# anyone own omega speedmaster professional?



## roguesw (Aug 4, 2006)

Hi guys, 
does anyone own an omega watch or the omega speedmaster professional?
i am looking at this watch, they have it at a pretty reasonable price 2nd hand
less than 12 months old
the one thing i like is its wind up, not automatic
but what are the upkeep and maintenance associated with it?
this would be my first expensive, non automatic watch
would like to ask some people on the board to share their experience
cheers
best regards
Des


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## jason_01 (Aug 4, 2006)

Every time I try to submit a post the forum hangs and I lose the lot 

2nd try with a copy saved elsewhere!

Yeah, I have a couple of them, I'm mostly into vintage stuff so I have a 1970 MkII with the 861 movement (basically the same as the current iteration) and a 1965 105.012 with the lovely 321 movement, a genuine moonwatch, the 861 didn't ever get to the moon.

I have quite a few autos but I really enjoy the interaction with a handwind, the 321 Speedy is probably my favourite watch.

The Speedmaster is well proven, Nasa chose it for the space program for a reason, they are reasonably tough and reliable. Having said that, a mechanical chronograph is a complicated bit of kit, you have an extra 2 openings in the case compared to an ordinary watch that can let in moisture, the act of winding the watch on a daily basis is an extra cause of wear compared to say an auto which is set and then left alone. The crown and the pushers don't screw down. They can be fairly expensive to have repaired unless you know a very good tame watchmaker. The crystal on the standard watch is domed acrylic, it will scratch but its easily polished, they also do some models with flat sapphire which wont scratch very easily but it can chip or shatter. The sapphire has a very different look to it, I prefer the acrylic. The sub dials are small and can be difficult to see.

Personally I choose not to get mine wet, even if I know the seals are new and pressure tested, its not a dive watch. They should always be taken off the wrist for winding.

If you just need to tell the time a simple/cheap/accurate/disposable quartz watch is the way to go, and to many people the Speedmaster might be perceived as an expensive fragile unreliable anachronism, to me its a beautiful tool with a stunning mechanical engine and an illustrious history, a very functional design icon. If you wear it with care and have it serviced every 5 years or so it will last you a lifetime with no problems and it will be an investment you can pass on to you kids. Highly recommended

If you have any q's fire away and I'll help if I can.

EDIT: In terms of upkeep, its difficult to put a price on a service, it can vary widely and more importantly the quality and skill of the person doing the service can vary widely (good watch makers are a rare breed), I completely rebuilt one of mine incl numerous replacemnt parts and a full service for £300 GBP but I sourced many of the parts myself, fitted some of them myself and I know an excellent and inexpensive watchmaker whom I trust. A straightforward service should be much less than that, the same work at Omega would have cost lots more.

Best bet would be to find your local Omega authorised repair centre and ask them to quote for a standard service, to give you some idea.


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## roguesw (Aug 4, 2006)

hi jason 01
thanks so much for your answers,
i have been reading a lot on the speedmaster series and 
was really interested in the fact that they had an automatic
and a manual chronograph version.
having said that i wanted to own a manual, i 
have been reading quite a bit on the maintenance and upkeep
and i was wondering if the speedmaster automatic would
be more suited for me 
by any chance do you have a speedmaster automatic?
could you advice, for a novice watch collector who appreciates
the engineering but also appreciate the practicalities of owning
a manual vs auto chronography
would the speedmaster automatic be a good alternative
ps. the price for the auto is about 1000 US for second hand which
i have been told was a good fair price 
cheers mate
best regards
Des


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## jason_01 (Aug 4, 2006)

Des

For me the handwind is the only real Speedmaster, thats not to say theres anything wrong with the auto but I dont have one and I'm not particularly knowledgeable about the auto version.

The auto is smaller, it usually commands less money 2nd hand, and I've heard the movement is more difficult to service than the handwind. 

As for prices Im really not that up to date on current market values.

Theres an active Omega section on this forum http://forums.watchuseek.com you might ask there for a more balanced view of the auto

And a couple more you may have seen already

http://home.xnet.com/~cmaddox/cm3articles.html

http://www.old-omegas.com/

There are some other good speedy pages but I cant find my links just now!


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## frisco (Aug 6, 2006)

I have admired the Speedmaster for many years. The one I like has a "Glass Back" and you can see the insides and all the workings.

I am a big fan of the Seamaster series. 

I own the following Omega's:

- Seamaster Chrono Stainless (Blue Face)
- Seamaster Chrono Stainless (White Face)
- Seamaster Chrono Titanium
- Seamaster Automatic (James Bond)

I have never had them serviced. I once had a Hamilton serviced (clean & lube) and it never really ran the same after I got it back.

frisco


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## Varroa (Aug 6, 2006)

I had a very old Seamaster Automatic (from thje 1950s) serviced about 5 years ago. They did a full cleaning, replaced the crystal, re-finished the face and hands and put a new band on it (all original Omega stuff) and it cost me about $350 CDN. Make sure if you are going to get it serviced that you take it to somebody that knows what they are doing. I found out that even the most expensive places in Vancouver all shipped their Omegas one of two places in Canada for servicing. I brought mine directly to one of them (which happens to also be in Vancouver). They are beautiful watches and they deserve the best service, they are worth every penny!


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## warpdrive (Aug 6, 2006)

I love mine.....it's not as accurate as my other watches (runs a bit fast), but I will eventually get it regulated on the next service

The whole story of the Speedy Pro is one that will be forever remembered in watchmaking history, and for that reason it's more special than a lot of other watches with less pedigree. There is only one Speedy Pro IMO, and I'm talking about the manual winding, acrylic dome version which is the closest thing to the real thing that landed on the moon. I don't even consider the sapphire crystal version to be a real "Speedy Pro" because that's not the configuration that made it onto Apollo.

I could easily afford to spend more on a watch but for me, the Speedy Pro will always be one of my favorite 5 watches you can buy at *any* price.


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## Perfectionist (Aug 7, 2006)

The reason NASA wanted acrylic was it would be safer than glass in case it shattered ..... down here on planet earth sapphire is the way to go ..... acrylic gets scratched way too easily !!


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## warpdrive (Aug 7, 2006)

Perfectionist said:


> The reason NASA wanted acrylic was it would be safer than glass in case it shattered ..... down here on planet earth sapphire is the way to go ..... acrylic gets scratched way too easily !!


 
I prefer the thick dome look of the acrylic crystal, it looks beefier and is more raised so the bezel doesn't get scratched as easily. Most light scratches can be polished out anyway.


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## jason_01 (Aug 9, 2006)

Perfectionist said:


> The reason NASA wanted acrylic was it would be safer than glass in case it shattered ..... down here on planet earth sapphire is the way to go ..... acrylic gets scratched way too easily !!


 
As far as I know they werent using sapphire crystals in watches when Nasa chose the Speedmaster, but you are correct with regard to its shatter resistance in comparison to glass of any sort. I personally prefer acrylic, it has a totally different look to flat sapphire. Ive chipped the hell out of Sapphire crystals on Rolex in the past. Flat sapphire can also be very reflective, turning a watch into an unreadable mirror in certain light.


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## jason_01 (Aug 9, 2006)

warpdrive said:


> I love mine.....it's not as accurate as my other watches (runs a bit fast), but I will eventually get it regulated on the next service
> 
> The whole story of the Speedy Pro is one that will be forever remembered in watchmaking history, and for that reason it's more special than a lot of other watches with less pedigree. There is only one Speedy Pro IMO, and I'm talking about the manual winding, acrylic dome version which is the closest thing to the real thing that landed on the moon. I don't even consider the sapphire crystal version to be a real "Speedy Pro" because that's not the configuration that made it onto Apollo.
> 
> I could easily afford to spend more on a watch but for me, the Speedy Pro will always be one of my favorite 5 watches you can buy at *any* price.


 
But it should be a 321 Speedy not an 861 or 1863 or whatever the movement is currently called


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## MrThompson (Aug 9, 2006)

Buy the 3570.50 "Moon Watch." and you won't regret it. It's still a tool watch and a lot more durable than the average WIS would have you believe. The only precaution is you should have it pressure tested annually (as with any watch that will be submerged) if you are going to swim with it. Mine gains a few seconds a week. Although I have a number of fine watches the Speedy is my all time favorite.


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## roguesw (Aug 9, 2006)

after reading up so much on the speedy and looking at prices, i have finally decided on a speedy pro, not an auto as i originally thought
looking at prices around some of the used watch shops in japan, i could afford a speedy pro, 
its a bit hard to find a 321 movement in good condition if you dont want to pay the market price, so i have to settle for a 861 movement
the good thing is there is a huge omega following in japan and quite a lot of watchmakers are present so the ability to service and get replacement is easy
so, now i am off to seach for my speedy, cheers guys


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## jason_01 (Aug 10, 2006)

roguesw said:


> after reading up so much on the speedy and looking at prices, i have finally decided on a speedy pro, not an auto as i originally thought
> looking at prices around some of the used watch shops in japan, i could afford a speedy pro,
> its a bit hard to find a 321 movement in good condition if you dont want to pay the market price, so i have to settle for a 861 movement
> the good thing is there is a huge omega following in japan and quite a lot of watchmakers are present so the ability to service and get replacement is easy
> so, now i am off to seach for my speedy, cheers guys


 
Des, the 861 is a great movement, no problems with it (easier to live with than a 321), I wouldnt suggest a 321 as your first and only Speedy, lots of issues to consider with vintage watches and 321's are getting quite desirable, so lots of botched ones about. Was just making the point that the 321 is the genuine moonwatch.

ATB


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## Professormc2 (Aug 11, 2006)

I have one and like it very much. I replaced the bracelet with a sharkskin band for better fit.
It was recently gone for four months being cleaned and adjusted. The tachymetre ring was washed to clean it and lost all the black color. It took hardwork to find a porcelan ring instead of the aluminum that lost the color.
I'm glad I own one. It was on my "list".


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## LED BriCK (Aug 11, 2006)

I got one in 1999. I never had any routine maintenance done on it, but then again I don't swim with it or subject it to any of the abuse that it was built to handle. It finally quit running in early 2005, so I sent it in for service, which took a couple months. When I got it back, one of the markings on the face was chipped and there was an oil stain on one of the chronograph dials, but as soon as I pointed it out, they took it back and fixed it. No problems since, and even after 7 years, I still marvel at its beauty everyday. Mine, too, gains time, so I reset it every Saturday. Although I'm usually a stickler for accuracy, this doesn't really bother me, it's just part of the ritual of having something nice. The crystal does scratch pretty easily, but I've found that the light scratches will polish out with normal handling over time.


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## warpdrive (Aug 18, 2006)

jason_01 said:


> Des, the 861 is a great movement, no problems with it (easier to live with than a 321), I wouldnt suggest a 321 as your first and only Speedy, lots of issues to consider with vintage watches and 321's are getting quite desirable, so lots of botched ones about. Was just making the point that the 321 is the genuine moonwatch.


 
Sure the 321 is the genuine mootwatch, but the 861 were still certified for EVA for astronauts when they were introduced, so there is no doubt that the 86x series are worthy successors carrying on the tradition. Personally, unless I was able to get the exact ST 145.012 generation of moonwatch before any running changes, all others are not really moon watches to me either.

Buying a vintage watch can indeed be tricky....your advice on to get a modern Speedy Pro is good advice.


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## JohnJ80 (Aug 18, 2006)

I wear a Seamaster Professional and have for about 8 years. A workhouse of a watch and keeps excellent time. I get it serviced (cleaned etcc...) about every 5 years.

Highly recommended.

J.


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## JNewell (Aug 24, 2006)

I prefer the acrylic for several reasons...but if there's concern about scratches (the acrylic is relatively soft), the InvisibleShield people sell circles of their "screen protector" material that can be applied to watch crystals. These are very thin and very clear, easy to apply and to remove w/o damage to the crystal.


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## DrifT3R (Aug 30, 2006)

I have one I got from China for $190 RMB. =D Automatic too.


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## roguesw (Aug 31, 2006)

thanks to jason 01 and frisco and everyone here to helped me make my decision
i ended up with a speedmaster pro, 3570.50
went to a small shop that was an AD and manage to pick up a second hand one, about 12 months old in pristine condition
cheers guys
Des


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