By Jovan Krstevski
When it comes to tough watches on the get go, nothing beats common household names such as Omega especially now that we have METAS-certified Speedmaster. For those not familiar with this certification, it is basically saying that the watch is certainly made to last and can be taken quite literally. Remember the COSC Chronometer certification requirements? If you do the METAS certification (requires top-notch durability and performance with the movement fully fitted on the complete watch) is, even more, difficult than that thereby ensuring Omega customers with much higher quality watches. Expect this watch at the Baselworld 2016 which is very soon.
On the aesthetics side, the Omega Speedmaster Moonphase Chronograph Master Chronometer Watch is actually an additional member to the Speedmaster family although you might say that it is just the return of the classic moonphase Speedmaster if you are well versed with Omega’s history. Anyhow, this Speedmaster is a thing of beauty, simple and very much adorable. If you are a collector, well this is one of those watches that you must never miss.
The theme here is basically blue which for me is more traditional than very dark colors although blue is a bit dark too. The stainless steel case is only over 44 mm wide but you must remember that it packs lots of awesome features inside. The nice bezel insert made of ceramic is also touted to be sporting Liquidmetal which is pioneering for the Speedmaster. The caseback is also very neat with exhibition crystal of course where you can see parts of the beautiful movement that we will talk about later. If you have one of the Speedmaster variants then you know how awesome the case design is.
The blue dial is just awesome and very detailed. Most of us like the ambient hues it creates whenever direct light hits it so yeah I like blue dials. The details of the hour markers and indices plus the hands are just superb making for a highly readable watch. Of course, we get the standard lumed hands here with the unique touch of Omega. The sub-dials for the chronometer and the moonphase are symmetrically located at the 9, 3, and 6. Omega says that the picture they used for the representation of the moon for the moonphase indicator at the 6 also includes a footprint from the NASA Apollo missions so if you like a closer look a magnifying glass would be handy. The new date indicator at the 9 also uses a pointer-style hand.
What powers the Omega Speedmaster Moonphase Chronograph Master Chronometer Watch is the in-house Omega caliber 9904 movement sporting 368 parts including the time, 12-hour chronograph, date, and new moonphase indicator. I mentioned that the quality is superb right? This means that the moonphase only requires adjustments after 10 years or so for maximum accuracy. If you turn the watch over, you can see part of the Co-Axial Escapement and other useful details such as the water resistance limit of 100 m through the exhibition caseback.
You get to enjoy this new Speedmaster on a blue alligator strap at the price point of 9,400 Swiss francs.
For more info, please visit omegawatches.com
JOVAN KRSTEVSKI – FOUNDER, PROPRIETOR & EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Jovan Krstevski has been collecting watches every since his father bought him an Omega Seamaster back when he was just a teenager. He launched Watchgeek back in 2011, which is now known as WristReview and is one of the most widely read watch blogs on the Web. He quotes ’WristReview is a site to help people find, explore, discover and enjoy wristwatches.’ Besides WristReview, he also writes for a number of publications. Read his articles here
