Channeling your need for speed and precision, the Omega Speedmaster Automatic watch is an impressive piece of hardware. This multi-function chronograph is powered by an Omega 1866 caliber manual-winding chronograph movement with a rhodium-plated finish and features a 48 hour power reserve. The large steel case frames a white dial with blue hands and hour markers and four tonal subdials. The subdial functions include small seconds, elapsed minutes and hours, date, and moonphase. In fact, this model is dubbed the “first man on the moonphase” watch, a reference both to the moonphase indicator and to the fact that the original Speedmaster watch was worn by the crew of the Apollo 11 mission. The dial is capped with an anti-reflective and scratch-resistant sapphire crystal and framed by a steel bezel with a tachymeter scale. This Omega watch is outfitted on a robust steel bracelet and rated water resistant to 100 meters.
The Omega Story
The Omega watch story begins in 1848, when founder Louis Brandt began hand assembling key-wound precision pocket watches from parts supplied by local craftsmen in his principality La Chaux-de-Fonds, in the northwest corner of Switzerland. However, the Omega name didn’t appear until 1894, after Louis Brandt had passed away and his watchmaking traditions were taken over by his sons, Louis-Paul and Cesar Brandt. Omega watches have long been associated with glamorous screen and sports stars–the Omega Seamaster is famous for being the watch of choice for James Bond–with current ambassadors including Pierce Brosnan, Nicole Kidman, tennis player Anna Kournikova, and swimmers Michael Phelps and Ian Thorpe.
But Omega is more than just a fashionable watch. In 1965, the Omega Speedmaster chronograph was “flight-qualified by NASA for all manned space missions” as the only wristwatch to have withstood all of the U.S. space agency’s severe tests, including passing grades for extreme shocks, vibrations, and temperatures ranging from -18 to +93 degrees Celsius. The greatest moment in the Speedmaster’s history was undoubtedly 20 July 1969 at 02:56 GMT, when it recorded man’s first steps on the Moon’s surface as part of the Apollo 11 mission. Today, Omega is known for its rigorous testing of new movements, cases, and bands. Each new Omega movement is tested on the wrist in existing Omega models, while various laboratory tests are conducted to determine temperature-resistance, shock-resistance and vibration-resistance.
Product Features
- Omega 1866 Caliber Swiss mechanical-hand-wind chronograph; 48-Hour Power Reserve
- Scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment inside
- Case diameter: 42 mm
- Stainless-steel case; White dial; Chronograph functions; Moon Phase function; Tachymeter function
- Water resistant to 330 feet (100 M): suitable for snorkeling, as well as swimming, but not diving