Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1. What is the difference between all the currently produced Omega Speedmasters?
A1. There are two "lines" in the currently produced Speedmasters.
The original Speedmaster is the Professional line. Distinguishing features are 41,5 mm diameter, handwound Lemania 1873/1874 (Omega cal 1861/1863) movement, 20 mm bracelet/strap and Hesalite crystal (see Q2.) on all models except the Moonphase.

The steel back version (cal 1861 movement) with the inscription "FLIGHT QUALIFIED BY NASA FOR ALL MANNED SPACE MISSIONS-THE FIRST WATCH WORN ON THE MOON" and stainless steel bracelet has the ref # 3570.50 (3870.50 with leather strap). This watch is the "Moon-Watch" and the only watch that is qualified by NASA to be used during EVA (Extra Vehicular Activities) in space.
Omega is also celebrating the first moon landing with a limited series of the Speedmaster Professional, ref # 3560.50. This series includes 9999 pieces, numbered from 0001/9999 to 9999/9999, which are equipped with stainless steel cases and the manual-winding Omega caliber 1861. The special feature of this series is on the case back where the stamped replica of the Apollo 11 mission emblem is surrounded by the engraving of the first words spoken by Neil Armstrong after the spacecraft landed "HELLO HOUSTON, TRANQUILITY BASE HERE. THE EAGLE HAS LANDED" along with the date and the time of man's first steps on Moon "July 21, 1969 - 02:56 GMT".
The sapphire crystal-back version (cal 1863 movement) inscribed "SPEEDMASTER PROFESSIONAL-THE FIRST WATCH WORN ON THE MOON" with stainless steel bracelet has the ref # 3572.50 (3872.50 with leather strap). This watch is NOT flight qualified by NASA and equipped with a more finished movement with circular-grained bottom plate, rhodium-plated finish and Geneva wave decor.
The most exclusive Speedmaster Professional is the Moonphase, ref # 3689.30.31, produced only in white 18K gold. It has cal 1866 movement with circular-grained bottom plate and rhodium-plated finish, moon phase and date indication, silvered dial with rhodium-plated applied hour markers, luminous blued steel hands, anti-reflective scratch-resistant sapphire crystal and Louisiana alligator strap with 18 k white gold foldover strap.
In production is also a replica of the very first Speedmaster from 1957. With stainless steel bracelet it has ref # 3594.50 (3894.50 with leather strap). It differs from the modern Speedmaster in the following: polished bezel, arrow shaped polished hands and dial with the old Omega sign. This watch does not have "Professional" written on the dial, but is nevertheless the "grandfather" of the current Professional (text was added in 1966).

Due to the public demand Omega also produces the Automatic line. Distinguishing features are 39 mm diameter, automatic Valjoux 7751 (Omega cal 1151) movement, 18 mm bracelet/strap and sapphire crystal.

The basic "copy" of the Moon-Watch is the ref # 3510.50 with stainless bracelet (3810.50 with leather strap).
There is also a "Schumacher" line that is based on the 3510.50/3810.50 but with the dial (and leather strap on strap versions) in the colours red, blue or yellow.
Other than the above there is also a large number of variations on the automatic, but they all have a date feature and as such I belive they differ to much from the original Speedmaster Professional to be mentioned here.

Q2. Why is the crystal on the Speedmaster Professional made out of plastic?
A2. The crystal on the Speedmaster Professional is made out of Hesalite, a brand name and a sort of acrylic. Omega chose that material because of its resistance to schocks an extreame temperatures. If struck hard against something Hesalite will crack BUT it will stay together as opposed to mineral/sapphire crystals that are scratch resistant but will crack and fall apart if abused hard enough. Hesalite will scratch more easily than glass BUT You can easily polish out scratches that are not too severe. My personal opinion is that a few scratches gives the watch a personality and should not be considered as imperfections. All Speedmaster Professionals and the 1957 replica has Hesalite cystals (except Moonphase).

Q3. Why is the Speedmaster Professional handwound?
A3. The Speedmasters original movement, the Omega cal 321 was handwound simply because all chronographs in the late 1950's were. When it was replaced by the Omega cal 861 in 1968 most chronographs still were handwound so there was no call for anything else. A common missunderstanding is that a watch most be handwound to work in the weightlessness of space, but that is not the case (autos will work fine in space, see here for more details). I belive the reason that the watch is still handwound (and has acrylic crystal) today is pure Moon-Watch marketing, the market wants the watch as it were when Neil Armstrong wore it on the moon in 1969. There has been a lot of automatic versions over the years, but the original has outlasted them all. Do You belive that You can buy an a automatic Speedmaster with yellow dial in three years?

Q4. Is the "Moon-watch" book available from Omega?
A4. No, but Omega will make a reprint sometime during 1999.

Q5. Can I buy a Speedmaster Professional over the Internet at a good price?
A5. My recommendation is Markus Tschopp at Silvermagic in Switzerland. He carries a very high reputation, has good prices and a service You didn't think existed in the 1990's.

Q6. Why does the chronographs second hand jump a little bit forward when I engage the chronograph?
A6. This phenomena occurs on some Speedmasters and is caused by the fact that the chrono need to engage with a wheel in the movement that is constatly turning. If the center chrono wheel is not perfectly aligned when engaged with the turning fourth wheel there will be a small jump. On my contemporary Speedmaster Professional this happens sometimes, but do not consider it to be a major problem and belive that trying to correct it could cause other more serious problems.

Q7. How long will a fully wound (current cal. 1861 model) run?
A7. Member #022, Jasper van de Wetering made a test with his 1998 Speedmaster Professional: "I wound it up completely at midnight on Tuesday night...(ie 00:00:01 on Wednesday february 24) and it finally stopped at 02:30 on Friday february 26. Thus one full wind gave me 50.5 hours of running.

Q8. What is the difference between the different movements used over the years?
A8. The Omega cal 321 used from 1959 to 1968 uses a column wheel for the chronograph function. The successor, the cal 861 uses a shuttle/cam system instead. The cal 861 also meant a increased frequency on the balance wheel from 18000 Hz to 21600 Hz, 17 jewels (18 jewels from 1993) and the use of a flat balance spring. There was also two other versions of the caliber 861, the 861 L (Luxe) from 1980 and the 861 S (Squelette) from 1983. The cal 861 was followed by the currently produced cal 1861 (rhodium plated) in late 1995. There was/is also display back versions of the 861/1861 called cal 863/1863 that has more decoration and foremost a metal lever for stopping the chronograph (the 861/1861 uses a plastic one that in fact is better technically speaking because it is "more friendly" to the teeths of the wheel it's affecting).

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Updated 1999-08-23