The Breitling Watch Source Forums

Why actually write "Co-Axial" on the face?

That goes on the same list as having "16v" on the back of a car, "Ceramic Plate" on your iron or "Air" on your trainers. Who cares apart from the owner, who shouldn't have to look in order to know that his watch has sixteen valves or that his car has a co-axial movement or that his shoes have continuous steam? Yes, I know my Breitling says "Chronometre Certifie" on the face and to be honest, I don't think much of that either. But at least it's a seal of approval from someone other than Breitling. Gosh, I must run out and buy the latest Speedmaster so other Omega owners know that I won't be having mine serviced as often as theirs.

Nice watch apart from that.

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Follow me through my Journalism degree

Hahahahaha. Brilliantly put.

Time to resurrect this thread again, as I've stumbled across the following:
http://forums.timezone.com/index.php?t= ... sg_4564225

44.25mm Speedy Rattrapante with date, grey dial and bezel - what do we reckon? I'm going to have to try to find out some more about the movement.

Can't find any info on the movement for this one, but sadly (to judge from the size and layout) I'd have to say it's probably the 33XX-derived 3612. Shame, I really liked the look of it.

I really shouldn't probably bring this up but I will anyway. Out of all the Omegas I have owned-PO 45, Railmaster, Speedmaster, Conni, Seamaster, to name a few I have never had to send one of them in for repair. I don't know much about movement models but I know that I have had to send three of my Breitlings in for warranty issues before they were a year old. Don't get me wrong I love my Breitlings. I am just going on my experience. I don't see the problem with the Omega brand.

Best, Mark

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Rolex 42mm Explorer
IWC Ingenieur

A few others too.

For some reason I didn't see this link the first time round. Sorry Otto!

Not a big fan of that ratty Speedy to honest. To me a Speedy should be the classic black dial with white hands. Nothing else is classic enough to my mind!

I'm still gong to hang out for that 44.25 mm in-house Speedy!

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Driver8

Site Moderator

Fair enough, D8. Personally I like the look of the ratty but I can certainly see your point.

Anyway, since posting that link I have become the owner of a classic 3570 Speedy (hesalite and all) and I love it, more so than I expected actually. I thought the size would trouble me, but it doesn't. And every time a show about the moon landing has been on tv, I've had to go and put it on (bit sheepish about that, really ). I'm half minded to encourage you to give one a try (or another try, if you've previously done so) but then again your wrist is bigger than mine, and so is your collection.

mah - can't see any reason why you shouldn't bring that up, it's a useful observation from someone who has had the experience of owning all of those watches. I've certainly got no problem with the Omega brand, in fact I'm a big fan, I just have some misgivings about a particular series of movements. Even if the problems have been fixed now, or at least don't rear their heads as often, there seems to be a general feeling on some other sites that Omega will eventually abandon it and come up with something else, and the 33XX series will become a historical irrelevancy. Won't happen to my Speedy though.

I'm finally up to speed on this thread, and have a couple things to add. If you like the look of the speedy, get over the size and just buy a 42mm classic speedy with the Lemania based handwound movement. It is easily my most comfortable watch, it has a classic look and the movement is absolutely bulletproof. Mine is over 10 years old and is keeping time to +0 over 3-4 days, nevr been serviced. There will never be a substitute for the classic moon watch, the history, the style, the ability for any watchmaker to service it (unlike Coaxials), you just can not go wrong having a moonwatch in your collection.

As for the 3313 movement, I have a POC with this movement and it has been great. It s running a bit slow (consistently) but otherwise is working flawlessly and is a fantastic watch. Like MAH, I have had great experiences with Omega and would not hesitate to own Omegas.

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Nicely put, Mark, and great shots. Is that the one with the hesalite on the front and sapphire on the back?

I agree the Moon Watch is the classic (and dare I say "proper") Speedy to have, but the size is an issue for me. I went out and tried a standard Navi again at the weekend as I thougth I was coming round to the smaller pieces, but it just looked daft on me IMO.

Also, the Hesalite crystal bothers me - yes I know it's got the history behind it and I know it's easy to polish if it get's scratched, but I just like my sapphire!

The 33** series watches seem a real mixed bag looking at reviews. Unfortunately it IS renowned as being a somewhat fragile movement, but there are a number of people out there who have never experienced any problems at all. What I will say is that I've owned a few Omegas myself (all Seamasters) and they were amongst the most accurate and trouble-free autos that I've ever owned. Most first auto Seamaster (pre Co-Ax days) was accurate to about 2 seconds per WEEK(!), and had one of the smoothest second hands I've ever come across. To be honest, while I've always preferred Breitlings as a package, I've generally been much more impressed with Omega's timekeeping abilites over the years.

If there wasn't the possible spectre of a 44mm in-house Speedy on the horizon if that TZ thread is to be believed, I might've considered risking this 3313 equiped Speedy, but as it is I think I'll wait a little longer. And besides, the Ploprof 2009 will DEFINITELY have my name on it before then if only I could find one in the shops to try on!

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Driver8

Site Moderator

Standard Navi looks too small to me too. But the Speedy doesn't, at least not any more.

As for the hesalite issue, just get the sapphire sandwich instead. Which is what I would have chosen if I had free choice, but it was a trade and hesalite was all that was on offer. I must say it's not bothering me at all, in fact I'm really liking the shape from side-on.

Yes, mine is the Hesalite front, sapphire back. I NEVER thought I would own an acrylic crystalled watch, but in all honesty, it had not bothered me one bit. In fact, it has a look that I like, it feels different when I wipe it, and it is warm to the touch. Other than that, a polish every 6 months should keep it looking as clear as my sapphire watches. Plus it has a place in history, as the hesalite is vital to the Nasa flight certification.

As for size, this watch somehow bridges the gap between other 42mm watches, and the monster trend. The dial is very large in proportion to the case, so the watch has presence on the wrist. I have nothing else under 43.5mm in my collection, all chunky watches, and the Speedy looks perfect on my 7.25" wrist. It is probably one of the most bullet proof watches you can own, with style that will never be dated. It looks as relevent today as it did in 1965. In fact, the dial and the delicate markers, hands and subdials looks refreshing next to my other watches.

My advice... buy a speedy Moonwatch, either classic 3570.50, sapphire sandwich 3573.50, or discontinued hesalite/sapphire 3572.50... don't judge it too quickly. Surf the Speedy fan sites and see just how important this watch has been and how amazing the movement is. Wear it, admire it, inspect it, live with it, let it cast its spell on you. And you will wonder how you lived without one for so long. If you decide to sell it, there is no shortage of buyers, resales are almost instant. Then after a few days, weeks or months, you will start looking for another... because almost nobody can sell a speedy without missing it and buying another. Seriously. (I'm on #5 )

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One more thing. I don't mean to sound negative about the new 44.25 speedy, but to me, it is akin to the new Camaro remake, or the Dodge Charger remake. It is a watch that pays hommage to the original, but shares nothing in common with the original other than some dial elements. Different size, movement, date, and bracelet. The way I see it, I'd rather buy the original, or buy a PO which uses the same movement and houses it in an original case and dial design. I'm sure i'm overthinking this, and surely you are thinking I am too particular, but thats just how I feel. There is too much history behind the moonwatch to mess with it. I guess it is almost like seeing the pathetic Ocean7 Ploprof abortion (flame retardant suit on). You just don't mess with a watch with such historical significance.

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Crickey, with a write up like that, I'm almost on the verge of buying one! I respect your watch knowledge Mark, so for you to be this vocal about it then it must have that little something extra.

Even so, I must admit that I really like the "re-imaginings" of various classic watches that some manufacturers are creating these days - the IWC Big Pilot, the Omega Ploprof, the Panerai 1950 models, etc, so I will probably still just hold fire to see what Omega finally come up with on the in-house Speedy front. If it's not for me, then I may look a little more closely at the classic moon watch. (Well, not quite the classic, as it'd always be the 3570.50 for me!)

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Driver8

Site Moderator

While I can't share Mark's passion for Omega (sorry), I don't see modern interpretations detracting from the original. In the Breitling world the 806 is still the 'classic' Navitimer, but it didn't score well in the 'what's your favourite Navitimer' thread a few months ago and the modern Navitimer range (in my opinion) adds to the legacy rather than detracting from the original.

I tend to see the same thing will all brands, although I do have a bit of an issue with the lower cost manufacturer 'homage' pieces that are essentially copies.