Do you really want THIS Speedmaster?

The Omega Speedmaster Mark 4 Professional Automatic was launched in 1974. It was fitted with Calibre 1045, a second generation of automatic chronometer movements. The first one was cal.1041 but while the two movements were designed and released in a span of just two years, the 1045 will be remembered as the ugliest Omega movement ever manufactured. And by ugly I mean cheap crap containing cheap plastic parts and cheaply stamped unfinished sheet metal levers. The shame of Swiss manufacturing, a disgrace to fine mechanical engineering; a blasphemy to design, an abomination of horology.  Rightly, you ask “why?” The answer is simple: the writing was on the wall - the end of mechanical watches was nearing fast. The Swiss Titanic was sinking, and in desperation, Raoul-Henri Erard and Albert Piguet thought that the cheaply made calibre 1045 will be the lifebuoy they desperately needed. It surely wasn't. As Napoleon once said, “What is history but a fable, agreed upon?” - and horological history, like all else, is written by the winners. Omega reference book ‘Omega - a journey through time’ mentions calibre 1045 briefly, as a 'derivative' of 1041. By definition, derivative is a product having a value deriving from an underlying variable asset. And while 1041 was an asset which could lend itself for improvement, 1045 failed to deliver any value at all. The bottom line: stay away from any 50 year old watches containing plastic parts. Such watches are not only difficult to repair, but finding spare parts, is almost impossible. Even when parts are available, plastic deteriorates over time. Common signs of deterioration include discoloration (yellowing or opacifying), crazing and cracking, warping, or parts simply 'become sticky'. None of what you want or need in a mechanical watch. Today, we have completed yet another restoration of Omega calibre 1045. And by 'we' I mean Andrew who slaved for two days to get the Mark 4 back into working order. "Never again" I say, but then again, watchmakers are like dogs - throw them a stick and they'll run to catch it. You should be smarter: as a collector, you simply cannot afford to put you’re hard earned cash into a watch - regardless of brand - which fails a basic longevity test. There are literally thousands of great Omega models out there waiting for you; so save your pennies for cooler stuff.

Speedy Friday

This doesn't happen too often, but today we have completed servicing four Speedmasters. All four are customer repair jobs and in each and every case, the reason why we are trusted with the servicing is not because we are cheaper than Omega but because we would do absolutely anything humanly possible to preserve the original dial and hands and the originality and integrity of these watches. To see all 4 ticking, visit our Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicholashackowatch/

The Moon Watch - Omega Speedmaster restoration

On March 1st, 1965, OMEGA's Speedmaster chronograph was "flight-qualified by NASA for all manned space missions" as the only wristwatch to have withstood all of the U.S. space agency's severe tests under conditions of zero gravity and magnetic fields, extreme shocks, vibrations and temperatures ranging from -18 to +93 degrees Celsius. In the same month, the watch was for the first time worn officially on board the Gemini 3 mission.

In April 1970, the OMEGA Speedmaster rescued the Apollo 13 mission from a potential disaster, earning OMEGA the "Snoopy Award", the highest distinction awarded by the NASA astronauts. In another historical event, the Speedmaster was worn on the wrists of both the American astronaut Tom Stafford and the Russian cosmonaut Alexei Leonov during the historic Apollo-Soyuz space rendezvous. This was also the first time the cosmonauts wore the OMEGA Speedmaster. Ever since, the Speedmaster has been the official chronograph of all Russian manned space missions.

The greatest moment in the Speedmaster's history was undoubtedly July 21st, 1969 at 02:56 GMT, when it recorded man's first steps on the Moon's surface. The Apollo 11 mission was a milestone in history and the Speedmaster became the first watch (and the only watch since) to be worn on the Moon. With this unique accomplishment came a unique nickname: the Moon Watch.

This particular example came in a rather sad condition. Neglected by its owner, it was long time overdue for a decent overhaul. But it is a story with a happy ending.

Total restoration time: 7 hours.

Photos of complete overhaul, case and movement restoration.

Happy collecting!