The Omega Speedmaster is a watch best known for its history with the NASA space missions – and now it‘s making history in a different kind of space altogether – cyberspace. Omega released a special edition of the Speedmaster as a tribute to their online fans – a first for luxury watches.
Here’s the story behind the Omega that went viral: Every Tuesday since 2012 Robert-Jan Broer, the founder of Fratello Watches, faithfully posts articles on his watch site. The subject of his regular Tuesday uploads, of course, is the ever-popular Speedmaster.
Fans from around the world started following, and sharing pictures and insights, asking questions, and obsessing about watches – and it soon grew into the place to go online to find out anything at all about the Speedmaster. In fact, the blog is now a bit like an encyclopedia of all things related to the watch.
This year Omega has taken a big interest in promoting the brand online and made a very gracious gesture to its loyal fans on the blogosphere.
Luxury watch brands tend to be conservative where it comes to the power of social media, but Omega has been working on boosting their online presence, particularly on Instagram.
In January they decided to make a tribute to their loyal fans, a unique series of 2012 watches called the #SpeedyTuesday – a nod to the humble origins of the fanbase. It’s the first watch that Omega has made available exclusively on Instagram, and all 2012 pieces were reserved for purchase through the online portal soon after it was released.
The SpeedyTuesday features an inverse panda look, with those radial white chronograph counters against a pitch black dial. Speedmaster fans were delighted – this design was inspired by the look of the Alaska Project III model created for NASA in 1978, and it’s something that’s been on the wish-list of many a hardcore Speedmaster fan for year.
Omega made only 56 of those original Alaska project watches for the NASA Space Shuttle program and it was the one that really caught the attention of the online audience. The new watch is faithful to that original design – of course, there are a few modern updates.
It’s a stainless steel watch that comes with two straps – a vintage style brown leather strap and buckle, and an extra NATO strap in black and white – plus there’s a strap-changing tool, all wrapped up in a custom leather watch roll.
The case-back is engraved with the iconic Omega Seahorse medallion, and the words “SPEEDY TUESDAY ANNIVERSARY” and “Limited Edition” as well as the limited edition number (x / 2012).
What also helps to set it apart from other versions of the Speedmaster is the quality of the brushing on the case, and the smooth matte finishing, making it a very good looking watch indeed.
The Speedmaster has always been a classic – and many a watch collector’s first serious watch, because it always offers such good value for money. The initial price tag is set at around $6,500 for this one.
