2017 Omega Speedmaster Professional Sapphire 311.33.42.30.01.002
Ref: 311.33.42.30.01.002
Specification
Lugs : 20mm
Condition : Pre-Owned
Box & Papers : Box & Papers
Case Material : Stainless Steel
Warranty : 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty
Points of Mention
This watch is sold with its Omega large presentation box (Some damage to the outer box), Omega paperwork, plus the extras in the box, including the Omega Spring bar removal tool, Omega medallion paperweight, and Omega loop. The watch comes paired with its original 20mm Omega stainless steel brushed and polished full-sized bracelet with its push-button release deployment clasp, all links are provided, plus a 20mm Omega NATO, Omega 20mm leather strap with deployment clasp. The watch dates from June 2017 and is sold in worn, unpolished condition, as you can see from the photographs. A full case and bracelet refurb can be provided at an additional cost. The watch comes with our 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty.
For more photos see here - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Kmxunq-dLJ4SczcdYzHtBoOyG9eI0_Xu?usp=drive_link
4K YouTube video, skip to 9:41 - https://youtu.be/VTHvDGc-w64
The Watch
Here we have a 2017 Omega Speedmaster Professional “Sapphire Sandwich” 311.30.42.30.01.002, which is now discontinued, this is the reference for the strap version, the strap is included in the box, the previous owner then purchased the 20mm OEM Omega stainless steel bracelet at a later date. The 42mm stainless steel case has polished and brushed surfaces that lead to the characteristic twisted tapering lugs, the crisp lines transition effortlessly around the case and a lug-to-lug length of 48mm and a case thickness of 13mm ensure a comfortable fit on the wrist. Down the right side, we have the recessed piston chronograph pushers and a signed crown in the centre. A fixed tachymeter sits on its black bezel. The black dial is protected by a domed Sapphire crystal AR coated on the inside, and an outer minute track with slim baton indexes marks the hours, 3 recessed Sub-dials are made up of 60 seconds, 30 minutes, and 12 hours. Slender sword hands and an elegant long central chronograph seconds hand accurately hit the minute track, the dial has perfect symmetry and hands and indexes are lumed with Super-Luminova. The screw-down sapphire exhibition case back is engraved with “The First watch worn on the Moon” a fitting testament to man's achievements in space, inside we have the manually wound Omega Cal. 1863, 18 jewels, hand-wound chronograph beating at 21,600 bph,. it has a Rhodium-plated finish. Omega has gone the extra mile to decorate this Cal. 1863 with cotes-de-Geneve on the bridges and fine polishing on the edges of those bridges and levers, creating an incredibly attractive movement, which I am sure you will spend many an hour admiring, it is the direct descendant of the original moon watch that used the Cal. 361 a manual wound movement. The watch comes paired with a 20mm OEM Omega stainless steel brushed and polished full-sized bracelet with its push-button release deployment clasp, all links are provided plus a 20mm Omega NATO, Omega 20mm leather strap with deployment clasp. The watch comes with its Omega large presentation box, including the Omega Spring bar removal tool, Omega medallion paperweight, and Omega loop and paperwork.
Personal Note
The Speedmaster is a forever classic with a timeless design that they nailed from its conception all those years ago, with the professional model going relatively unchanged over the years with subtle upgrades this reference was one of the final before the Co-Axial came in and replaced the Cal. 1863 featured in this "Sapphire Sandwich". If you love the Speedmaster Professional but don't want the worry of a hesalite, this is the model for you.
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 with 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 group.