Alright, guys, gather ’round, let me tell you about my latest project. I’ve been wanting to get my hands on an OMEGA Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch for a while now, but the real deal? Way out of my budget. So, I went down the rabbit hole of replicas and found this beauty – an open case back version, which is pretty cool, right?
First off, I did some digging. I learned that the original case back is what you’d find on the Pre-Pro Speedmasters like the CK2915 and CK2998. Mine’s a hesalite Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch, just like the ones the astronauts wore. This isn’t just any watch, it’s got history.
Now, I found this program online that helps you identify the case reference of any standard production Speedmaster Moonwatch, and you don’t even have to open the watch. That’s how I got to know all the nitty-gritty details of my watch.
I also stumbled upon this book, “Moonwatch Only: The Ultimate Omega Speedmaster Guide.” It’s like the bible for Speedmaster fans. This thing is detailed. It’s got five sections, and the first one tells you all about why the book exists. It helped me become a bit of an expert, if I do say so myself.
Then there’s the buying guide for the Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch. It’s like the ultimate roadmap to getting your own. I read about the history, the features, everything. You know, Omega released a new version of the 3rd generation Speedmaster in 2020, the one Ed White wore in ’65? It caused quite a stir.
Here are some specs that I memorized about the original one: about $7,000, 42mm case, 20mm lug width, hesalite crystal, and 50 meters water resistance. This replica is pretty spot on. The text on the tachymeter is bold white, the copyright text is visible, and there’s that slight gap between the tachymeter and the bezel.
Even though it’s 42mm, it wears smaller, like a 41mm Rolex Datejust. This replica has that box-shaped biosourced glass, the etched “S”, that circular pattern on the dial, those sharp lugs, and the “dot over 90” detail. It’s all there.
Let’s talk about the dial. You’ve got three sub-dials. At 3 o’clock, there’s a thirty-minute scale. At 6, you have a twelve-hour counter, and at 9, another sub-dial. This replica nails all those details, it’s quite impressive.
- The Hunt Begins: Started with looking for something that looked like the original case back found on those old Pre-Pro Speedmasters.
- Deep Dive: Found a program to identify case references without even opening the watch, pretty neat.
- Bookworm Mode: Got my hands on the “Moonwatch Only” book, it’s like the Speedmaster encyclopedia.
- Guide Me: Used the ultimate buying guide to learn about the watch’s history and features.
- Spec Check: Memorized the specs of the original and compared them to this replica, pretty close match.
- Detail Obsession: Noticed all the small details like the text, the gap, the glass, and those sub-dials.
The Result
So, after all this, I’ve got a watch that looks and feels like the real deal. It’s got the look, the details, and even that open case back. Sure, it’s not the original, but for the price, I’m over the moon. It’s a piece of history on my wrist, and I didn’t have to break the bank to get it. This project turned out pretty awesome, and I’m stoked to share it with you all.
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