Omega Mission patches

Selling the following omega miss path editions
Gemini 12: 3500 USD; Skylab III: 3100 USD; Skylab I: 3800 USD

3570.40 Japanese Speedy for sale 3500 USD/ SOLD OUT

Apollo 11 35th for sale 5000 USD due to weak USD/ SOLD OUT

Apollo 11 35th Sold

Sold two Rolex Daytona 116520 and Submarine 16610

San Diego, Orlando NASA trip

IWC Big Pilot Tribute to Japan 2009

Many good review articiles

Here is the link

An index of articles written by Chuck

Click here

Article on Speedmaster by Chuck in Iternational Watch Dec. 2007 Issue

Please download the pdf file of this article by click here

A watch of 007's counterpart; From Russian with Love

Recently I have acquired from the knowlege about a Girard Perregaux (GP) watch from Su JiaXian and www.PuristSPro.com. Special thank to Su JiaXian here.

The watch is the GP full calendar issued in SIHH 2007, 49535 "Vintage 1966 Full Calendar". As stated in Su's write-up "It was inspired by a watch depicted by Ian Fleming in From Russia with Love - a true James Bond watch."

In 1957, Ian Fleming published his fifth James Bond novel.
"From Russia with Love" describes the story of UK secret agent James Bond chasing his enemy Donald 'Red' Grant, an assassin, as well as the vicious superpower organization SMERSH. The book ends up with James Bond's victory and him picking up his enemies watch, while on a train ride between Lausanne/Switzerland and France (and this route in fact exists still today):

"There was also a bulky gold wristwatch on a well-used brown crocodile strap. It was a Girard-Perregaux model designed for people who like gadgets, and it had a sweep second-hand and two little windows in the face to tell the day of the month, and the month, and the phase of the moon. The story it now told was 2.30 on June 10th with the moon three-quarters full."

Now, you can look at this GP watch. More pics

Best looking Speedmasters IMHO

King of Tudor in this summber from New Zealand!

Our friend Mark has mined many good Tudor stuff from Japan. And, he is speeding up the process. Here are the items he mined in Japan this summer.

Tudor 79260
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Tudor BOX (more pictures)


















Tudor 79090 (more pictures)


















He also has interest in Omega speedmaster 3570.50. Note that his speedy has the newest version of the caseback which has anti-fake mark. more pictures


















Some Tudors are coming next week. Let's see

Monologue by Mark from NewZealand

Tudor.

Tudor is the sister company of Rolex. Until the early 2000s Tudor used many similar components and the watch designs were not dissimilar from Rolex. The key distinguishing feature between the two brands is that Rolex use in house movements and Tudor use Valjoux and ETA movements often modified for their purposes. Tudors choice in movements have been used the world over by many prestigious manufacturers in the last 40 years, they are well made, reliable, robust and easy serviced and should not be seen as a weakness. Bracelets, crystals and cases are almost identical in many respects to similar Rolex products and all Tudor watches are serviced and supported by Rolex Official Service Centres. The volume of Tudors sold worldwide since the 50s is a fraction of Rolex production. Tudor were also slow to introduce changes in design that made Rolex models more contemporary and thus in some peoples eyes less collectable. This includes the use of plexi crystals which were used in Tudor watches until the m id 1990s (Rolex changed to Sapphire across their range almost a decade earlier!).

Rolex pulled Tudor out of a number of key markets in the 1990s (the USA being one) thus further restricting the volume of sales and again creating a product that is now getting more difficult to find on the used market. Japan was and is one of the few markets that continue to range and sell a reasonable volume of Tudor product this making Japan one of the best places to find a wide range of pre loved Tudor watches for the collector. Rest assured though even in Japan where Rolex is also very popular and collectable prices are rising. The Japanese market is no longer a cheap place to source your Tudor vintage collectable, however the volume and range available means that for a fair price you can get a very desirable model in good condition without loosing time as the prices continue to rise.

For the Rolex vintage collector Tudor presents an opportunity to acquire low volume vintage watches in very similar style to many now famous collectable Rolexes that few can afford, for a fraction of the price. The most collectable models are the Tudor Chronographs and Submariners. These chare many resemblances to the much cherished Daytona (Newman vintage), early Submariner, Comex and Sea Dweller watches. Another example of design differences include the Lume (use of Tritrium) and the dial hour markers on the submariner (these are large round “dots” not contained within a white gold frame like Rolex Submariners from the last 15 years). Infact a standard full size Tudor Submariner from 1997 has a Dial looking very similar to a vintage 1655 Sea Dweller or early 1980s – lovely large and easy to read with matt black dial background (or in rare occasions deep blue with a more satin finish).

My interest in Tudor started many years ago. I only wish I had purchased the models I coveted at that time! I was luck enough to acquire a Rolex SS Daytona (2002) and though I loved the watch I realised that to be worn every day the lack of a date was a disadvantage. After some research I found that Tudor by Rolex made a Tudor Chronograph with very similar aesthetics, an Oyster bracelet identical to Rolex with more interesting and attractive dial combinations and with a date function! Not only this but with a triplock oversize crown and water resistant too to 100m!The price at that time for a good example complete with box and papers was $2000 USD. Things have changes a lot – now you will pay between $4000-6000 USD for the best examples. Don’t think the watches are over priced however, the collectors market for early and even recent Daytona’s are driving Tudor Chrono prices upwards. A lack of understanding about Tudor or even knowledge of the existence of these models is the only thing that is slowing down the rise. When you consider the volumes manufactured, how well build the models were up until the mid 1990s, the style and homage to the “Newman” style Daytona dials and the Rolex history these watches are sure to be a great medium term investment while being practical, robust, easy to service and maintain and downright attractive.

My collection of these watches was compiled over an 8 week period. I purchased watches from Australia and Japan. My key requirements were condition, originality, completeness (boxed set with papers) and of course models I believe are future investments and most importantly that I found attractive and would be please to wear. Budget is important too. Some models such as the early Tudor Chronographs (known as the Monte Carlo because of the fancy dial that looks like a roulette table – made from the late 70s to late 80s) are now beyond the reach of many of us (me included) fetching prices of $20,000 USD and above for complete sets with matching numbers. I will not mention those here, nor the very early Tudor Submariners and Military watches which are also increasing commanding big prices. The watch models listed below are what I have purchased and what i would recommend to anyone interested in this brand that wants to spend between $2500-$5000 USD per piece. Rest assured you will be thankful in 5 years when these watches have doubled in price!

Tudor Chronotime Oysterdate Chronograph:

Please note the “60”, “70”, and “80” suffixes in the chrono models below refer to the bezel ring configuration. “60” is a black tachometer insert on fixed bezel. “70” is a uni directional scallop edged beze with a 12 hour insert allowing for setting GMT calculations or longer timing sequences. “80” is an engraved tachometer on settle bezel with black ink in fill.

Models 79160 – 79170-79180.

These are affectionately known as “Big Block” models. The case is deep (14.5mm), they have plexi acrylic plastic crystals with Cyclops date magnifier (2.5x loupe), Oyster style bracelets and clasps. The have a Rolex insignia on the crown (Trip lock) and say made for Tudor by Rolex on the back case. Dial combos are white with black sub dial, Black with white, Silver with black and silver with white sub dials. Water proof to 50m. These are the most collectable of the recent vintage chronographs and most date from the late 1980 to around 1997. Expect to pay between 5-6000 USD for a complete box set/papers with a watch that has recently undergone a full service. It should look just like new after the service!

Models 79260-79270-79280 TRANSITIONAL

In the mid 1990s Tudor replaced the Big Block case with is straighter sides and thicker profile with a more rounded case very similar to the Rolex Daytona of that vintage. The case is not as thick and the plastic crystal was replaced with a sapphire crystal further bringing the thickness of the watch down to approximately 13mm. For approximately 2.5 years (1995,1996,early 1997) Tudor supplied these watches on an Oyster bracelet and continued with the Rolex crown and case back. However in 1997 Tudor signed a deal with Tiger Woods and started to put the word “Tiger” on the dial. At this time they replaced the Rolex insignia on the crown (but still trip lock)with a Tudor one and removed the word “Rolex” from the case back. These are now known as “Transitional” models. I personally believe these are highly undervalued – they typically can be found for around $3-4000 USD but were made in much lower volumes than the Big Block model. They don’t appear on the market frequently and finding a good one can be hard. Although there is a trend to larger watches these days I personally feel that the 792XX series case with the flatter sapphire crystal is the more attractive watch and more comfortable to wear. Dial combinations are the same as before but water proof now to 100m.

Models 79260-79270-79280 Model year 1997-2007 (now discontinued)

These models follow on from the above. The Tiger sponsorship lasted three years and in 2000 the dials started to revert to before without “Tiger” written on them. Tudor introduced their own bracelet style around 2001 to replace the Oyster and it has both advantages and disadvantages to its predecessor. For the vintage collector it is perhaps

too contemporary. It is attractive (in similar style to the Rolex Jubilee) and arguably heavier and better constructed than the Oyster with its flip lock clasp making for a more secure watch when swimming or diving. However some feel that it can be less comfortable and it certainly isn’t as classic as the Oyster which dates back on the Tudor Chrono to the mid 1970s....Towards the end of production Tudor limited the models to the 79260 and 79280 and also introduced polished lugs with a “P” at the end of the model designation. There were a variety of coloured dials in the Tiger and post Tiger era but the classic choice is still the black and white and black and silver combinations true to the earlier 1980s “Big block” and older Daytona “Newman” designs. Production stopped in 2007 never to return. Even today you can still buy one of these new at auction sites and a few stores in Japan. The new price now is more than it was a year ago when still in production – you may want to get one quick as I suspect they will enjoy a following in 10 years time J

Tudor Prince Date Submariner

Here we discuss “Full Size” Tudor dive watches – these continue to be the only real collectable option for Tudor Submariner even though a mid size 36mm (popular in Asia) and Mini-Sub 33mm version was available and reasonably easy to come by.

Tudor Submariner 79090

This is a full size (39mm) dive watch with trip lock crown rated at 200m. Almost identical case size to early vintage Rolex Submariner, complete with plexi plastic crystal and uni directional bezel. Dial and bezel choices were blue or black. Bracelet is early style Rolex Oyster with folded links and a special Tudor flip lock clasp similar to Rolex submariner. Large tritium dial indices with triangle markers for 6,9 an 12 o’clock positions make this one striking dial easy to ready at any time. Mercedes hands and illuminated sweep second hand add to the classic appeal. The case is fairly thin like an early vintage Rolex GMT2 but with the lovely “soft” looking plastic domed crystal total thickness is still around 13-14mm. This model was produced from mid 1970s until early 1990s. Finding one with full link bracelet (13 links) and boxes/papers can be hard but worth the energy. They have Rolex trip lock crown with Rolex insignia and also “Made for Tudor by Rolex” on the ca

se back. The blue dial/bezel model is made in far fewer numbers than the black so rarer still and due to total volumes produced I would estimate this watch will become a sought after collectors piece sooner than later. Already prices for a complete and excellent example range from $2500-3000 USD.

Tudor Submariner 79190

This model was the final Submariner style model for Tudor. It was made from around 1994 until 2001. Towards the end of this period (from around 1998) the model changed (discussed below). Our recommendation is on models made up until the change. Essentially this is the same watch as the 79090 – just a face lift to include a sapphire crystal and mono directional bezel. Thus being more contemporary these watches usually fetch around 10-15% less than a corresponding 79090, however due to the short production period and very limited volumes I expect over time

these to also be quite collectable. From 1998 Tudor replaced the Rolex crown with a Tudor crown (still trip lock) and on the case back the word Rolex was removed making this model less collectable. From 2000 a “Jubilee style” bracelet was fitted similar to the later Tudor Chrono 792XX series discussed above.

So what is the perfect later model semi vintage Tudor collection? Everyone will have their own opinion. My thoughts:

1). 1 x Tudor Chronograph 791XX series in the dial that you like the most with the bezel configuration that pleases you. Full box and papers please and a recent service

is nice to have although you can have this performed once you receive the watch for peace of mind.

2). 1 x Tudor Chronograph 792XX TRANSITIONAL series as above in the configuration of your choice and as complete as possible with not too much polishing to distort the case shape (very easily done to this model)

3). 1 x Tudor Submariner 79090 – Choice of bezel and dial is personal but I think the blue is striking, different from Rolex and more collectable. I started with the blue and then found a MINT watch in Australia in black so now I have two! Complete links, box, warranty papers etc again very desirable. Watch this one go up in value.

4). 1 x Tudor Submariner 79190 – Again same as above although I believe almost none were made with the blue option so you almost certainly have to settle for black here. This is a watch you can still buy today and wear every day as they are only 10 years old. Price guide approximately 2500 USD for a good complete example. Maybe wear it for a few years, have it professionally serviced and polished then put down like a good wine!

My collection is as above. I did also add a contemporary 2007 Tudor Chronograph 79260 (bought brand new). This is the last of the breed and not as collectable as the others but I wanted a watch to wear every day that I had owned from new and that I don’t “worry about” when I do my daily chores. One day I will put it in the collection to use on occasion and hope the value rises too!

A note for collectors. It seems very ha

rd to find Tudor with all the boxes, anchor, booklet, tags, inner and outer boxes and original warranty certificate. I have managed to get complete sets on my watches but in a few cases I had to buy separately boxes, anchors, catalogue etc to complete. Don’t worry though as these sell often on ebay and the price is not too high.

Lastly I must thank my new friend Augsix in Japan for his help with my collection. Augsix helped me collect the majority of my pieces. He is polite, has excellent English and is 100% trustworthy with your money. He can find watches on Japanese auction sites and at the stores and help remove the issue of language and culture. He’s a top bloke and now a good friend of mine and someone I highly recommend. You need to do your own research on what model you wish to buy and how much you wish to spend but when you give him this information he will be faithful to find you a good watch!

More watches 79280 pictures

79190 more pics

Apollo 11 Anniverary Series, what's next.

Apollo 11 moon landing 20th anniversary Omega Speedmaster 1989.

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Apollo 11 25th anniversary (1994)
More pictures here
















Apollo 11 30 th anniversary 1999

More pictures here


















Apollo 11 35 th anniversary 2004
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Apollo 11 40th anniversary 2009. ????????

Seamaster 2254.50, the rumor

The rumor had it, Omega will discontinue 2254.50 and even some blue bond Seamaster 2531.80 or 2220.80. I think Omega just want to do make their brand competitive with Rolex by upgrading their models with their newly launched movement 8500. The prices of all models will rise significantly. How is an example 2254.50. It is used watch but it is the full set including everything from Omega.

Here you can see more photos.

To my friend Peter: Speedmaster Gemini 4 Limited Edition 3565.80

Here is a good review Review by Jorge.

This special Speedmaster model, created for Baselworld 2005, commemorates not only the 40th anniversary of the first space walk, but also the 40th anniversary of the Speedmaster's flight qualification for manned spaceflight missions.

These important milestones are celebrated with a distinctive model with a blue dial and matching blue aluminum ring on the steel bezel. Only 2,005 pieces will be made.


The Gemini 4 limited-edition Speedmaster is characterized by its blue dial and silver counters for the 30-minute and 12-hour chronograph counters and continuous seconds. The blue theme is also continued on the bezel, with the familiar tachymeter scale reproduced on a blue aluminum ring. The commemorative nature of the timepiece is indicated by a subtle red engraving 1965-2005 below the Speedmaster name at 12 o'clock on the dial.

The applied Omega symbol above the name, as well as 12 rhodium-plated hour markers, also add a hint of luxury and indicate that this Speedmaster is special. In all other respects, the watch remains a classic Speedmaster, with the same case, bracelet and hesalite crystal found on the "Moon Watch" - the standard Speedmaster Professional model. Movement is the hand-wind Omega caliber 1861.

However, one of its most striking features is destined to remain hidden most of the time, since it is the distinctive Gemini 4 mission patch, bearing the names of the crew, McDivitt and White, and an illustration of the first space walk, that is etched in colour on the sapphire crystal case back with the engraving "First Space Walk 40th Anniversary" and the limited-edition number (****/2005).

See the photo album of Gemini 4 Click Here

I hope this provide a guide when you buy Gemini 4 watches to compare with photos I provided. This is complete set.

New Ploprof reissue 2009

According some de facto internal news from Omega. Plotprof reissue will be released. Here is some presumed look of Plotprof 2009. It will house an Omega 8500 movement, which is clamed to be an Omega inhouse movement. I am looking forward to this model. To really appreciate the legend of plotprof, go here http://www.deskdivers.com/Site/PloProf.html

Let's see if Omega will really release the same look watch in Basel 2009.

Found a website

The website lists sale information (including wrist watches) from some major international forums.
Go to the following link, you can see all the sale posts on watches at big forums (timezone, watchuseek, etc.)
http://www.elitedealseeker.com/index.cgi?category=watches

Why 3186? Rolex GMT

Here is the original post by CharlesN on Timezone

The wiggle test is a test to see if a GMT II (Non-C) has the 3185 or newer 3186 movement. the 3186 is the new movement as in the New GMT II-C. It seems that Rolex have put the newer 3186 movement in the last batch of GMT II's There are not many GMT II's around with the 3186.# The main difference is that the 3186 has a Parachron Bleu spring. This is less affected by magnetism and seems to be more accurate. On a 3185 when you move the hour hand wit the fast change for altering time zones the Red gmt hand wiggles a bit. On the 3186 it does not wiggle at all. The 3186 also feels a little more "Tight" and smoother when manually winding the watch. The 3185 had several variants of the dial but the II after GMT-Master was a Roman style. The newer 3186 equipped watches seem to all have a slightly different font with just a plain as the indication of 2. This is however NOT a guaranteed test as some of the older GMT II's also had this dial. It looks like any GMT II produced after about November of Last year could have a 3186 That is the last of the "Z" prefix and also the current "M" prefix but again this is not guaranteed method of spotting a 3186. The only real way to spot them is to do the wiggle test.

Rolex GMT Wiggle test

The goal of the Wiggle test is to show whether or not a Rolex is equipped with a new 3186 movement. When you move the hour hand and the GMT hand stands still, it shows your watch has a 3186 movement.
Here is an example http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=WOx7bPguZgI

But why we are keen to 3186 movement?
I will explain later.

My grail watch is this Japan Speedy 3570.40

In 1969, Omega released Mark Series as a new subline of the Speedmaster Professional, the moon watch. The case shape of the Mark series was designed to be different from that of original speedmaster professional series. And, in particular, one of the variants in Mark II bears the orange hands of totalizer. This model with the exotic dial color has been a sought-for until today. Note that the case is not the same as the moon watch case. However, as true for everything, the original is the best. Thus, Omega has stopped producing the Mark series and come back to the case shape of moon watch.

In 2004, Omega reissued a speedmaster professional with the exotic orange hands again. Fortunately, it is not in the case shape of Mark series. But it is in the case of the case shape of the famous Omega Professional series.

This reissue of the Mark II bears the exotic dial and more importantly, it is in the beautiful case shape of Omega professional series. The movement is the Lemania based Omega 1861 which is used on the moon. Hesalite crystal. WR 50 m. Power reserve 48 hours. But it is not numbered. This may the one of the reasons that these watches are cheaper than Snoopy, the blue spacewalk 40 anniversary and the Apollo 15 35 anniversary.

Now even in Japan, this watch is very difficult to find in good condition, needless to say the western market. I have seen some used at lower prices than that I have offered. But they are in bad conditions with many apparent scratches.

The current price is a bit high. I felt the same way when I bought mine. But I think in this way. I feel that I will be much richer someday. So the amount of money I spend today on this watch is nothing as compared to what I will earn 5-10 years later. But 10 years later, I can't find this watch no matter how much money I have.

Here is the story how I started with Omega

Last October (2006), I saw a speedy 3570.40 at an airport duty free shop in Japan. The watch is a limited edition to Japanese domestic market [1]. But I didn’t buy it because I was looking for an Omega which is much functional (GMT, second time zone, day-date) because I frequently jump into different time zones. And the watch should have Sapphire crystal glass. So I was planning to buy a 3520.50 for my casual wear. Oh, here I need to mention that my first purchase of Omega was not successful [2]. (Omega staff told me it was a fake and I was lucky to be able to return it.)

In the following weeks, I read on TZ that some Omega fans are looking for 3570.40. I immediately posted messages telling them I could help to buy that one on my next trip. Some fans PM me saying that I should collect it since it is quite rare.

Waiting for my nest trip was very hard. It seemed that the time has stopped. On Dec. 28, I got a chance to go abroad from Japan. I rushed to the airport. Oh, the watch was still there!! A staff told me that it was the last since they started selling this model. No doubt, I immediately bought it!

Looking at the watch closely at home, I feel the watch is awesome and gorgeous. The red orange hands make the watch very unique in comparison with other speedy models. Someone says it is related to MARK II [3]. I feel the same. But, I still feel the watch is not functional. So I decide to save it and keep it brand new. Hopefully, speedy 50th anniversary model is suitable for my casual wear.

Anyway, this is my FIRST Omega! And I believe this is the LAST 3570.40 available at Omega shops. With this watch as a testimonial, I become a new member of this forum. This may also be a good starting point of collecting Omega watches.

Note: I just came back this Monday and am so eager to “show off”, I took two photos with my mobile phone camera (only 3 mpix). I shall shot some pics this weekend with a better camera.

References:
[1] http://home.xnet.com/~cmaddox/current_recent_speedmaster.html
[2] http://home.xnet.com/~cmaddox/MarkSeries.html