Two years ago, Christie’s New York held an auction for a lot of 50 Omega Speedmaster moonwatches. By the time the final hammer dropped, the undisputed leader of them all was unsurprisingly lot number 3 – an Omega Speedmaster reference 2915-1. A full specced ref. 2915-1 with production broad arrow hands, transparent caseback and its steel bezel intact. So rare was it to find an unmolested ref. 2915-1 that Christie’s had to work with the Omega museum to verify that the steel bezel on this particular model was supposed to have such deep bevelling, unlike what was previously found on other ref. 2915-1s that had resurfaced. Indeed, after much research and comparison with original Omega adverts, the correctness of this special ref. 2915-1 was deemed authentic and it was sold to a Singapore collector for $137,000. For Baselworld 2017, the legendary vintage chronograph returns in the Omega Speedmaster 60th Anniversary Limited Edition.
Baselworld 2017 Omega Speedmaster 60th Anniversary Limited Edition
“We used a unique digital scanning technology to stay as close as possible to the original models.” – Omega
More than just another limited edition, the Omega Speedmaster 60th Anniversary Limited Edition used high tech digital mapping to replicate the original “Broad Arrow”. For those of you familiar, the “Broad Arrow” was not only the first Speedmaster, it was also the first chronograph wristwatch in the world with its tachymeter scale on the bezel as opposed to printed on the dial. Thanks to digital scanning technology, the new Omega Speedmaster 60th Anniversary Limited Edition enjoys exactly the same proportions and design as the original 1957 ref. CK2915-1. Along with the new Heuer Autavia, it’s very likely that the new Omega Speedmaster 60th Anniversary Limited Edition is going to be the talk of watch faire, especially when you consider the deep provenance of the piece.
The ref. 2915-1 was after all the benchmark chronograph which spawned interest in chronographs. The tachymeter bezel was not only a revolution in chronograph design codes of the era but also made the chronograph a useful tool watch for racing (and of course, eventually, space) – it’s outstanding design and history makes it a popular model to restore and sometimes inevitably franken, thus having this new Baselworld 2017 Omega Speedmaster 60th Anniversary Limited Edition gives aficionados some measure of peace in owning a historical reference without the dangers inherent in internet auctions.
Externally, the Omega Speedmaster 60th Anniversary Limited Edition is a perfect match of the original ’57 Speedmaster -38 mm dimensions, tachymètre like the original French nomenclature on the bezel as opposed to “tachymetre”, straight lugs as well unlike the ones on the new 42mm Speedys. The Super-LumiNova on the dial has been aged to achieve the faux tropical look, applied Omega motif makes a return as does the original Speedmaster signature sans “Professional” as this was introduced later and then of course, there’s the broad arrow hands.
Given the dedication to replicating the smallest details, one might have expected Omega to release a new manually wound calibre similar to the Calibre 321 for such a momentous watch, they’ve chosen to power the Speedmaster 60th Anniversary with the 1861 calibre – an understandable choice.
The Baselworld 2017 Omega Speedmaster 60th Anniversary Limited Edition is part of a trilogy of Omega “Masters” celebrating the anniversaries of the other two “Masters” launched in 1957 – the Seamaster and the Railmaster. The price of the 3557 limited edition model is CHF6,700 or SGD10,050 (inclusive of leather and NATO strap) and it comes in period authentic box set.
