Posts: 157
From: Preston, England
Registered: Mar 2004

posted 07-02-2011 01:34 PM               

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I know this is a late entry for the ASTP Speedmaster but I have just managed to get my hands on one a couple of days ago. When it originally came out last year I liked it, then didn't like it then liked it again. By the time I decided to raid my savings and get it they all seemed to have been snapped up.

Well I was out shopping the other day in Manchester and found one! My wife convinced me I should get it, as I had been searching for one for so long, so with very little arm twisting I got it. It is a beautiful watch, (and in my opinion, nicer than the 40th anniversary Apollo 15 watch that my wife was going to get me for my birthday). The watch is great and so is my wife!!

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From: Houston, TX
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Posts: 26
From: Owings, MD, USA
Registered: Jul 2007

posted 08-11-2011 07:32 AM            

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I am working with a non-profit, and we have been trying to get some dummy Speedmaster watches for display on our shuttle and Apollo spacesuits.

Our NASA contact at Johnson suggest we just send them an email, explain our situation, and mention his name. I did, and got a nice form email telling me that they were looking into it. Months later, no response.

I know they make them, and I suspect dummy watches are not too expensive. Any advice? Anybody know the President of Speedmaster (Swatch)?

Posts: 2235
From: Worcestershire, England, UK.
Registered: Apr 2008

posted 08-11-2011 09:09 AM               

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I would just send them a gentle reminder asking for a decision.

The President of Omega watches in 2009 was Mr. Stephen Urquhart. I imagine he still is?

Posts: 50580
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 08-11-2011 09:19 AM               

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Having worked with OMEGA (they sponsored collectSPACE for a year several years ago), my advice is to be patient but also realistic.

OMEGA fields a lot of requests and they are selective about who they work with or where they allow their watches to be displayed. If you didn't stipulate in your original letter, you may want to follow-up with specific exhibit plans, including how many people you estimate will see the displays and in what context they will do so (i.e. educational field trips, museum visits, etc.).

As an alternative, you may want to work with a local authorized OMEGA dealer who might loan (or donate) watches as an in-kind sponsorship of your exhibit.

Posts: 26
From: Owings, MD, USA
Registered: Jul 2007

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posted 08-11-2011 09:00 PM               

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One other thought. The USA Omega service center may have some Speedys that are beyond repair but otherwise cosmetically suitable for your needs.

I believe this is the right/central service spot.

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From: Sacramento
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posted 09-28-2011 02:20 PM               

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While these new Omega boutiques are great to visit, I would disagree that they are good news. Swatch has been trying to move their Omega brand upscale the past few years, to compete with the likes of Rolex.

I recently visited the one in White Plains, NY and found it pretty spectacular, but so were the prices! The anniversary editions are priced significantly higher than the standard model (Apollo 15 was $7500, I recall) and NO discounts are ever considered.

The sales staff is very knowledgable and friendly, and acknowledge that this is the new direction for the company. They have cut a vast majority of their authorized dealers in the U.S., where the discounts could be significant, in order to sell on their own turf.

The boutique will be a nice place to visit, drool over nice watches, and pick up a free copy of Omega's Lifetime magazine. Other than that, not a good thing for the prospective buyer.

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From: Houston, TX
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posted 03-08-2012 08:02 AM               

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OMEGA's press materials make no mention of the Spacemaster Z-33 being designed or intended for use in space.

Despite its name, it seems to be a successor to the FlightMaster, rather than the Speedmaster (or X-33).

Time will tell (no pun intended) but I would have expected OMEGA to promote its history in space were this watch intended to continue that legacy.

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posted 03-08-2012 08:49 AM               

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Yes it's an odd move for Omega... a quartz movement re-make of an old pilot watch design in a time when in-house developed mechanical calibers are all the rage.

I really don't understand why they would play off of the X-33 and Speedmaster names with this one. It is a bit misleading if they don't intend to market them to NASA.

Personally I don't like the case design, but the one positive I see in this is that Omega has not completely ruled out producing quartz movements. If they would open their eyes and realize that there is a growing desire for the X-33 to become available again, maybe a re-release is possible. Funny how once a product like that is discontinued, everybody wants one.

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From: Atlanta, GA
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From: Worcestershire, England, UK.
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posted 03-08-2012 03:57 PM               

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And as if to make up for striking out with that one, Omega has hit a home run with the "First Omega in Space" edition of the Speedmaster, closely replicating Wally Schirra's model he wore on MA-8.

True Speedy fans will note the subtle differences between this and the modern issued watches, particularly the straight case lugs and no crown guard on the side buttons.

Really pleased with this one!

Posts: 157
From: Preston, England
Registered: Mar 2004

posted 03-14-2012 10:10 AM               

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I've just been sent a rather blurred image from a display at Baselworld 2012 of the Apollo 17 anniversary watch.

I don't know whether I like it or not. It seems a departure from the usual anniversary Omegas, with the face being what appears to be an engraved Apollo 17 patch in a silver or pewter colour.

Posts: 50580
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 03-14-2012 10:38 AM               

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Omega hasn't put out a release yet but here are some photos via Flickr:

The Omega Speedmaster Apollo XVII will be available beginning in November for a suggested retail price of $7,200.

The previously announced Speedmaster "First Omega in Space" will go on sale in September for a suggested retail price of $5,300.

The Spacemaster Z-33 will be available in May for a suggested $5,900.

Posts: 157
From: Preston, England
Registered: Mar 2004

posted 03-14-2012 11:06 AM               

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That's the chappie! A lot better than the photo I have been sent!

What do people think? I have the option of putting an order in but I think it needs to grow on me.

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From: Worcestershire, England, UK.
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From: Atlanta, GA
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From:
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posted 05-15-2012 09:10 AM            

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I just purchased a pre-owned Moon to Mars Speedmaster and wanted to verify the authenticity of the movement, so I removed the back (yes, it's real).

What I noticed in putting the watch-back back on is that the words and logo do not line up perfectly like they do in those nice Omega photos. So I did much searching on the internet to find different photos of Speedy watch-backs. What I found is that most don't line up perfectly at all. Matter of fact, they seem to be in all different orientations when they are installed and tightened.

Has this been your experience as well?

Posts: 1413
From: Boston, MA
Registered: Jul 2003

posted 05-15-2012 06:30 PM               

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quote:

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Originally posted by Robert Pearlman:
The Omega Speedmaster Apollo XVII will be available beginning in November

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I was not planning to purchase another Speedmaster, but this one is beautiful in it's design.

I placed my order via a deposit for the Apollo 17 watch last week. The edition number is 72. I should have it by the Apollo 17 40th anniversary in December.

It looks exquisite due to the change in watch face style. Omega is making some daring changes with anniversary watches. The ASTP 35th Anniversary watch with a meteorite face (Gibeon meteorite) was a unique and welcome departure from the former design.

Posts: 3791
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010

posted 01-15-2013 10:13 PM            

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Charlie Duke mentions in the crew debrief that his watch was damaged on EVA-3:

DUKE: Another comment on the EVA. We mentioned our failures, except one I failed to mention was that my watch blew a crystal on EVA-3 and it stopped running at that point. So the flight watch went belly up and I got it brought it back to let them examine it. But the crystal either blew out or broke, and I don't ever remember hitting it. The face of the watch doesn't look like it's scratched. So I think what happened is the crystal just blew out and we got dust in it, and the thing was just not running and that happened on EVA-3. That's it.

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posted 01-16-2013 09:49 PM               

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There were, in fact, two occasions when the venerable Speedmaster popped a crystal during lunar surface EVA's. Charlie's watch did so on EVA 3, and Dave Scott's was reported to have failed on EVA 2.

As the days on the surface passed , the temperatures rose, so each successive EVA was performed at a higher ambient temperature. I believe during testing, there was one temperature range (a large fluctuation between cold shadow and extremely hot sunlight) which was identified that caused enough flexing of the Hesalite crystal that it could separate from the bezel.

Scott identified this failure as the reason he used his backup Waltham chronograph during EVA 3. I seem to recall during TV transmissions on the return flight of 16 that Duke still had a Speedmaster on his wrist, although the resolution is not good enough to determine if it is the failed one or a spare.

Following Apollo, Omega designed and evaluated an additional outer case that was intended to protect the watch during proposed lunar pole expeditions in extreme cold. These models were known as the "Alaska Project" and were re-released to the public several years ago. They had a white face and the aluminum case that the watch rested in was red. While good as a conversation piece, they were, in my opinion not a very attractive pieces to wear in normal daily use.

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From: Staten Island, NY
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From: Ontario, Canada
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posted 01-19-2013 01:45 PM            

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The anomaly summary in the Apollo 16 Mission Report has this about Duke's watch failure:

At depressurization, just prior to the third lunar extravehicular activity, the Lunar Module Pilot noted that his chronograph crystal was gone. The chronograph hands and face were not hit. However, about 12 minutes later the movement stopped. Most likely, warpage caused by thermal cycling allowed the differential pressure across the acrylic crystal to pop it out of the case. The exposure to and penetration of lunar dust contamination about the Lunar Module Pilot's sleeves probably caused the failure of the chronograph movement.

These chronographs are certified to a maximun temperature of 160° F. Testing has demonstrated that in the range of 190° F, the crystal is weakened to the point where internal pressure can push the crystal off. For the chronograph to reach a temperature of 190° F, direct continuous exposure to incident solar radiation normal to its surface is required for approximately 12 minutes.

These chronographs are tested at the Manned Spacecraft Center when received, again before shipment to the Kennedy Space Center and again just prior to flight. The Apollo chronograph is a secondary timing device and is not critical to mission success or crew safety. There are no plans for corrective action.

This anomaly is closed.

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