1990s Omega Speedmaster MK40 Triple-Date Automatic
Ref: 3520.53.00
Specification
Lugs : 18mm
Condition : Pre-Owned
Box & Papers : Omega Pouch
Case Material : Stainless Steel
Points of Mention
This watch is sold with its Omega pouch. It comes paired with its 18mm Omega polished and brushed stainless steel bracelet secured by a signed clasp and will fit up to a 6.9-inch wrist, plus its original worn 18mm Omega leather strap and pin buckle, the strap is well worn. The watch is from Circa. Late 1990s and is sold in worn condition, but overall, it is in very fair condition, as you can see. The watch comes with our 12-Months Non-Waterproof Warranty.
For more photos see here - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1LVQoA9qX6cBNifUbdtJbRYNHctbnpsCh?usp=drive_link
4K YouTube video, skip to 9:17 - https://youtu.be/4TtmKRB54ng
The Watch
Here we have a 1990s Omega Speedmaster MK40 Triple-Date Automatic with a 39mm polished and satin-finished case that fits snuggly on the wrist thanks to the characteristic twisted lugs, its curved flanks lead to a lug-to-lug length of 44.5mm and a case thickness of 13.5mm ensures a comfortable fit. Down the right side, we have the chronograph pushers and a signed crown in the centre. The fixed stainless steel bezel has a black aluminium Tachymetre insert with silver numerals. The domed crystal protects a matte grey dial, a date outer track with its indicator hand ending in a yellow-tipped jet pointer showing the correct date. Applied Arabic indexes indicate the hours coated in luminescence; we have three sunken dials: a 30-minute dial that incorporates the Day and Month at 12 o’clock, followed by a 12-hour dial at 6 o’clock, and finally, a 24-hour dial at 9 o’clock with blue and black indicating night and day, perfect for the intrepid explorer or executive travelling around the world. Sword hands filled with lume and a red chronograph hand complete a very elegant dial, a screw-down case back complete with the Hippocampus, inside an automatic Omega Cal. 1151, 25 jewels, 28,800 beats per hour. It comes paired with its 18mm Omega polished and brushed stainless steel bracelet secured by a signed deployant clasp and will fit up to a 6.9-inch wrist, plus its original 18mm Omega leather strap and pin buckle. The watch comes with its Omega pouch.
Personal Note
Who doesn't love an Omega Speedmaster MK40? The added pop of colour to an already amazing reference is the extra touch we didn't know we needed. This late 90s reference 3520.53 comes paired with its super comfortable bracelet and has its fitted Omega strap in the pouch, the subdials have developed a subtle spotted patina which is incredibly attractive in the metal. Whilst the dial can appear quite complicated at first glance, once you realise what everything is displaying it becomes a super easy-to-read and rather useful display. I have noticed over the years I'm unable to find nice examples as easy as I used to, so I would not hesitate to add this one to your collection today whilst you can!
The Brand
Formerly known as the La Generale Watch Co. in 1848, it was founded by Louis Brandt in La Chaux-de-Fonds. When he died in 1879, his sons carried on his dream. In 1880, they moved to 96 Rue Jakob-Stampfli, where they remain today. The brothers produced their first mass-produced calibre, the Labrador In 1885. Just a few years later, in 1892, they produced the first minute-repeater. 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, when astronaut Wally Schirra wore a Speedmaster on his Mercury Sigma 7 Mission, making it the first Omega watch to enter space. After rigorous 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. In 1969, President Nixon famously said it was “too valuable” and turned down the first-ever all-gold Speedmaster Professional Deluxe. As a response to the ever-growing threat of electronic watches to the manufacturers of mechanical watches, Omega and many Swiss brands such as Rolex and Patek Philippe formed Centre Electronique Horologer (CEH). Prototypes began to appear in 1967, and their 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 branded itself from SMH to the Swatch Group. Then, in 1999, they purchased and integrated Breguet into the Swatch Group.