1995 Omega Speedmaster Apollo XI Tritium 3592.50
Ref: 3592.50
Specification
Lugs : 20mm
Condition : Pre-Owned
Box & Papers : None
Case Material : Stainless Steel
Warranty : 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty
Points of Mention
This watch is sold as "Watch Only" and therefore comes with no original Omega box or Omega paperwork, but does come with an Omega service case and all the original parts that have been replaced in the 2023 service, paperwork included for the service. The watch comes paired with a brushed 20mm Omega stainless steel bracelet with a signed folding clasp, the bracelet will fit up to a 7.15-inch wrist. The watch is from Circa. 1995 and is in worn condition but overall very fair as you can see from the photos. The watch comes with our 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty.
For more photos see here - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1pV_Iyf_X44_iR1stvRDRWIobU4h-Oecn?usp=drive_link
4K YouTube video, skip to 8:00 - https://youtu.be/6rqLw18q1Ak
The Watch
Here we have a 1995 Omega Speedmaster Apollo XI Tritium 3592.50 with a 42mm stainless steel case, polished and brushed surfaces lead to the characteristic twisted lugs, and the crisp lines transition effortlessly around the case, with a lug-to-lug length of 48mm and a case thickness of 13.5mm ensuring a comfortable fit on the wrist. Down the right side, we have the chronograph pushers which sit close to the case and a screw-down signed crown in the centre. A fixed tachymeter sits on its black bezel, the black dial is protected by a domed crystal, an outer minute track with slim baton indexes coated in Tritium that has gone a vintage cream colour to mark the hours. Three recessed Sub-dials are 60 seconds, 30 minutes, and 12 hours. Sword hands and an elegant long central chronograph second hand accurately hits the minute track. The dial has perfect symmetry. Hands are Omega service replaced with originals in the package. The screw-down exhibition case back is engraved with “Apollo XI”, “The First watch worn on the Moon” a fitting testament to man's achievements in space, inside we have the gilt manually wound Omega Cal. 863, hand-wound chronograph beating at 21,600 bph. As a manual wound movement, it is the direct descendant of the original moon watch that used the Cal. 361 movement. The watch comes with a brushed 20mm Omega stainless steel bracelet with a signed folding clasp, and the watch comes with its Omega service case and all the original parts that have been replaced in that 2023 service, with paperwork included for the service.
Personal Note
A Speedmaster with a hesalite crystal and a sapphire back? That is exactly what this wonderful Apollo XI (3592.50) provides! All the charm I personally love about a hesalite Speedy but with the added benefit of being able to see the manually wound calibre 863 with its finer finishing... Fresh from a 2023 Omega Service this is ready to be worn and enjoyed for another 20+ years and way into the future!
The Brand
They were formerly known as the La Generale Watch Co. in 1848 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 with their production starting 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 Swatch Group.