With the introduction of the caliber 861 (145.022) in 1968, the drop counterweight hand was replaced with the flat counterweight chronograph hand. The chronograph second hand used to have a pointed (or “teardrop”) counterweight, from the 105.003 till the last 145.012. Aside from the different luminous materials used over the years, there’s also one design change. This means that since 1963, the Speedmaster has been using white baton hands. It wasn’t until the third generation of Speedmasters, the reference 105.003 or “Ed White” that the white baton hands were introduced. The first Speedmaster references (CK2915 and CK2998) came with broad arrow and alpha hands. I am happy that the step dial is back, it brings a bit more depth to proceedings.
Omega zodiac hacks professional#
All Speedmaster Professional “Moonwatch” models produced between the last quarter of 1974 and until 2021, have a flat dial. These dials are just referred to as flat dials (while the sub-dials are of course still recessed). In that year, Omega introduced the Speedmaster reference 145.022-74 and the step was gone.
Omega’s Speedmasters had a step dial until 1974. That means these dials weren’t flat, but that they had a slightly recessed minute track. The first generations of Speedmaster (Professional) watches had a step dial. Also, we’ve seen this correction of the chronograph track on other Moonwatch variations before (Speedy Tuesday models, Apollo XI 50th anniversary, etc). I see this change in the divisions as a correction more than anything else. The frequency of the new 3861 movement did not change in comparison to the caliber 1861 - that one also ticked at 21,600 vibrations per hour. It gives an easier readout when you stop the chronograph’s second hand. This translates to 3Hz, hence the three divisions. The use of three divisions has to do with the frequency of the movement, which is 21,600 vibrations per hour. There are now three divisions, as you can see, instead of the five in the former Moonwatch. The luminous hour markers are green-ish, and not faux patina (as some people assumed).Īn interesting change on the dial that many of you discovered already, is the second’s track. Last but not least, the numerals of the sub-dials are less bold on the new Moonwatch. It is not very visible on the picture, but the “Swiss Made” printing has been made a little bit smaller. I do like the “OMEGA” wording better on the new one, as it is more spacious, but I wouldn’t have minded Omega making the font size a bit smaller. It doesn’t scream at you what it is (we all know what it is) and I liked the build-up from small to wide. In all honesty, I like the old printing better. Narrow at the top and widest at “Professional”. On the old Moonwatch, as you can see, the logo and words were like a triangle. The printed Omega logo is now smaller sized, the wordmark OMEGA is more spacious and therefore larger and the wording “Speedmaster” and “Professional” are now equally wide on the dial.
The first thing I noticed - when looking at the new Speedmaster Moonwatch Master Chronometer - is that something has been changed about the printing. Omega did make some interesting choices, which I will touch upon during this hands-on comparison of these two watches, though. Would the incredibly clean dial be ruined by extra printing on there to indicate there’s a Master Chronometer movement? Well, if you know a bit about Omega and the course the brand’s been on for a few years, it shouldn’t be a surprise to hear that Omega knows all about us collectors and enthusiasts and would spend a lot of energy getting the details right.
But how would the brand’s designers do it? Would they still respect the design of the Moonwatch? Omega already made this very clear during the last Speedy Tuesday event we had in December 2019 (seems like a long time ago now). It wasn’t even a rumor that the Moonwatch would be equipped with the new Master Chronometer caliber 3861. The new Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch Speedmaster Moonwatch Master Chronometer
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