Review: Omega Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday Limited Edition

The release of a new limited edition by Omega probably won’t come as a surprise to anyone. The brand has made something of a habit of releasing special edition models—from Seamaster Bond watches to a plethora of Speedmasters celebrating the watch’s inextricable history with NASA (we recently covered the release of the Speedmaster 1957 trilogy, and have previously reviewed the Speedmaster Silver Snoopy Award, as just two examples.)

Watch our video review of the Omega Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday Limited Edition 311.32.42.30.01.001 above

So the Omega Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday doesn’t have the element of surprise working in its favour. It’s a limited edition created specifically for the vast online community of Speedmaster fans—hence its ‘Speedy Tuesday’ moniker.

You've probably heard this now-commonplace term if you’re a fan of the Speedmaster (and even if you aren’t). It all started in 2012, when Robert-Jan Broer—founder of watch blog Fratello Watches—coined the term on Facebook, accompanying a picture of his Speedmaster Professional. The day he posted his ‘Speedy’ was a Tuesday, and so that was what he captioned his photo with—it’s really as simple as that. It soon became a hashtag used world over, as people across the globe adopted it as a way of sharing their appreciation for this much beloved timepiece.

In tribute to #SpeedyTuesday, and in partnership with Broer, Omega released the Speedy Tuesday Limited Edition for pre-order at 12 noon Swiss time on 10 January 2017, in an effort to ensure it would be a Tuesday across all world timezones. It was perhaps expected to have limited appeal, and only 2,012 pieces were to be made. Reservations for the watch flooded in fast, and the watch had sold out within a few hours. (Incidentally, in keeping with the model’s cyberspace origins, this also marked the first time Omega made a watch available to order online.)

It’s not hard to see why the watch was so popular. Broer’s appreciation for the Speedmaster and in-depth knowledge of its history shine through, and both he and the design team at Omega obviously took great pains to create a piece that is both good-looking and a fitting tribute to its heritage. Specifically, the watch’s design was inspired by the Speedmaster Alaska III model, which was created in limited number (56 to be exact) for NASA in 1978. The space agency commissioned the Alaska III to be as legible as possible for use by astronauts on missions in space, and the Speedy Tuesday’s design cues all stem from this specification.

Sleek and streamlined, the tapered 42mm case is stainless steel, and has been brushed to a fine matte finish. The steel is complemented by a matte black aluminium bezel, which features the Speedy’s familiar tachymeter scale. Turn the case over and it bears the engraving, ‘Speedy Tuesday Anniversary — A Tribute To Alaska Project III’.

With vintage-looking white subdials against a black background, the Speedy Tuesday features a ‘reverse panda’ dial (the opposite of a black on white ‘panda dial') first used by Omega in 1966. The colour contrast adds a real sense of three dimensionality to the watch, which is only enhanced in the dark, when the subdials and numerals radiate a brilliant luminescence.

Beating within the watch is Omega’s famous manual-wind calibre 1861, essentially the same movement that the astronauts who landed on the moon relied on, upgraded over time to improve its precision. It features a high-grade rhodium-plated finish, and has been tried, tested and certified by NASA. As a neat little extra, the watch comes with a calf leather watch pouch, which includes an additional NATO strap, engraved with #SpeedyTuesday on one of its loops, and a strap changing tool.

The Speedy Tuesday is an admirable effort by Omega to pay tribute to the fanbase of one of its most famous pieces, and the watch itself is striking in the flesh, combining a number of design ideas that we haven’t before seen together in a Speedmaster. The model is not simply ‘another Omega limited edition’; it might have been made for Speedy Tuesday, but it’s the kind of watch you want to wear every day of the week.

Watch Spec | Omega Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday Limited Edition 311.32.42.30.01.001

Case: Steel Dimensions: 42mm Crystal: Synthetic sapphire Water Resistance: 50m Movement: Manual, Omega calibre 1861 Frequency: 21,600 vph Power Reserve: 48 hours Strap: Brown leather/NATO Functions: Time, chronograph, tachymeter

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