I purchased the new version, and am very impressed. Buying a nice vintage watch of any kind will require a bit of research. I am under-educated in such matters, but never one to shy from offering an opinion: With the date wheel being the same color as the dial, paired together with a simple, white font, the date blends in well with the dial as a whole. After the Omega Speedmaster Professional won the race to the Moon in 1969, Omega thought it was time to come up with a watch that was perhaps a bit more up-to-date and ready for the 1970s — design-wise, that is, as the watch would still need to handle the same abuse as the Speedmaster Professional “Moonwatch” could. This was one of the first analogue quartz wristwatches made. For this beauty, I paid around 3000 Australian Dollars (equivalent to around 2000 US dollars). Although I don’t believe the comparison is a discussion between good or bad, I do believe that most modern / new watches are per definition better than the vintage ones. This was before the Mark II body style was on the market. Watch snobs may say otherwise, which is rather unfortunate. I have an original MkII which was purchased in 1971 and would not change it for the later model. Then there is the Mark 4.5 (which is a Mark IV with a different movement, an Omega Caliber 1045), which came on the market in 1974. The vintage Mark II or the new model? 145.014 next to the new Ref. People have asked us about the base movement for Omega Caliber 3330, as it is not one of Omega’s in-house-developed chronograph movements (the Caliber 93xx series). The black dial version is Reference 327.10.43.50.01.001 and has a price tag of approx 4,600 euros (including VAT). Good comparison between both watches. I also love the vintage version because of its character . New battery and seal January 2021. Hi – I own original Mk11 but wondered if new type bracelet would fit being 20mm ? Besides they are fun to wear and useful for…..oh ya, telling time! Year. It has little similarity with the original movement, except for the tri-compax layout of the dial, of course. There also may be some collectors who just feel that they need a piece like this in their Speedmaster collection. A Precidrive quartz movement achieves real chronometer accuracy and precision with a deviation of +/- 10 seconds per year making it up to 10 times more accurate than a traditional quartz watch. For me, one of the real "victories" of the quartz era has been the ability to produce inexpensive yet effective analogue chronograph movements that can be used on watches down to a tenth of a second or so. There are no investment vehicles that can outperform vintage watch collecting. There are even more models in between and some slight variations on the above. PhD Candidate, Wristwatch Enthusiast, Serious Gamer, and Coffee Addict, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window). However, the biggest differences are perhaps in the text on the dial and the fact that the new Speedmaster Mark II 2014 model has a date aperture. For the purists, there are still some great pre-owned vintage Speedmaster Mark II models out there that are priced attractively. With such case diameter, one would expect the lug width to be 20mm. My original Mkll speedmaster professional was bought for my 21st birthday by my beloved parents in spring 1971 for somewhere around £67, it is still on the original bracelet, on one of the services the pushers and O rings were replaced and the crystal. -40mm case and … What model do you prefer? My Personal Holy Grail and it is on my wrist right now just like it was 46 years ago. 321 The Omega Speedmaster Mark II is an Excellent investment over time. Please note, that if the a movement is not listed, it's because I couldn't verify when it was used. Hello Robert-Jan, I notice a definite increase in the price of the Mark IIs over the last 2 years. (For non-native-English-speaking readers: the “Mark” in the name stands for a new or revised/improved version; it is similar to calling something a “2.0 version” these days.) I have over 70 fine timepieces but by chance I happened to be wearing this watch when I opened this site today. The new track on the outside edge of the dial is lighted from underneath, by a liner of Superluminova. So, would you opt for the old, original Omega Speedmaster (Professional) Mark II or would you rather have one of the modern versions? The minute track and hour markers are quite different from the Speedmaster Mark II 145.014 model. Is there anything I can do to bring that look back? Full set with box and card. In any case, we’d advise you to have this finish redone by Omega, which has the proper machines and knowledge. Surely at this price point, they could have opted for applied ones? I met many of the original Mercury 7 astronauts. When Omega ceased production of the Speedmaster Mark II in 1972, the Mark III already had been introduced. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. I have an original 1970 model which I bought new for £125.00 and I’ll be staying with that one. This article comes to us from the “Speedy Tuesday” archives, and focuses on my opportunity to review, compare and contrast the modern Omega Speedmaster Mark II with its vintage predecessor from 1969. However, for now, I strongly believe that the high price tag is justified. This article comes to us from the “Speedy Tuesday” archives, and focuses on my opportunity to review, compare and contrast the modern Omega Speedmaster Mark II with its vintage predecessor from 1969. When co-workers or potential business partners see the Rolex brand on such a gorgeous timepiece, they can’t help but give you both respect and style points. There is no question – the vintage. 1250 movement. Now it looks new. It is probably not a watch for the purist – although it is an awesome timepiece – but more for someone who loves vintage watches but wants to wear something new. This is paired together with 150m of water resistance and a well-threaded screw-down crown, balancing aesthetics, wearability, and practicality. This wristwatch is powered by OMEGA’s calibre 1376, a precision quartz movement. That was the retail price, a full $20 more than the original Speedmaster. Bought mine in 1970 in Switzerland You could probably buy two decent examples for the price of the new version, and they are bound to rapidly increase in value. Quartz (106) Automatic (1) No details (2) Case material. However, people buy vintage watches for different reasons than people who buy a new watch. Both watches are beautiful, but the – to me – somewhat more sleek, ‘lighter’ vintage just hits all the right spots. The new is emulating this variation of the Mark II. Confusing, right? Scratch-resistant sapphire crystal– The scratch resistant, anti-reflective and domed sapphire crystal provides a lot of protection to the dial. The case also shows a nice mix of quality brushed and polished steel, easily showing us why they are one of the top watchmakers. In October of last year I reviewed the Omega Seamanster 300 Sepctre edition, containing the 8400 movement. Wait, what’s that mythical creature on the caseback? The new MKII is without doubt a fabulous watch with impressive improvements, but if you wish an investment I would still put my money in a vintage model. My future wife bought me a MKII Speedmaster as an engagement gift back in 1972…..still have it but I don’t wear it anymore. … The case has a diameter of 38.5mm with a lug-to-lug measurement of 45mm. The Skywalker X-33 is powered by a 9 jewel, multi-functional quartz chronograph movement, the OMEGA cal.5619, with a thermo-compensated integrated circuit. Here is a rough guide to when the watch movements were used by Omega. The previous version was caliber 1438 but both are based off the ETA 255.461 movement. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. In any case, Omega decided to do a Speedmaster Mark II reissue in 2014, and we noticed that the watches were already in the Omega boutiques before their official introduction at Baselworld 2014. But that isn’t what draws people to the watch. The painted Omega logo and hour markers. The OMEGA team is available from 8am to 6pm EST, Monday to Friday. The dial features a grooved vertical texture, giving the dial a refined, yet sporty look. Here’s hoping. In 1877, his sons Louis-Paul and César joined him, and the company name was changed to In 1848, Louis Brandt founded the company that would become Omega in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. While a quartz movement gets its power from a battery, an automatic mechanical movement uses energy from the motion of a wearer’s wrist. We believe that the target audience, though, is the guy who loved seeing the vintage Speedmaster Mark II on the wrist of his father or grandfather and has decided to go with a similar timepiece with all the modern technology inside. The Rolex Submariner replica quartz is sure to satisfy. I’ll talk more about this later on in the review. 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