The Speedmaster Tokyo Olympics 2020 - The Panda

The Omega Speedmaster Professional Tokyo Olympics 2020 Collection - what a release!

The Omega Speedmaster Professional almost always comes with a black dial. So when I saw the Tokyo Olympics 2020 collection, I knew exactly what I liked in that collection. The Panda! The white dial appeals to me more than any of the other dial versions.

How I came to owning this piece is somewhat short of miraculous. These timepieces are only available in Japan and I managed to get one for myself.

Find out about how I managed to snag one for myself on Deployant. For now, do enjoy the pictures of the timepiece.

There is something special about white dial Speedmasters - just like the Alaskan Project and a few others, but the numbers are not many.

The one that comes closest is the Apollo XI which was released to celebrate the 35th Anniversary of the moon landing. The only difference is that the Apollo XI has the date July 20, 1969 in red underneath the Speedmaster Professional tag line.

On the normal Sppedy, the markers are printed while on the white dial version, they are applied.

The timepiece comes with a sapphire glass instead of plexi. The words "Speedmaster" is painted red

You can see that the tip of the seconds hand is also painted red. Of course, red is the national colour of Japan, hence the choice here.

Nice details on the hands and applied markers.

Case back showcases the Tokyo 2020 Olympics logo.

I was told that the case back is laser engraved and it takes up to 15 minutes per case.

It seems that all new Speedmasters come with authenticity marks - the watch number, the Omega logo on the planet and the case material.

Side view of the Speedy.

Overall, extremely excited about the new acquisition. The list price of this steel piece is JPY680,400 inclusive of tax and will be rolled out over 2 years to coincide with the 2020 Olympics.

For more information of the collection, you may visit the Omega Japan website.

Close Up with the Speedy Tuesday

The Moonwatch or the Speedmaster Professional is well known also as Speedy. At some point in time, someone coined the term Speedy Tuesday and the nickname has since been used the world over.

Speedy Tuesday caused quite a stir in the world of horology. For one, no watch has been sold by a major brand directly online in a "first-com-first-serve" manner. When the folks at Omega launched Speedy Tuesday, little did they expect it to be such a hit - I believe it was sold within 24 hours of the launch.

This Speedy Tuesday takes its roots from the Speedmaster Alaska III model. While the original version has an all black dial, the new release features a two tone dial - a black dial with white sub-dials - what is also known as the "Reverse Panda".

Handsome, me thinks! Somehow, the Speedy Tuesday evokes that vintage feel - new yet old. And if you compare the Omega logo underneath the 12 marker, the thicker logo is reminiscent of the earlier year Speedies.

The radial sub-dial is another feature not found on the regular Speedmaster Pro series and lends a nice touch to the Speedy Tuesday.

But what is evident is the Omega logo underneath the domed hesalite crystal - that "secret" emblem of the Speedmaster Pro series.

Similar Omega logo on the "regular" Speedmaster Pro and also the black dial and sub-dials.

The solid case back is different from the regular piece - clearly making a statement to Speedy Tuesday and the links to the Speedmaster Project Alaska III. Shown here is the prototype piece making its rounds. Notice the word RADIAL on the case back of the Speedy Tuesday - the reason for this is because of the radial sub-dials in the Alaska III timepiece. Omega had made some modifications after consultation with NASA astronauts and the result was the radial sub-dial. The radial sub-dial improved legibility and it ensured an easier and more accurate way of reading the chronograph's elapsed timing results.

The release of the Speedy Tuesday was limited to 2012 examples and are all accounted for. The timepiece comes with two straps - a brown vintage leather strap and a back and white NATO strap. Many of us are on the wait list but I am sure for those who managed to snag a piece, they won't let go. But pray someone do give it up... I'm waiting!

What's With Snoopy and the Omega Speedmaster Pro

Did you know that the Apollo 10 Lunar Module was named Snoopy and the Command Module named Charlie Brown?

The most famous beagle, Snoopy is the icon of quality and safety in NASA's space program and that comes in the form of a sterling silver pin with an engraving of Snoopy in a spacesuit helmet. The Silver Snoopy is presented by an astronaut to individuals and companies who works in the space program that has gone above and beyond in pursuit of quality and safety. The pin depicts Snoopy in a space suit with a space helmet on.

The Snoopy comic strip has a strong following and at the time of the launching of the Apollo 10 mission, the crew had named the Lunar Module Snoopy and the Command Module Charlie Brown. So there you are for the link between Snoopy, NASA and Omega Watch Company.

What is important to note is how the Speedmaster Pro helped in the failed Apollo 13 mission. During the mission the oxygen tank exploded and crippled the module. Because of the explosion, the crew needed to turn off all non-essential equipment in order to conserve energy in the Command Module to prepare their re-orbit into earth's atmosphere. The only timing device they have was the Omega Speedmaster Pro.

The crew had two critical operations that relied solely on the chronograph function of the Speedmaster Pro. Firstly to time ignition of the rockets to shorten the estimated length of the return to Earth and secondly to time ignition of the rockets to decrease speed and raise the flight path angle for re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere. For the mid-course correction, the rocket had to fire for 14 seconds... any more or any less and the re-entry into earth's orbit would have failed and the entry vehicle would have missed the trajectory into earth - meaning to say Apollo 13 would never have returned to earth. We now know that the operation worked and Apollo 13 landed safely back to earth.

A happy looking Snoopy on the 9 o'clock sub dial with the motto "Eyes on the Stars".

And if you didn't already know, there is an Omega logo underneath the Hesalite crystal.

This is a solid case back timepiece with the painted Snoopy and the motto again. Underneath the cover is the Calibre 1861 manual winding (Lemania base) column wheel chronograph. Provides 45 hours of power reserve. It is said another reason why a manual winding timepiece was chosen is that in space, the vacuum and the absence of gravity affects the automatic winding mechanism.

This version of the Speedmaster Pro was launched in 2003 and comes as a Limited Edition of 5441 pieces. Why such an odd number 5441? Well, it reflects the elapsed time of the Apollo 13 mission: 142 hours, 54 minutes and 41 seconds.

Lovely Snoopy Speedmaster Pro and thanks to my good friend Joe for allowing me to shoot this piece.

Omega Seamaster Vintage - New Old Watch

Omega - one of the great brands of Swiss watchmaking. And the Omega Seamaster is an iconic piece.

Back in the Sixties, Omega made many of these Seamaster 30 timepieces. I managed to pick one of these up for a reasonable price.

In most cases, they are steel examples but in this case I managed to get one in rolled gold - not exactly gold case but gold looking.

As you can see, the hands especially the seconds hand is already corroded. Difficult to find a flawless example.

Simple lightweight piece with a steel case back.

The dial on this one is almost flawless given the age. I like the simple look of this piece.

It is difficult to find pieces in this condition and I am glad I managed to find one. I have another in steel and shall post it another time.

Omega Speedmaster - The Moon Watch Apollo 15

The Omega Speedmaster Pro - dubbed it the Moon Watch. According to Omega, the Speedy is the only watch that has gone to the moon and back.

Iconic is how I will describe this watch and a friend of mine happen to purchase this release - the Apollo 15 version of the Speedmaster Pro. I had actually bought it for myself but my friend had wanted this so I gave it up - but not before shooting some photos of this piece.

This version comes with a presentation box with the badge.

What makes the watch a little more outstanding is the colored rings on the sub-dial. And on closer examination, you can also see the Omega logo etched on the front glass.

Overall a nice package.

And I hunt for the Apollo 15 again.

Watch Friend GTG @ Diamond Kitchen

How time flies as more than two months have lapsed since we last had our Get Together. It is the month of May and we met at Diamond Kitchen for our GTG.

And the theme this time was around non-round case watches and round case watches. Every time we meet, we want to be double-wristed and hence the double theme. We made a booking for two tables at Diamond Kitchen at Laguna Park (Marine Parade Road) and a total of 17 turned up.

Diamond Kitchen as I was told is opened by people from the diamond trade and the bosses are super fussy eaters - good news for us patrons. We started with the salted egg yolk sotong. Not too salty and cripsy on the outside, the squid is juicy on the inside and done just nice. Not too tough and just the right amount of salted egg yolk.

Next up was the clam broth bee hoon (vermicelli) which IMHO is always the highlight of the meal at Diamond Kitchen. The broth is thickened but very tasty - real taste of clams. The clams were fresh and rather juicy. And the way they cooked it, the bee hoon does not get soggy even after 10-15 minutes in the broth.

Another must try is the steamed sea bass. I was told that the sea bass comes from the sea and not from seafood farms. The meat was succulent and the fish was definitely fresh. Well done! What we had ordered but not featured here in picture is the champagne pork ribs. Another great dish - more so for the children. Tender pork ribs marinated in champagne, floured and lightly fried to seal in the juicy bits. Unfortunately, I was too busy eating I forgot to take a picture of the dish.

Superior chicken soup - boiled for a few hours and not always available (I suggest you order ahead), the soup has lots of dried mushrooms and probably one whole chicken in the pot. Tastes like chicken tonic soup - good for health and the soul too.

Of course one can't do without vegetables and my personal fav is the three eggs spinach in broth. Cooked with three kinds of eggs - century egg, salted egg and the "normal" egg in a delicious broth.

Next up was the cereal chicken. A rather unusual iterate of the dish. Most restaurants will do cereal prawns but this is the first time I had cereal chicken. Done pretty well - not fantastic but the chicken was tender.

Two more dishes - the gan xiang fried rice and the or nee (yam paste). The fried rice was rather normal other than the fact that this is a spicy version fried rice. Nothing special to me.

Another winner for me that night was the or nee (yam paste). Smooth and fragrant, the or nee came with ginkgo nuts and steamed pumpkin. Thumbs up for this one. And then the highlight of the night.

Table shot of the watches present. See anything familiar? As you can seem the left side is all the round case watches including two pocket watches and the right side are the non-round case ones.

A closer look at what was there… The round ones.

The not so round ones… and some interesting pieces I might say. Two JLC Reverso Grande Dates - one in steel and one in gold. First off, some interesting round ones.

An unusual piece - the Urban Jurgensen. Someone said this resembles Kari Voutilainen and it was promptly pointed out that Kari had some connection to the man and the brand.

Next an old Minerva pocket watch. The movement was cleaned by Sean and now working well. In fact, he had done some work on the case - had it polished.

And as usual, we tend to find an IWC pocket watch courtesy of one of our friend.

The Omega Speedmaster Pro made its appearance and in a Nato strap. A wonderful iconic timepiece.

Another unusual piece from Blu. Revolving hour and a rather nice complication.

Not only is this not round, it is eight sided. The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak City of Sails.

Next the Panerai Radiomir PAM 231. Not my favorite brand but unusual anyhow as they don't make many gold pieces. They are more well known for their steel pieces.

And two very interesting pieces - one from Roger Dubuis and the other from Lange & Sohne. The Roger Dubuis is the Sympathie three handed watch with central seconds.

This is one of the unique piece of the evening - unique for a few reasons. This is the white gold great dial version. Only 25 pieces were made for the Lange Owner's Group (LOG) and this is piece number One! Elegant and definitely worth it if you can get your hands on it.

And this must surely be one of the highlights of the night - other than the Lange Cabaret LOG. The Limited Edition HM2. On picture, the watch looks big but on the wrist, the watch is rather wearable. And the moon phase and date display on the left with the time on the right. Readable.

The back of the movement featuring the battle-axe automatic winding rotor. And a very unusual rectangular IWC vintage piece below.

We talked a lot more this time around which meant I had less time to take pictures and post them. I would have loved to photograph the two JLC, the Rolex Explorer 2 and the other Habring, Movas, Reed and Seikos.

Next time my friends, I promise more photos. but first things first - when are we going to have the next GTG?