A big part of collecting watches for me is about the history and pedigree of a watch. It is even more so when collecting vintages. Watches that have historical significance. Watches that have stood the test of time both technically and aesthetically. Watches like the Omega Speedmaster Professional.

Lets start from the beginning all the way back to 1957, first there were three: The Railmaster, The Speedmaster, and you guessed it, The Omega Ranchero. The Seamaster came 10 years ago and got an upgrade in 1957 with the new Seamaster 300. All of them were released with the iconic big arrow hands you see on modern Planet Oceans. The Speedmaster was a little different from how it looks today. It had an engraved tachymetre engrave on its bezel, applied Omega logo and sword sub-dial hands. It featured the Calibre 321 movement that was a joint project between Omega and Lemania. The design lasted for a short two years and Omega ditches the engraved bezel for a printed black bezel. This would be the Ref. CK2998, the first Speedmaster that went to space, on the NASA Mercury 8 flight.

Following the Mercury 8 mission, NASA approved the proposal for a NASA-issued, spaceflight qualified watches to be worn in space and shortlisted 3 chronographs for testing: Longines, Rolex, and Omega. Funny story, NASA picked chronographs with manual movements because they thought automatic movements worked due to gravity instead of inertia. Proof that you don’t need to be a genius to be an astronaut.

To keep the long story short, these watches were subjected to extreme temperatures, pressure, shocks, humidity, and noise. The Omega Speedmaster fared the least worst and was officially endorsed by NASA. It was used in the Germini missions (first space walk) and subsequently the Apollo 11 mission (first moon landing). It was rather surprising that Omega only learnt about NASA using the Speedmaster in their space mission after they saw the photos of the Germini 4 mission.

Seven years after the introduction of the first Speedmaster, Ref ST105.012 was release in 1963. This was the reference that was worn by Neil Armstrong (his Speedmaster did not make it to the moon) and Buzz Aldrin (his did) on the Apollo 11 mission. The watch carried design features that remained almost unchanged till today. This was the reference that Omega added the word “Professional” to the model. It was also the last Speedmaster to carry the beautiful C.321 movement. This is the Speedmaster to get, the real Moonwatch.

It is rather ironic that the only Speedmasters to carry the C.321 movement are from the pre-moon era. Following the moon landing, in 1969, Omega and Lemania introduced the new C.861 movement which improved on the C.321 movement for the Speedmaster line. Omega also officially began the milking of the Moonwatch brand for the next 45 years.

The Speedmaster, in my opinion, has one of the most understated and versatile looks among all sports chronographs (I love the old Heuers and Daytonas as well). Put a black alligator strap on it turns into pretty dressy watch that goes well with a suit. Slap a Zulu or NATO nylon strap on it and it turns into a hardy tool watch that you won’t feel bad banging it around. The clean black dial and white hands provide maximum legibility under all situations. The edges of the main dial tapers off and the sub-dials sit slightly deeper into the main dial and give the watch dial a sense of depth.  Older Speedmasters have an applied Omega logo instead of a printed one and offer that little bit more texture to the dial. Omega has stuck with a domed crystal for the Speedmaster even for the Sapphire crystal models. It gives the watch a very nice throwback vintage look but it is susceptible to nicks as it sits rather high.

The Speedmaster is a tool watch through and through. I’m a fan of chronographs without screw down pushers and Omega apparently is one as well. Omega introduced in asymmetric case in Ref ST105.012 to offer protection for the crown and pushers and improved the water resistance of the watch in general. The watch is not without it’s flaws however. While the watch offers perfect legibility in the day, the lume on the hour and minute hands are far too narrow and can barely be seen in the dark. Another gripe that I have with the watch is the lack of drilled pinholes on the lugs as it makes strap changing a chore. This really annoys me as the Speedmaster has such a versatile case that begs for frequent strap change.

The Speedmaster is one of the most iconic watches of all time and with that comes phenomenal demand. Omega made a smart commercial move of keeping it extremely accessible and they sell like hotcakes off the shelf. This watch holds very good value on the used market and prices remain extremely stable.

After Omega added the word “Professional” to the Speedmaster range in 1963, it created room for Omega to introduce the Speedmaster only range (commonly known as Speedmaster reduced). After 45 years of milking the Speedmaster brand, there are around 72169 different variations of the Speedmaster. A word of advice, the reduced line is not worth your money. Just stick with the Professional range. (Do not mix up Speedmaster reduced with Speedmaster Co-Axial which share the same name as the latter feature some truly fantastic automatic movements but they are still not worth the money. Told you Omega is milking the franchise.)

Among the Speedmaster Professionals, there are so many limited editions that I actually prefer the standard watches. I would highly recommend a used Speedmaster as they hover around the range of $2500 and look rather good with a beaten up exterior. Purists often go for older Speedmasters produced before 1995 that still has tritum dial with the C.861 movement. The movement is similar to the modern C.1861 movement so maintenance is easy. However, true watch snobs that correct people’s pronunciation of Jaeger LeCoultre won’t settle for anything less than a vintage pre-moon Speedmaster with the C.321 movement, alpha sword hands, applied Omega logo, the lot.