Customer Reviews

Omega Men's 3570.50.00 Speedmaster Professional Mechanical Chronograph Watch

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

After much research, I purchased an Omega Speedmaster in 1968 as an 18th birthday present to myself. There were not many chronographs available at that time (Rolex, Breitling, Omega and probably others I no longer remember). To my surprise, that summer (or next), Omega began agressive advertising that it's watch was the official timepiece of the Apollo Astronauts. It reaffirmed my choice. Thirty years later, it is still the best watch I own (including my Submariner). My only complaint is that I have gone through three or four bracelets/straps. Ironically, a new metal bracelet costs more than the original cost of my Speedmaster ($185). Interestingly, no Rolex owner has ever commented on my Submariner, but fellow Speedmaster owners always start up a conversation with each other. I cannot comment on the new Speedmasters, but mine has been dropped, thrown, drowned, frozen, heated, shaken and abused for 30 years and still runs great. I recommend factory cleaning, vacuum sealing and a new crystal every 10 years or so, just to be safe.

This is a beautiful watch with a legendary history and phenomenal following. It has been one of the most popular watches ever made by Omega since its debut in 1957. The current Speedmaster Professionals come in multiple versions, but are for the most part little changed in its over 50 year life.

Why is it amazing?

During the 1960's space race with the Soviets, NASA did not have the time to announce an open competition from all interested watch companies to design a watch suitable for space travel. This would have required bids from different manufacturers with the eventual award of a government contract. NASA engineers in plain clothes went to downtown Houston and entered various high end stores and purchased high-end (i.e. expensive) manual wind wristwatches from 10 different brands, such as Omega, Rolex, etc. This was all done in secrecy and none of the watch manufacturers, such as Omega, were aware of this. NASA subjected the watches to grueling tests of temperature extremes, shocks, humidity, extreme pressure changes, etc. All of the watches malfunctioned and could not finish all of the tests except for one, the Omega Speedmaster.

NASA began to equip their astronauts in 1962 for the Gemini missions with a Speedmaster attached by a strap to the OUTSIDE of the astronauts' suits. Omega executives saw NASA's photos of the astronauts and realized that they were using their watches. This was quickly confirmed with a phone call to NASA. NASA then quickly announced that the Omega Speedmaster was the official watch to be used on their space missions. Realize that this was all done without Omega's awareness.
.
Bulova, an American watchmaker, pressured congressmen who pressured NASA to allow for an open competition to include Bulova. NASA then allowed watchmakers to submit watches for evaluation. Once again, the Omega Speedmaster Professional was the only watch that passed all of NASA's tests! Believe it or not, through constant pressure from Bulova, NASA again had to hold an open competition a third time in 1978, and AGAIN, the Omega Speedmaster was found to be the only acceptable watch. This is the stuff of legends!

What attributes do all of the current versions of the Speedmaster Pro (3570.50, 3573.50, 3576.50, etc) have?

1. Beautiful clear dial with luminous markers
2. Chronograph (timer)
3. 42.5 mm case size (good IMHO for wrists 6" and above)
4. Classic unchanged looks from the original 1957 design
5. Wonderful manual wind mechanism with proven history of reliability
6. Water resistance of 50m or 167 feet (this is acceptable for "normal" use, but is certainly not intended to be a diver's watch)


What is specific to a 3573.50 a.k.a. "sapphire sandwich"?

1. Cal 1863 movement (all of past and current movements are terrific and one should not be thought of as superior to another)
2. Sapphire crystal is used over the dial instead of the hesalite crystal (i.e. plexiglass) used on the standard 3570.50 model. Sapphire crystal is much more scratch resistant but can shatter with high impact. The traditional, standard 3570.50 model's hesalite is nearly impossible to shatter and its scratches can easily be buffed out. The original hesalite is also more authentic to the original moon watch design as the sapphire crystal models were never approved by NASA.
3. Sapphire crystal caseback to show the beautiful movement. The traditional 3570.50 model has a stainless steel back.

What are the downsides of this 3573.50 "sapphire sandwich" compared to the standard 3570.50 model shown?

1. Cost - the 3573.50 is significantly more expensive than the 3570.5
2. Sapphire crystal can shatter
3. Sapphire cyrstal is less "authentic" when thinking about its NASA history
4. Sapphire crystal caseback is also less authentic than the original moonwatch


I ended up purchasing the 3573.50, but I strongly considered the more classic, 3570.50 with the hesalite crystal plexiglass and the steel caseback. I did not like the idea of having to buff and polish out scratches on the plexiglass. It is supposed to be very easy to do, but I just preferred sapphire crystal.

Even though it is less true to the original 1957 design, I liked the idea of sapphire crystal caseback to observe the beautiful Omega movement.

If you either don't want to spend the extra money for these differences, or if you prefer to have a truer, more authentic moonwatch, then get the 3570.50. People love that watch. Either way, you will most likely be pleased by its aesthetics, functionality, and history.

You should NOT buy any of these Speedmaster Pro models if you will be wanting to use this as a diving watch. Get a Seamaster 300M or Planet Ocean for that need.

As for its time keeping accuracy, most owners don't mind it all. If you are very concerned with accuracy, then a mechanical watch, even if it is COSC certified, is probably not the right type of watch for you. A quartz watch will be significantly more accurate. I have heard that people's experiences for the Speedmaster Pros range from -/+ of 0/0 -5/+15. It is not a certified chronometer by the COSC. This watch only needs to be wound every 1 or 2 days and its time adjusted about once every 1 or 2 weeks.

If you end up for some unexpected reason to not like the watch, realize that this watch has a phenomenally high resale value and is very easy to sell on various online auction sites.

Length:: 3:43 Mins

I've owned this watch for over 5 years now and have worn it every single day since the day I bought it. I intend to keep it for years (probably for the rest of my life) as it remains the most swanky and stylish (elegant yet functional) watch I've ever owned (and I've owned and sold quite a few).

The Speedmaster has all the appeal and extreme accruracy of a Rolex, yet none of the gaudiness-it's understated, cool but not too cool. Looking at it evokes a sense of faith in exploration and the adrenaline rush of speed and the force of Gs or zero gravity. With it's black dial and white hands, and brushed silver bracelet and casing, the Speedmaster is one of the best executed designs to come out of the last 100 years and certainly one of the most classic timepieces ever.

There are other models that offer things since as a day/date, or a slightly smaller size, or a glass crystal instead of the sturdy Hesalite plastic one, but these are not the original "Moon Watch" and are not worth buying. If you are going to go Speedmaster, get the original. Technically this is a men's watch, but I've seen it worn by a woman with great success (the actor Daniel Day-Lewis's wife wears one).

It's Swiss made and Nasa spacewalk certified. This very watch model was worn on the Moon (on the outside of the space suit!) by Neil Armstrong in the Apollo missions back in the late 1960s. The build quality and styling has not changed much since then (it hasn't needed to). This is a manual watch, which means you have to wind it up. I like that, it becomes part of your daily routine like sleeping and eating. The back is engraved with a cool logo and a Nasa approval insignia. When your mate picks it up off the nightstand in the morning and reads what it says on the back, she will probably ask you about it.

This is the stuff of legends, and it's a pretty good watch too.

...where are the warranty cards? The red ones that come in the white leatherette holder. It is empty. My guess, on purpose. My order was through Amazon, not Watchmaxx whatever that is, but I suspect the warranty cards will be missing regardless of who it is from. Upon making enquires, I have been informed that it is a two year warranty through Amazon's own version of such - so you are basically saving money by chancing it with this. There is also no 'red dot' on the back of the watch case which apparently means it has been opened but I have been told by Amazon that this is because it has been "checked by them". The red dot is part of the 'collection' thing and resale drops without it so keep this in mind. I at first thought I may have purchased a re-comissioned watch which would have probably served me right for trying to save a few bucks ($1000) by buying on here. Despite/regardless of these issues, the watch is beautiful. It wears a little small in comparison to today's mens watches (it is 42 diametre, not 39.8 as they list here but it is fairly thin). I purchased this watch primarily due to it's NASA connection but also for it's understated design. I have wanted this watch for 25 years but have never been able to justify the price until now. If you are an avid 'space nut' this is *the* watch to have as part of your collection. Just don't expect it to be chunky, waterproof, scratch resistant or keep good time. But lets face it, you are basically buying this watch because of the "Flight qualified by Nasa" copy on the back. God I am a geek.

I have owned mine since 1980, I have had it serviced and it still works and looks great. I have worn it every single day since buying it! In the time I have owned this watch I have seen people go through dozens of watches. The best part is, like all quality products, it can be serviced! This will be the last watch you will ever own!

The Omega Speedmaster is one of the very few watches that have gone orbiting the Earth and the only one landed on the Moon. It is a pleasure to wind it manually and its feats are legendary (like when one timed the exact moment to ignite the engines of the failed Apollo 13 Mission). Therefore I recommend it to anyone who enjoys fine craftsmanship, tradition and value, since it is one of the most affordable high-end watches on the market.

For all the people complaining about their wristwatch being a minute and a half off in 24 hours: At 86,400 seconds in a day a watch that is 99.9% accurate will lose 86.4 seconds in a day. If you need timing accuracy greater than 99.9% you are either working for a scientific organization (and therefore using timing devices more accurate than any wristwatch made) or you are over-caffeinated and obsessive compulsive. These mechanical watches create an emotional response in some that a few thousands of a percent increase in accuracy cannot outweigh. Attempting to quantify the purchase of an Omega Speedmaster by attacking it's relative accuracy is like saying Porsches are a poor choice of car because they're less fuel efficient than a Honda Civic. If you don't marvel at the fine craftsmanship and tradition included in an item like the Omega Speedmaster that's fine. There are plenty of $25 wristwatches that keep good time.

I love this watch, however, I think anyone considering it for purchase needs to know the facts before making this commitment.

Pros:
- This watch is mechanical, so if properly cared for, it can last for generations as an heirloom. I will pass mine on to my son, and for me that is something special (battery powered / solar powered watches have a life span of up to 20 years, but not much more).
- This watch is beautiful. For me, I've never seen one as great looking as this model. I don't know what it is, but perhaps it's the elegant simplicity or the functionality, but whatever it is, this watch is a classic.
- This particular version of the Speedmaster is nearly identical to the version tested by NASA twice (not exactly the original moon watch, but an updated movement with some changes). This newer movement was tested twice under the same harsh conditions as the original moon watch, harsher conditions than any buyer could expect to encounter.
- For me, since I don't wear this all the time, the fact that it's a manual-wind instead of automatic (wound by motion) is a plus. I can wind it before bed each night, and when the weekend hits, it's ready to go.

Cons:
- My number one issue, which I didn't fully appreciate when buying this: HIGH SERVICING COSTS. Doing some online research with reputable repair facilities, it seems that routine, preventative service on the watch should be performed about every 5 years at a cost of $500 each time. It looks like you can spend less, but that these short-cuts would eventually ruin your movement.
- For a mechanical watch, this keeps great time (mine loses about 6-7 seconds per day), for a mechanical that is. My battery-powered citizen loses less than a second per month, so anyone buying a mechanical watch needs to understand that this is going to be a trade-off. That said, I think the Speedmaster's performance is great among mechanicals.
- The acrylic crystal is in fact quite scratch-prone. I bought poly-watch and have found it very easy to remove scratches in less than a minute. So I don't mind the acrylic, but I would prefer a sapphire crystal.
- The lack of a date does make this watch tough to adapt to every-day use. As my evening and weekend dress watch the watch doesn't really need it, but for any other use, a date sure would be useful.

I think this is a great and historic time piece, something really special to own and pass on. However, there are several drawbacks that I hope I've identified for any buyer's consideration.

I purchased (rather swaped for my PO) a used Speedy Pro 3570.50.00 last week, and I LOVE it.

When I first got into watches, I purchased a Rolex, then another (I was aware of the Speedy Pro at this time, but I was mostly indifferent about it then). Neither of them sang to me, so I flipped them. Last month, my wife purchased an Omega Planet Ocean 45.5 mm for me as a gift. I did really like it, but again, didn't sing to me.

So fast forward to last week, ran into an opportunity to swap my PO to the Speedmaster Pro. I did, and I have no regrets. Finally I feel at ease about what's on my wrist. The look is stunning, the size is perfect, the functions make perfect since. The vaule (history, functionality, durability, and cost) is unbeatable by any Rolex.

Every serious watch collector needs to have one in their collection. Many long time watch collectors put the Speedy Pro in the top ten of the most historically important watches of all time. The Speedy Pro is a very inexpensive way to become part of a serious watch community. You will not regret your purchase.

I've never seen this watch up close before so all the descriptions about how big and heavy the watch was really had me concerned. After receiving this I find it to be a perfectly sized men's watch. My day to day watch was a Suunto Vector. The Omega has the same size face but the case of the watch is thinner and smaller than the Vector so it looks just right to me. The weight is solid and I got used to it quickly. The links weren't too difficult to adjust but you may want to take this to a watchsmith or purchase a pin extract tool to go with this (I popped the pins out with a thumbtack and then used a leatherman to pull it the rest of the way out - be careful not to scratch the band). All in all a solid purchase with no regrets.