As many watch enthusiasts are aware, the wide-ranging Omega Speedmaster series — with its Moonwatches and auto-racing legends — has become one of the most popular and iconic series of watches available today. Each of the collection’s modern pieces, and subsequent “sub-series” like the Moonwatch, Speedmaster ’57, and Mark II families, have all built individual stories around themselves, attracting plenty of appreciation, for both the modern and historical versions, from connoisseurs and collectors of horology.
The Omega Speedmaster, originally released in 1957, went on to become the timepiece of choice for racecar drivers, astronauts, and various other adventurous types. But the line did not become iconic overnight: it was through years of tedious research, development, and field-testing that the Speedmaster series foiund its way onto the wrists of the people who needed them most. One instance of this testing was in the late 1960s, as part of a secret research project, conducted jointly by Omega and NASA, called “The Alaska Project.” Cheap Omega Replica, looking to continue to improve its space-ready watches, worked with NASA to produce a number of prototypes to replace what would later be called the Moonwatch.But in 1969, after about a million Swiss francs had been spent, and several years’ worth of man-hours had been worked, in trying to produce the perfect space watch, NASA ultimately decided the original Omega Moonwatch was sufficient for its mission to exploring the great beyond. Thus it happened that Omega, rather than creating the ultimate watch for space, used its findings from the project and began applying them to other models that would be available to the general public.
From this was born the Mark series, originally the Mark II Ref. 145.014, easily recognizable as an example of the funky, 1970s style of watches characterized by thick cases, hidden lugs, and unusual colors. This series, while not as recognizable as the Moonwatch or George Clooney’s 1957-inspired Speedmaster, has nevertheless over the years developed its own well-deserved following, and still today represents a distinct watchmaking era in Omega Replica Watches history. Thus, in 2014, Omega revived the original 1969 piece in a largely faithful re-interpretation for modern consumers. It produced two interesting models to pay homage to ‘70s classic, and one with a unique dial and case variant in honor of the 2016 Summer Olympics.These modern watches have each been designed to reflect the maximum amount of “vintage flair,” while still offering excellent modern attributes. With a 42.4-mm brushed steel case and accompanying Omega Replica link bracelet, the modern piece is no longer the wide behemoth it might have been viewed as a few decades ago, but still sits rather thick upon the wrist as a result of its unusual, ovular-shaped case. There are two dial options — either the grey “Racing” style with its eye-catching orange accents or the classic black dial more reminiscent of other Speedmaster sub-series. Both feature a black outer tachymeter scale; an outer minute ring; three subdials to measure running seconds, chronograph minutes, and chronograph hours; and a date window at the 6 o’clock mark.
Of course, as with any modern re-interpretation of a vintage watch, Omega Replica Watches has made a few minor adjustments for the benefit of the contemporary consumer. These include a modern automatic chronograph movement, which replaces the 1969-era, hand-wound Caliber 861; more indented subdials; the modern Speedmaster chronograph seconds counter; and, perhaps most obviously, the 6 o’clock date window. Other subtle changes include the tachymeter scale being slightly thinner to increase the visibility of the dial, as well as a slight coloring on the outermost edges of the minute ring, which are most noticeable on the “Racing” dial variant.
The Cheap Omega Replica line will continue its status as a legend within the world of horology, an honor well-earned after the watch’s trip to the moon, not to mention the millions of dollars spent in research, development, and advertising. As such, it is to the brand’s benefit to continue producing modern watches with much of the flair of their historical predecessors. Furthermore, it is to its benefit to continue catering to that growing base of educated consumers looking to own a modern watch heavily based on a lesser known historical model—such as today’s contemporary Omega Replica Watches Speedmaster Mark II.
