From one spacewatch to another. But this is not just any spacewatch. No, this happens to be
the most well-known of them all. The first watch worn on the moon. There’s no
doubt that the Omega Speedmaster has its own place in the watch history. If not
the most iconic watch it’s at least the second most iconic watch after the
Rolex Submariner. The Speedmaster have been around since 1957 and is still in
production today with its classic look but there’s been tons and tons of various
limited editions throughout the years. To me, this kind of super popular watch
is not my thing. It’s just too common which makes it boring. Just like I grew
tired of the Submariner I knew that a Speedmaster would eventually bore me just
as much and also, even though the Speedmaster have been put through many tests
that apparently qualified it for trips to space, I don’t consider it to be a
toolwatch. And if it’s not a toolwatch, it’s not for me. So how did I end up
with this one?
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| #262 - The Omega Speedmaster from 1984, ref. 145.022. |
It all
began with my friend Sebastian who started to look for a watch from his birth
year and since we were born the same year, 1984, I automatically kept an eye
out for him since I’m always on the lookout myself. I came across this
Speedmaster and it was perfect for Sebastian so I got it for him. At this point
I wasn’t nearly interested myself but a couple of years later when Sebastian asked
me if I could help him to sell it I suddenly felt that the time was right to
figure out what the Speedmaster was all about so I simply bought it myself.
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| Out in the park with my son. |
I got it
just as I went on my first parental leave in August 2015 and tried to wear it
as much as I could. I really started to appreciate the look of it and I loved
its presence on the wrist. It looked fantastic on the vintage 1171 bracelet
compared to that new design of the bracelet I was used to see the Speedmaster
being worn on all the time. But it was far from an ideal watch when playing in
sand, mud or water the whole day. This watch first ended up with my dad because
he had always wanted to try one but he quickly went back to his Submariner
and the watch was eventually sold.
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| On my dad's wrist. |
Conclusion.
The Speedmaster is a great looking watch with a lot of significant history in
the world of watches. Some consider it to be a toolwatch. I don’t. Anyhow, it
was important for me to put this watch into my reference archive because of its
great historical value. There are a
couple of watches you simply have to go through if you’re a watch enthusiast and
the Speedmaster is definitely one of them. Will I buy one again? Probably not.
© All pictures by a Watch Flipper's Diary unless
noted.
