1998 Omega Speedmaster Reduced/Automatic 39mm
Ref: 3510.50.00
Specification
Lugs : 18mm
Condition : Pre-Owned
Box & Papers : Omega Pouch
Case Material : Stainless Steel
Warranty : 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty
Points of Mention
This watch is sold with its Omega pouch. It comes paired with its original 18mm Omega polished and brushed stainless steel bracelet secured by a signed folding clasp. The bracelet will fit up to a 7.25-inch wrist, plus an 18mm “Uncle President” “stainless steel bracelet; all links are included. The watch is from Circa 1998 and is sold in worn but very fair condition, as you can see from the photos. It comes with our 12-month NON-Waterproof Warranty.
For more photos see here - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1OdRzVREdzaGKXpcp99VdFbpKRXueNVmH?usp=drive_link
4K YouTube video, skip to 10:37 - https://youtu.be/8YANC3aOsbE
The Watch
Here we have a 1998 Omega Speedmaster Reduced/Automatic, which has a 39mm stainless steel case with polished and brushed surfaces that lead the eye to the characteristic twisted lugs, the crisp polished and brushed lines transition effortlessly around the case, and a lug-to-lug length of 44.5mm and a thickness of 11.5mm ensures a comfortable fit on the wrist. On the right side, you find the chronograph pushers and a crown that sits slightly lower than the pushers due to the movement. A fixed tachymeter sits on its black bezel. The dial is protected by a domed Hesalite crystal and an outer minute track with slim baton indexes marking the hours; the inclusion of a 60-minute scale stems back to its racing heritage. Three slightly recessed Sub-dials, small seconds, 12 hours, and 30 minutes, are significantly spaced out, and the running seconds are on the opposite side compared to its larger brother, the 42mm Speedmaster Professional. Sword hands and an elegant long central chronograph second hand. Hands and indexes are lumed with Super-Luminova. At 12 o’clock, the logo and text are precisely printed, and instead of “Professional”, Omega has replaced it with “Automatic”. On the reverse, with a snap on case back, in the centre, we have the embossed Hippocampus along with Speedmaster, inside an automatic Omega Cal. 3220, 47 jewels, 28,800 beats per hour, the movement is based on an ETA 2892-A2 calibre, with a Dubois-Dépraz 2020 chronograph module stacked on top. It comes paired with its original 18mm Omega polished and brushed stainless steel bracelet secured by a signed folding clasp and will fit up to a 7.25-inch wrist plus an 18mm “Uncle President” stainless steel bracelet; all links are included, and it comes with its Omega pouch.
Personal Note
The Omega Speedmaster Reduced/Automatic in 39mm is undeniably a classic among watch collectors and is regularly seen in collections, for good reason. If you are a fan of the original Speedmaster Professional but prefer something a bit smaller this is the watch for you. I would not hesitate to book an appointment to try this one on for yourself, it works great on the wrist and looks great on leather straps, just like the Speedmaster Professional!
The Brand
Formerly known as the La Generale Watch Co., it was founded by Louis Brandt in La Chaux-de-Fonds in 1848. When he passed away in 1879, his sons quickly stepped in to carry on their father’s vision. In 1880, they moved to 96 Rue Jakob-Stampfli, where they remain today. In 1885, the brothers released their first mass-produced calibre, the Labrador; later, in 1892, they developed the first minute-repeating timepiece. In 1903, they renamed the company Omega until 1982, when they officially changed their name to Omega SA. During WW1, Omega watches were used as official timekeepers for the Royal Flying Corps and the US Army. In 1930, Omega and Tissot merged together to form Société Suisse pour l'Industrie Horlogère (SSIH). In 1931, another group was formed - Allgemeine Schweizerische Uhrenindustrie AG (ASUAG). Where SSIH was primarily French-speaking, ASUAG was founded by the more German-speaking members of the Swiss watch industry. In 1948, they introduced the first edition of one of its most symbolic watches: the Seamaster. Omega first introduced the Constellation in 1952. At the time, it was Omega's flagship timepiece. The first models had a Cal. 354 bumper movement in them. Later, in 1955, Omega introduced the Automatic Cal. 50x, followed in 1959 by the Cal.55x (no date) and 56x (date) versions. Many of the Constellations came with pie-pan dials, diamond indexes, and fancy lug configurations. All the gold Constellations of that time have the Observatory of Geneva's hand engraved on the back. The stainless steel and stainless steel/gold versions had a gold medallion on the back with the Observatory of Geneva. The eight stars above the Observatory stand for the many exploits of Omega in the world Chronometer competition. Celebrating the fact that all Constellations are Chronometer Certified. In 1962, Omega made history when astronaut Wally Schirra wore a Speedmaster on his Mercury Sigma 7 Mission, making it the first Omega watch to enter space. After stringent tests, NASA used Omega for all their Apollo missions, including the 1969 Moon landing of Apollo 11. Today, Omega is still an astronaut's first choice of timepiece. In 1969, President Nixon famously turned down the opportunity to be gifted the first-ever all-gold Speedmaster Professional Deluxe because he deemed it to be “too valuable.” As a response to the ever-growing threat of electronic watches to the manufacturers of mechanical watches, Omega, in collaboration with Swiss brands such as Rolex and Patek Philippe, formed Centre Electronique Horloger (CEH). Prototypes began in 1967, and production started in 1968. Then, In 1972, Omega introduced the reference 198.030, which included the Omega calibre 1250, a ‘tuning-fork electronic movement which was made under licence from Bulova. Later we saw a merger of SSIH and ASUAG into SMH, or Société de Microélectronique et d’Horlogerie. This merger took place in 1983. In 1992, the company acquired Blancpain, and in 1998, it officially rebranded itself from SMH to the Swatch Group. Then, in 1999, they purchased and integrated Breguet into the group.