CK2915: Speedmaster One

[LHOOQ 0]

 

After finishing my 6263 Daytona build back in the summer, I hesitated to call it a Grail. To re-cap, I'm not a big fan of the term and the way it's carelessly applied to any watch of interest. There will be no such reservations here.

 

The Omega Speedmaster Professional was my first "real" watch after years of wearing quartz Swatches, Bulovas, and other $100 fashion watches. (I also sported a hand-wind Vostok through high school, but that died in my final year and I didn't know enough to get it fixed.) I underwent months of research before deciding on the vanilla Moon Watch, but during that time I learned a lot about the Speedy's rich history. That was my first exposure to the original '57 Speedmaster, and I started dreaming of owning one, one day. Obviously, I didn't have a clue about how much these things actually cost!

 

 

Harsh Mistress

So let's take a step back and take in a brief history of the Speedmaster. We tend to think of the Speedy Pro as timeless, but the design was only frozen -more or less- in the late 1960s. In the decade before the moon landing, the Speedmaster was in a constant state of evolution. Released in 1957, Speedmaster ref. CK2915 was arguably the first modern chronograph by virtue of its innovative, external tachymeter bezel. (Prior to the Speedmaster, tachymetric scales were drawn on the dial itself. Within a few years, rivals like Rolex (Daytona) and Universal Genève (Tri-Compax) would follow suit.) Beating inside the case was Omega's version of the venerable Lemania 2310 movement. Calibre 321 has become a legend in its own right: First movement to the moon, famously hardy, and a prettier movement than its successor (c.861), to boot.

 

The Speedmaster started out as a flashier watch than it is today, but it wasn’t long before took a backseat to functionality. Omega was dedicated to producing the ideal tool chronograph, and legibility under all conditions was a top priority. The Speedmaster existed in its original form for less than two years. By the end of 1958 and the introduction of the CK2915-3, the engraved steel bezel had been swapped with a black-painted hoop. The distinctive hands (now commonly known as "Broad Arrow" hands, to the chagrin of British military watch buffs) were replaced in subsequent generations by white-painted sticks. Even small details like the applied metal Omega symbol and the polished crystal retention ring were eventually deleted to ensure maximum readability inside a poorly-lit, shaking, and spinning command module.

 

1966 saw the twisting and thickening of the Speedmaster's lugs. More metal now protected the crown and pushers, while the entire watch was noticeably enlarged. It would be a few more years before 'Professional' was added to the dial and Cal.861 would be introduced, but the '66 145.012 would essentially define the look of the Speedmaster for all time. That's a lot of changes for one watch in nine years, but then again, only seven years separated JFK's Rice speech and Neil Armstrong's one small step.

 

The CK2915, to me, is like a diamond in the rough. Refinement brought to the Speedmaster a stark utilitarian beauty, like that of a Staedtler drafting ruler or a Smiths automotive instrument. But I believe that there is even greater beauty in the irrational details of the earlier watch. Sure, the wide, polished-metal hands may block the subdials and produce distracting reflections. But someone decided that they belonged on the watch, perhaps for the simple reason that they looked terrific. How appealing is that sort of will compared to the careful design tweaks that led to the Professional?

 

Interest in the original Speedmaster spiked in 1998 with the release of the Speedmaster ref. 3594.50. Also known as the '57 Reissue, it was basically a standard Moon Watch with a steel bezel, a retro-styled dial, and a new handset. The hands would reappear on the automatic Broad Arrow line of Speedmasters, and then in modified form on the Seamaster Planet Ocean. Either out of respect to the past or due to a bad case of writer’s block, Speedmaster DNA could be found everywhere in the Omega lineup.

 

More recently, Omega unvelied the First in Space aka the "Wally Schirra". This was more of an homage to the 2nd-gen CK2998, but the biggest attraction was its revival of straight lugs on a smaller case. There are a lot of details about the Schirra that I don’t like, but it did get me imagining a “’57 Reissue Done Right”.

 

 

The UnProfessional

For the past two years, it's been a dream of mine to put together a CK2915-alike using a mix of parts from vintage Speedmasters and the '57 Reissue. (More recently, I imagined using the case from the Schirra, but I don't have that sort of money to throw around.) The trick would be finding a straight-lug case in the wild, and that's why the project remained a dream for so long. Post-'66 cases can be plentiful (especially when Watchco has a sale), but in two years I only saw one straight case show up on eBay. It sold for close to $2000. Similarly, Cal. 321 donors have stayed expensive at $1500-2000, and are desirable watches in their own right. Shopping for Valjoux 72s suddenly seemed very cheap, and it was looking as if I'd be better off saving my funds for a genuine, vintage straight Speedy.

 

To my surprise, it turned out that someone had had the same idea as I did, and acted on it. All I had to do was buy it. I saw the listing when it first went up in September. My jaw dropped; here was the literal watch of my dreams, in the metal. Unfortunately, the price was much higher than I could afford, especially since I was in between jobs. The sale was set up as a Dutch auction, but I figured that someone would grab it before it fell within my reach. It hurt, but I gritted my teeth and resolved to forget about it. A week and a half later, my friend and fellow Speedy fanatic Five of Clubs PM’d me about the same listing; we’d discussed my project on several occasions. It turned out that not many people appreciate a good franken outside of our little hobby, and the going price had taken a big tumble. I told 5♧ that I still couldn't afford it, but I started tracking the auction again. Well, long story short... I got it. Here’s how it looked when I received it at the end of September:

 

 

This watch has a 105.003 case, which was the last of the straight-lugged Speedies (and aka the "Ed White"). Inside is a Cal.321, visible through sapphire. All the parts in front are from the Reissue, including a steel bezel that had been trimmed to better match the 2915’s dimensions. It came on a braided NATO strap. The previous owner had fitted it on a non-Speedy Omega bracelet, but wasn't too concerned about historical correctness. It was a beautiful watch, but I could already see plenty of room for improvement.

 

I’d never used The Zigmeister’s services before, but I’d heard many glowing recommendations from people I trusted. There’s also that amazing reputation he enjoys on the boards, and I can confirm that he fully deserves it. Zig is meticulous and really knows his stuff. It sucked that I had to send my Speedmaster away less than a week after I received it, but it’s always best to take the pain early. Here’s the end result:

 

 

So what was done?

 

 

Dial and Hands

As mentioned, the dial and handset come straight from the Reissue. Omega did a terrific job on this dial (in contrast to the somewhat slap-dash appearance of the Schirra), but the white/green SuperLuminova bothered me. Zig is famous for being able to match the color and texture of vintage lume, and I was eager to see what he could do. I sent several color-laser printouts along with the watch so that he'd know exactly what shade of peach/yellow I wanted. I had also wanted to give the dial surface a bit more texture, but Zig thought it might be risky. I could have forced the issue and taken on the full risk of a possibly-ruined, genuine dial, but I'm a bit low on funds at the moment! I figured the lume would be enough to sell a vintage look.

 

 

I also asked Zig to paint the subdial hands white. Most people don't spot this detail; maybe the '98 Reissue convinced everyone that they should be polished metal? I know I didn't even realize it until two weeks after I'd sent the watch away (and viewing many, many photos of genuine examples)! Now I think it plays a crucial part in forcing even experienced Omega spotters to blink twice and think about what they're looking at.

 

 

 

Caseback

Here's the single biggest tell on the watch, but for once I don't care. Replacement Pre-Moon solid casebacks are readily available, but fitting one would mean not being able to see the sweet-looking Cal.321 inside. Is it the column wheel, the horseshoe-shaped chronograph bridge, or the coppery hue of the movement? Whatever. It's beautiful.

 

 

Speedmasters sold with display backs are supposed to have a spacer to hold the movement in place. Curiously, Zig discovered that a piece of a crystal compression ring had been used for this purpose. Zig tossed it and manufactured a new brass spacer ring.

 

 

Crown

As received, the Speedmaster came with a 6.5mm crown--the same as on a modern Moon Watch. Modern crowns are also found on many genuine CK2915s that have been serviced by Omega. (This is a familiar, frustrating story for vintage Rolex guys.) I couldn't find a 2915-correct 6mm crown, so I went with the chunkier 7mm unit from the early-60s. The important thing is that it has the pinched Omega symbol, same as on the dial.

 

 

 

Bracelet and Endlinks

I love the look of old Omega bracelets. A brief search yielded a folded/expanding-link 1035 in decent condition. The 19mm 1035 is not quite right for the CK2915, but the more-correct 7912 and the ideal 7077 sell for roughly twice and thrice the price, respectively. The only difference between the three is the clasp; from the front, these bracelets look identical. Years of wear had left the links with a dull shine. I asked Zig to refinish the links to their original polished/brushed/polished configuration.

 

 

Unfortunately, I couldn't find the correct '6' or '506' endlinks. (If anyone spots a pair, contact me immediately!) Instead, we used the modern '617' endlink, reshaped and refinished by Zigmeister. The only hitch was that Zig was unable to enlarge the opening at the bottom of each endlink. As you can see from the drawing near the top of this post, the deep notch was a distinctive feature on these early Speedies. To be continued...

 

 

 

Straps

Much as I love rattly old bracelets, it's always good to have options. Many genuine CK2915s can be found on leather, and even the Reissue was available with a brown calfskin option. This Hirsch Camelgrain was a good match, and suitably thin for a watch from the 1950s strap. I'm not certain if the buckle is correct for a Speedy, but it does date to the 1950s. There are a lot of fake Omega buckles out there, so be careful.

 

 

 

And then there's the donerix (Hamilton Leather) canvas strap that I wrote about elsewhere. Why was this strap such a big deal? There's a picture floating around the Internet of a stunning CK2915 on a similar strap. I first saw it back in 2009, and it's been my image of a Grail Watch ever since. It seemed like a perfect addition to this project, and I'm fortunate to have a friend who could put a strap together based on that one photo. Thanks, E!

 

 

And so we end with the photos I couldn't squeeze in anywhere else. Seasoned LHOOQ observers will undoubtedly notice that these are all taken with natural light, for a change.

 

 

This is a very special watch to me. I hope you enjoyed reading about it.

[Luthier 1]

Fantastic job, mate!!! Enjoy this beauty!

[Higs 73]

Always good to start my day with a nice coffee, reading about and looking at a beautiful watch.

[Burnleybezel 29]

Outstanding..

 

 

 

B.B

[BluffCityBandit 0]

epic post

[stiltzkin 0]

Oh my....

 

Speechless!!!

 

 

Wow - just wow!!!

 

[Abagnale 0]

beautiful watch, well made buddy...

 

cheers

[Arism 26]

Always a pleasure reading your posts!

Gorgeous piece, wear it in good health!

[solkryssare 109]

Amazing review and story Martin! You can truly feel your passion through the screen when reading it

[Prancuzas 0]

Stunning!

 

[Cyril_Clunge 0]

Fantastic watch, fantastic write up as usual. Once again a post of yours makes me want to throw my watch collection away and start again! Congratulations on a fabulous watch.

[fana05 0]

Holy Santa Claus shit. Looks a million dollars!! I've been reading the weekly speedy tuesday posts on fratellowatches and I don't think one of the watches featured came even close to being as beautiful as this

 

Payment sent!!!!

Edited December 7, 2012 by fana05

[PeterPotamus 2]

wonderful watch and excellent post

[2point 21]

Great post, thanks for sharing that beauty with us.

[kieron1968 0]

Stunning watch and a stunning review. Puts us to shame.

 

Many thanks for sharing this beauty with us.

 

Cheers

[houndoggie 58]

Awesome write up. Gorgeous Speedmaster that was a labor if love.

[houndoggie 58]

For those interested in getting into a gen speedmaster, the 1957 re issue is a great way to do it. They typically run $400-$500 LESS used than the basic speedmaster pro and are essentially the same watch albeit with a little more class. Used speedmaster pros have really appreciated the last few years, nearly doubling in value, but there doesn't seem to be such a high demand for the reissue. Go figure.

[dynne 0]

Oh mega!

Amen.

[razorblade 0]

Awesome!

[LHOOQ 0]

Thanks, everyone!

 

For those interested in getting into a gen speedmaster, the 1957 re issue is a great way to do it. They typically run $400-$500 LESS used than the basic speedmaster pro and are essentially the same watch albeit with a little more class. Used speedmaster pros have really appreciated the last few years, nearly doubling in value, but there doesn't seem to be such a high demand for the reissue. Go figure.

Prior to this project, I'd been tracking Reissue prices for some time. Less than two years ago, you could have picked one up for ~$1500, from a trusted Japanese seller. Even now, a bit of patience can net you a Reissue for less than 2K. That's still a very good deal for one of the best special edition Speedies that Omega has ever created.

[Five of Clubs 0]

Once again a post of yours makes me want to throw my watch collection away and start again!

 

Now that you mention it, I almost literally did this exact thing about two years ago after reading LHOOQ's posts on various fora. (I actually sold them all and started over, retaining just one Citizen as a beater).

 

Anyway, thanks to you LHOOQ for letting me be part of the process so that I could share the excitement. I love it that such a deserving WIS got something he cherishes. It really is a beauty.

[James. 4]

[gB. 0]

Looks very nice. Enjoy!

[P4GTR 0]

great watch bud, very impressive. Zig's work is always a pleasure to see, and equally as impressive.

[Dendo 93]

Thanks. Your passion is infectious and inspiring.