The Breitling Watch Blog

Omega has released a new Speedy Moonwatch model to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of the Apollo 15 mission to the Moon. Omega had commemorated the Apollo 11 40th Anniversary in 2009, and now follows up with its latest Limited Edition. This will be a Limited Edition of 1,971 Pieces, and will feature the original moonwatch Hesalite Crystal and solid engraved caseback, staying true to its heritage. The movement will be the manual-winding Omega caliber 1861.

From Wikipedia:
Apollo 15 was the ninth manned mission in the American Apollo space program, the fourth to land on the Moon and the eighth successful manned mission. It was the first of what were termed “J missions”, long duration stays on the Moon with a greater focus on science than had been possible on previous missions. It was also the first mission where the Lunar Roving Vehicle was used.

I stumbled upon some photos I took of a iron faraday cage from an Omega Seamaster Chronodiver 300m, so I decided to make a short post. Sometimes you might notice that watches have an Anti-Magnetic rating or spec shown on the case back of the watch, and might wonder what that means. Well, since automatic movements are susceptible to magnetic fields which can affect the accuracy of their movement, it is handy for them to have some magnetic protection, especially in this day and age.

That Anti-Magnetic Iron cage or shield is called a Faraday Cage, named after the English Scientist, Michael Faraday. The cage surrounds the movement of the watch and protects it from certain levels of magnetic fields. Some watches that have soft iron Faraday Cages inside: IWC Ingenieur, Omega Seamaster 300m, Rolex Milgauss.

Here is a shot of the Omega 1164 Movement underneath the Iron Cage:

My most recent Omega, and Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra with the in-house Omega designed Co-axial 8500 movement. This watch features the very cool Teck Grey Dial. This dial is looks amazing with a very 3D presentation and really pops out when you see it in person. I’ve tried to capture it in my photos, but it doesn’t do the dial justice.

Here’s a close up of the dial, showing the beautiful applied indices and date window frame. The quartz version does not have the date frame. The middle area that has the verticle cuts in it is raised, with the chapter ring lower than the rest of the dial. This gives the watch dial a lot of depth and character while still being very understated.

I opted for the stainless steel bracelet but I also have the Deployant and Black Crocodile strap for dress occasions. The stainless steel bracelet is great and features screwed in links, which Omega does not have in many of their bracelets. A nice touch that is a welcome addition for a guy like me who grew up with Breitling.

There she is.. what a beauty. The 8500 movement is such a nice movement to look at with the twin barrels and spiral jeweling. Here are the specs:

Series Double barrel design
60 hour power reserve
Dual directional winding automatic
Free sprung balance
Full balance bridge
39 jewels
202 parts
COSC certification

Very nice specs, and a hell of a looker. I love my 8500. It also adjusts date interestingly by moving the hour hand in 1 hour increments similar to a Rolex GMT Master II. This allows you to change date relatively easily but also allows changing timezones very easily as well. A great compromise in my opinion.

Just remembered to post the Omega Speedy Pro Sapphire Sandwich review I posted a few days on youtube! Video review of the not-so-true-to-the-original Speedmaster Professional. This one has the Sapphire glass from and back, to the chagrin of the purists. The original has the Hesalite crystal front, and solid caseback. Since I am not going to the moon, nor is the actual watch I am buying the watch that went to the moon, I prefer this version. Its the practical man in me. Harder to scratch, and I like to see the movement!

This is not a free contest unfortunately. When the company contacted me about a contest, I thought it was free and I told them I would be interested in posting, but I realized it was not free, but figured it might be of interest to some people anyway.

‘WIN A JAMES BOND WATCH’ COMPETITION*

YOU COULD WIN THIS OMEGA SEAMASTER PLANET OCEAN AS WORN BY OO7!

You could be lucky enough to be wearing this timepiece that’s identical to the watch worn by Daniel Craig in Quantun Of Solace!

For your chance to win this great prize subscribe now to the James Bond’s DB5 Magazine. You will be charged for the first four issues, and can cancel anytime.

Qualifying question

To enter the win an Omega Seamaster competition please answer the following question: What year was Goldfinger released? 1962, 1964, 1965

PRIZE RULES

1. Competition is only open to residents of the United Kingdom, excluding Northern Ireland.
2. Entries will be entered into a prize draw, from which the winner will be drawn at random on 31 March 2011.
2. The winner will be notified by post and will be informed at this point of the details.
3. A cash prize equivalent cannot be taken as an alternative prize.
4. Employees of GE Fabbri or any other company involved in the creation or publication of James Bond’s DB5 are not eligible to enter the prize draw.
5. Entries lost, damaged or delayed in transit – for any reason – cannot be entered into the draw.
6. The promoter reserves the right to alter details of the prize draw if circumstances dictate it necessary to do so.
*The watch is the same type of watch, not the exact one worn by Daniel Craig.