artificial light. The new models all also feature Eco-Drive Atomic Timekeeping, which uses radio transmitters to automatically update the time and date if any time is ever gained or lost. One o...
Fratello
Omega has increased the price of its Speedmaster models quite significantly in the past few years. While one could buy the classic Moonwatch for less than €5,000 not even that long ago, the models with a sapphire front and back crystal are rapidly approaching the €10,000 mark. Granted, it’s not the same watch that it […] Visit Pre-Owned Spotlight: Two Omega Speedmasters And A Spacemaster to read the full article.
Worn & Wound
Among watch brands, Omega won the race to the moon–it also won the PR war, and now whenever someone uses the term “moon watch,” your mind invariably turns to the Speedmaster. But while the Omega Speedmaster may have been the first watch to the moon, it isn’t the only one. In 1971, Apollo 15 mission commander Dave Scott became the seventh man to walk on the moon, and when he looked at his wrist to check how long he’d been out of the lunar lander, it was a Bulova that gave him the time. Forty-five years later, Bulova released a re-creation of this watch: the Lunar Pilot. Now, they’ve leaned into the space angle even more, with the Lunar Pilot Meteorite, which, as the name suggests, features a dial made of actual space rock. The Lunar Pilot was built to NASA’s specifications and, as such, bears some superficial resemblance to the Speedmaster as a three-register chronograph with a tachymeter. (Coincidentally, the Lunar Pilot Meteorite was also released shortly after the latest Dark Side of the Moon Speedmaster from Omega, which features a dial made to look like the lunar surface.) But a more rounded and slightly larger case–43.5 mm versus the 42 mm of the Speedmaster–with slim, rectangular pushers that span from the crown to almost the lugs gives the Lunar Pilot a unique silhouette. The meteorite model features a dial crafted from a 4.5-billion-year-old meteorite that Bulova promises gives each of the 5,000 limited edition watches a unique crystalline pattern...
Fratello
After a full year of Fratello × REM Speedmaster straps, we decided to continue this collaboration in 2024. Along the way, we gained more ideas and inspiration for future strap designs. We’re thankful to all of you who have ordered one of these straps (some of you simply ordered every one of them), and we […] Visit The January 2024 Fratello × REM Strap - Racing Dial to read the full article.
Hodinkee
From a new Speedmaster to an all-gold Seamaster 300M, our predictions – and a little wishful thinking – for Omega this year.
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