FAQ on the Omega Speedmaster Professional :

This FAQ have been created after compiling a certain number of common questions submitted by some readers of this website and some members of the Omega forum : do not hesitate to suggest me new FAQ to make this list evolve

Historical questions

 

When the Speedmaster was introduced on the market ?

The Speedmaster was introduced in 1957

Why the Speedmaster Professional is called "the moon watch" ?

Because it heve been selected by NASA in 1965 to be the standard watch of astronauts therefore equip the men of the Apollo missions

As the official chronograph for all Apollo missions, the Speedmaster Professional was worn by Frank Borman and crew on man’s first journey to orbit the moon during Christmas of 1968

Anybody might think that the first watch on the moon was worn by Neil Armstrong … but …he did not wear his Speedmaster on his walk on the moon. An instrument had malfunctioned during the LEM’s Decent and his Speedmaster was left in the LEM to serve as a backup timer,: the very first watch to be worn on the moon was Aldrin’s Speedmaster

To learn more about the NASA speedmasters read the "NASA" section of this website here.

Which models of the Speedmaster have been to the moon ?

The known models of the Speedmaster which have been to the moon are the 105.003, the 105.012 and the 145.012 , all of theses watches where fitted with the Omega 321 caliber

So do you mean that the actual version of the Speedmaster professional (the one with the Caliber 861/1861) has never been to the moon ?

Yes indeed, there is NO evidence that any Speedmaster professional with the actual movement have ever been to the moon , but Speedmasters with the Omega 861 movements have made Apollo missions : the Apollo-Soyuz

When did the "professional" word first appear on the Speedmaster dials ?

The "Professional" word appear in summer 1965 (and not in 1966 as commonly read) on the Speedmaster dials on the following models : 105.003 and 105.012

Which version of the Speedmaster is "NASA approved"

The version of the Speedmaster which is qualified for manned mission is the standard version of the Speedmaster : hesalite crystal and plain back : 3570.50

What does mean "Straight lugs" ?

"Straight lugs" is a "Speedmaster maniac slang" to designate the first versions of the Speedmasters which have a different shape of lugs compared to the actual watch : the CK 2915, the CK 2998 , the 105.002 and 105.003 : check the "history" section of this website to spot the differences

How can I date my Speedmaster Professional ?

Please use the "S/N / Year" table of this website here

Questions regarding models / features

 

Does the Speedmaster Professional exist in automatic ?

No, not in the modern range : there is no automatic version of the professional , however some automatic speedmasters do exist and some look like a professional : the Speedmaster "reduced" and the Broad Arrow

Speedmaster professional automatics do existed but they are now discontinued : thoses where in the "Mark" series : see history section of this website here

Is there any version of the Speedmaster professional with date ?

Yes : the moonphase version do have the date feature, but there is no "regular" version of the speedmaster professional with the date feature despite the picture you may have seen in the "prototype" gallery of this site : here

Again there where some "professional" with the date feature : see the "Mark" series

Is there any quartz version of the Speedmaster professional ?

Yes ! the X-33 is indeed labelled "professional" but this watch is commonly named after its factory name X-33 , in the past Omega also produced one LCD watch with the "professional" name

Which versions of the Speedmaster Professional are fitted with a display back ?

Two versions of the Speedmaster do have a display back , one (now discontinued) have an hesalite crystal (3572.50) the other the sapphire crystal (3573.50) both share the "luxury" finish version of the 861/1861 movement the 863/1863

Is the Speedmaster Professional COSC certified ?

No it is not (at the exception of some gold and skeleton editions) but this does not mean that it could not be an excellent timekeeper , finely regulated a speedmaster professional can be very accurate and within the COSC specifications (-4/+6 s/day)

Is the movement of my Speedmaster professional manufactured by Omega ?

No it is not , Omega have always used Lemania movements in the Speedmaster professionals , from 1957 to 1968 the Lemania 2310 have been used by Omega , then Omega decided to ak to Lemania to devellop a simplier and improved version of this movement : the Lemania 1873 look to the movement section on this website here

Questions regarding purchase of the Speedmaster

 

Could you recommand me a good website to purchase a brand new Speedmaster ?

No : simply because if you pruchase your Speedmaster on-line it will not been reconized by Omega : Authorised dealers do NOT sell on line (following Omega policy) and on-line dealers only propose "grey market" watches which are not covered by the international warranty : if you want to purchase a new Speedmaster visit an authorised Omega Dealer look for the list of authorised dealers in your country on the official Omega website here

Where can I find good second hand spedmasters ?

E-bay is of course an obvious source , but beware of fakes or "too good to be true" deals , you might ask assistance to the Watch U Seek forum where members will help to identify "good buys" , you can also find used speedmasters at many professional dealers : the model is very popular.

Are there any convincing fakes of the Speedmaster Professional?

Unfortunatly YES , so be very carefull specially if you have not a trained eye, some recent fakes have appeared on the market and are convincing :-(, but do NOT expect from me to give you adresses to find thoses : I am a strong oponent to fake watches

Questions regarding the use of the Speedmaster


How often do I need to wind my Speedmaster professional ?

It is recommended to wind it every 24 hours and if possible at the same period : in the morning or by night , doing this you will ensure a regular tention of the mainspring and therefore keep the best accuracy for your watch

Do I need to wind my Speedmaster Professional in a single direction ?

This makes no difference : you can wind it in either one or both directions , the only important thing is not to force when you reach a certain resistance

Is it possible to "hack" the Speedmaster Professional ?

Hacking a watch is to be abble to stop the sencond hand in order to precisely adjust it , the Speedmaster professional is not equipped with a hacking feature BUT it is possible to hack it (even if this is not an "official" way of doing it) : SLIGHTLY turn the crown backwards when adjusting time , you can see that you are abble to stop the sencond hand, thus hack your watch : do NOT force doing this !

Is the Speedmaster professional really waterproof ?

The Speedmaster professional is rated 50 meters water resistant (30 meters for display back versions) , this mean that you can expose it to water for : showers, bath and swimming. But remember to ALWAYS ask for an hermeticity check every year if you regulary expose your speedmaster to water. It is not recommended to expose vintage speedmasters to water unless they have been carefully checked by Omega for water resistance.

Is the Hesalite crystal THAT fragile ?

No it is not !! in fact it is even VERY resistant to impacts , but it might be subject to scratches. Hopefully it is very easy to remove scratches : read the procedure in the "how to" section of this website

Questions regarding possible modifications of the Speedmaster

 

Is it possible to retrofit a Speedmaster professional with a display back ?

Yes it is : read the "how to" section of this site to make it here

Is is also possible to convert a vintage Speedmaster ?

Yes it is from the model 105.002 up to the most recent models , I have personnally converted different vintage speedmasters with display backs.

Is it possible to retrofit a Speedmaster professional with a sapphire crystal ?

No it is not : cases of the two watches are different , because sapphire crystal could not be shaped as the hesalite crystal , changing for a sapphire crystal would also mean changing the case of the watch

Is it possible to resize myself the metal bracelet of my Speedmaster ?

Yes it is but you will need the proper tool : read the step by step explaination in the "how to" section of this website here

I would like to order a new strap for my Speedmaster Professional : what is the lug width ?

the lug width 20 mm. note that buckes do exist in 16 mm and 18 mm at Omega : check also your buckle width !

 

Question regarding the reference numbers of the Speedmaster

 

I do not understand anything to the reference number of Omega ….

Omega Reference number system was adopted in 1963 it consist in a serie of letters and digit to describe precisely each individual watch . In 1996 Omega introduce a new system but WITHOUT dropping the reference number : this new system is called "PIC" number

PIC numbers are used today by Omega for "commercial" use such as in catalogs , websites , pricelists and those are the most commonly known by recent customers

Reference numbers are still used today : those are the only one which are engraved in the watch and this is the number internally used by Omega to designate a watch or to order spare parts

Please note that PIC numbers are NOT engraved in watches only Reference numbers are , please also note that it is the PIC number which is used on the paper of the watch

Example for a Speedmaster professional :

Reference number : ST-145.0022
PIC number : 3570.50.00

Omega Reference numbers :

Omega reference numbers consist in a serie of two letters and 6 or 7 digits (sometimes followed by the year of production with 2 digits)

AA.111.(2)222-99

AA : case material :

BA=Yellow gold
BC=White gold
BG=Pink gold
BT=Platinum
DA=Yellow gold combination
DD=Gold combination
DG=Pink gold combination
DL=Gold combination
MD=Gold plated
SP=Strap
ST=Stainless steel
TA=Titanium and yellow gold combination
TI=Titanium
TL=Titanium and pink gold combination

111 : description of the watch :

1st digit : strap/bracelet material :
1: Leather strap (men’s)
2: Leather strap/diamond decorated bezel (men’s)
3: Bracelet (men’s)
4: Bracelet diamond decorated bezel (men’s)
5: Leather strap (ladies’)
6: Leather strap diamond decorated bezel (ladies’)

2nd digit : movement type :

0: Manual winding chronograph
4: Manual winding chronograph
6: Non-chronograph
7: Self-winding chronograph
8: Quartz or tuning fork chronograph

3rd digit : additional features :

5: No date
6: Date
8: Chronometer

(2)222 : models

Differentiation of various models use to be only 3 digits from 1963 to 1970 , then 4 digits :
These individual numbers do not designate anything specific, but are used to distinguish between the various models produced

-99 : year of manufacturing

Last two digits :
Designate year of manufacturing of the watch
64=1964 ……

Omega PIC numbers :

OMEGA PIC numbers consist of 8 digits in the following format :

XXXX.YY.ZZ

Here is the way to "decode" them :

XXXX :

1st digit product line :
1=Constellation
2=Seamaster
3=Speedmaster
4=DeVille (DeVille Prestige and Symbol)
5=Louis Brandt
7=DeVille

2nd digit material type :
1=Gold Case on Gold Bracelet
2=Steel-Gold Case on Steel-Gold Bracelet
3=Steel-Gold Case on Partial Steel-Gold Bracelet
4=Steel-Gold Case on Steel Bracelet
5=Steel Case on Steel Bracelet
6=Gold Case on Leather Strap
7=Steel-Gold Case on Leather Strap
8=Steel Case on Leather Strap

3rd and 4th digit : product variation
Varies by product line

YY :

5th digit : Dial color :
1=Champagne
2=White
3=Silver
4=Gray
5=Black
6=Ivory
8=Blue

6th digit : hours marker :
0=Mixed
1=Indexes
2=Arabics
3=Roman
5=Diamonds

ZZ :

7th and 8th digit : strap color :

00= bracelet
01=Black
02=Brown
03=Blue
04=Green