45 years and still up to speed : that’s a fact, the space odyssey of the Omega Speedmaster is not over yet ! Remember : in July of 1969, two NASA astronauts became the first human beings ever to set foot on the surface of a celestial body. When Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin stepped onto the Moon, they had met the challenge delivered only a few years earlier by President John F. Kennedy.
Strapped around his spacesuit, Buzz Aldrin had an Omega Speedmaster Professional chronograph. Neil Armstrong had left his own Speedmaster aboard the Lunar Landing Module as a reliable backup to the electronic timekeeping system.
Omega Speedmaster Baselworld 2014
This year at Baselworld 2014, the Omega Speedmaster Professional Apollo 11 45th Anniversary wristwatch commemorates the first lunar landing and celebrates its link to the iconic chronograph that was part of the adventure. Of course, it’s a limited edition. Of course, edited at only….1969 units !
Omega Speedmaster Baselworld 2014
Omega Speedmaster Baselworld 2014 – What’s New ?
So, what’s new with this Omega Speedmaster ? First, it features a grey, completely brushed 42 mm grade-2 titanium case with a touch of gold. The black PVD dial, with its 30-minute and 12-hour recorders and small seconds sub-dial, has been produced using a special laser which creates the design elements on the watch’s face by removing the material surrounding the name, sub-dial numerals and hour markers. At the first glance, the watch seems to tend towards brown / chocolate tones. Real look and feel will have to be checked live, in stores, where the watch should be displayed in a couple of months.
Omega Speedmaster Baselworld 2014 – Sideview
The indexes and hour, minute, seconds and sub-dial hands are crafted from 18K red gold and the central chronograph hand is red gold-plated. Super-LumiNova coating the hour, minute and chronograph seconds hands as well as the hour markers and two dots at 12 o’clock emits a green light. A box-form scratch-resistant sapphire crystal coated with anti-reflective treatment on both sides protects this impressive dial. The 18K Omega Sedna™ gold bezel is enhanced by a matt black ceramic ring with a tachymeter scale, a defining design element of the Speedmaster collection.
Omega Speedmaster Baselworld 2014 – Nato Strap
What is interesting is also the strap choice made by Omega. The new Speedmaster now comes with a NATO strap. The original NATO straps were created by the British Ministry of Defence in 1973 and Omega’s updated version is made from a particularly high-quality material and a new design for additional wearing comfort.
