Reply With QuoteLooks great! Congrats
So having owned my Speedmaster Pro for the last 6 months i decided pretty early on that I would go down the custom mod route. There are many that have gone before me and lots of examples dotted all round the net so there was plenty of opportunity to research, but the main thing I decided early on was that I wanted to create my very own configuration, one that was completely unique and individual to me.
So before we go on any further, if you are a purist i'd probably suggest you look away now.............
For those remaining, this is what we started with. It's a standard calibre 1861 2011 Speedmaster Professional, model reference 3570.50:
So what have we done, lets break it down:
Dial:
I’ve been hankering for a white dial watch to add to my collection for as long as I can remember; the clean and clinical dials just have something about them that draws me in. Unfortunately i've yet to come across one (within my budget) that has tempted me to pull my purse strings so the search continued. Little did I know it was staring me in the face all along. Having seen, and admired, a number of similar mods it never occurred to me to do one myself but a lightbulb moment one day led to the beginning of a journey that has been interesting, exciting, educational, frustrating and of course expensive.
Commonly referred to as the ‘Panda dial’ but also named ‘the Domino’ by the late great chuck Maddox - the Mitsukoshi Speedie was a limited edition run of 300 watches (reference 3570.31) made for the Japanese fashion company and department store, Mitsukoshi. It's a white dial (it actually changes from white to ivory to silver, depending on the light), with black sub dials and applied logo and indices. In my opinion, the very best of the endless limited edition Speedies and one I’m surprised Omega haven’t since rolled out into a larger production run. When I saw an NOS dial appear earlier this year during the Watchco sale it was a no brainer and it was soon on it's way to the UK. I believe these are now becoming quite rare and I’m not aware of any retailer now offering these for sale whilst i’ve also read that Omega are no longer releasing replacements. If anyone is thinking about doing a similar mod and you come across one for sale I’d pick it up asap if I were you!
Bezel:
A last minute purchase and not part of my original plans, i didn't know this even existed until someone recently posted a link to a Speedie editions list published by the Ace List. The Pulsations bezel, also known as the 'pulse register' or 'doctors watch' was originally available on the Speedmaster for a limited time between 1967 and 1969 and was fitted on the regular production run calibre 321 model reference 145.012
On this bezel, the tachymeter scale is replaced with a scale used for measuring a persons pulse and with the bezel marked 'gradue pour 15 pulsations' (graduated for 15 beats - available as a 30 beat scale by some manufacturers but never by Omega as far as i know). This type of bezel works by simultaneously starting the chrono function whilst counting the pulse. Once the pulse count reaches 15 beats, you stop the chrono and the pulse rate (in beats per min) is then indicated on the bezel where the chrono hand has stopped. Pretty neat.
Hands:
The source of much frustration, in fact it continues to frustrate but more on that shortly.....when I started this mod I knew instantly that I would keep the Mitsukoshi true to form and fit the silver baton and sub dial hands as per the original LE configuration. Yes this has been done before and there have been many concerns raised about the legibility of the hands against the white background but I like the clean, modern look so I can live with the readability of the dial. I did however want to add a bit of individualism so I decided to add some colour, and the sweep second hand was clearly the opportunity to do that. So what was the criteria? I wanted colour, I wanted something different, I wanted the red chrono hand from the Alaska Project LE....yeah right, snowballs chance in hell of finding one of those (Omega does not offer these, under any circumstances, not even to those with a parts account, relative working for the firm, celebrity - forget it!). I then spent the next couple of months looking for a suitable replacement, including raiding the entire Ofrei's catalogue and buying up almost every hand that fits a calibre 1861. Unfortunately nothing quite hit the spot, I even went down the custom painting route (with some help from dreamboat - thanks for your help) but although good the finish fell just short of the levels my my OCD would allow. Back to the drawing board....
So what did we end up with? Well those eagle eyed amongst you would have got it already from the first picture above. This really was nothing more than a punt, and I had no idea if it would fit but I picked up a 'red tipped' sweep second hand from the calibre 2500 Planet Ocean (model reference 2201.50). I say red tipped because that's how it was labelled when I purchased it and I'm frustrated with myself for not checking when it arrived but its actually orange tipped but it certainly adds something IMO. I may continue to look for that elusive red.....
The Reveal:
So I've rambled on for too long, I'll keep the rest pretty short........parts sourced, everything was shipped off to Duncan @ Genesis Watchmaking (well who else!) and a couple of days later the following arrived.
Thanks for your time, and i hope you have enjoyed my journey.
Looks great! Congrats
gorgeous !!!
wow didn't know such things were possible- looks great especially with a splash of orange. Congrats on a lovely looking unique watch
Looks lovely, some nice little touches added to the standard Mitsukoshi dial mod. Wear in good health. Glad to know that Duncan is up for this sort of modding, I'm gonna have to do one myself soon, with grey dial or gemini dial.
Nice one Darren, looks great. Oddly enough I'm doing almost the same mod, ie I've had a Mitsukoshi dial fitted, and I'm awaiting delivery of the silver handset. I was going to leave the white hands in place, but I think silver is the way to go.
That certainly stands out from the crowd! I like the mods - a big improvement in my opinion - but then I've always been a fan of white dials. Enjoy.
Sensational!
WOW1 word from me STUNNING
Before I read your post, I would have been like "ABOMINATION! Crucify him!!!!" but after a few minutes looking at the pics, this is stunning. Well done. I would personally leave the orange tip, it looks gorgeous.
Cheers,
Steve
Not for me, I'm afraid. Much prefer the standard Moonwatch which has stood the test of time so well.
But the only thing that really matters is that you like it as it's your watch.
I like that a lot. I would probably keep the bezel as standard, but the dial and hands look great.
That looks fantastic, congratulations! I like the Planet Ocean second hand - to my eyes it's not immediately obvious it isn't red anyway. Very nice.
+1 very nicely done. Great taste. Sort of Newman Daytona like.Originally Posted by Steve264
Before I read your post, I would have been like "ABOMINATION! Crucify him!!!!" but after a few minutes looking at the pics, this is stunning. Well done. I would personally leave the orange tip, it looks gorgeous.
Cheers,
Steve
Just stunning, top job sir.
its got a real Paul Newman daytona feel to it
didn't think i'd lilke it, but it kind of works ....personally the bezel swap is one mod to many; but enjoy
Well done buddy, that looks great. The only thing I may have kept would be the tachymeter bezel, but still looks superb none-the-less.
Perhaps a brown alligator with contrast stitching strap will really accentuate the watch further, especially with a white dial..?
Looking good :) You a doc, or just wanted a change from the usual bezel?
Very enjoyable post, thank you. The modding process is always interesting to follow.
Thanks for your time, and i hope you have enjoyed my journey.
Now a question of sorts. That bezel puzzles me because it says "Gradué...." but I'm wondering what is the noun to which the adjective "gradué" applies. The watch, the bezel, or the scale on the bezel? Because in French, they are montre, lunette, and échelle respectively, all of which are feminine, so the bezel would say "Graduée....". It's a small detail but it's puzzling me because Omega is very good at attention to detail - what am I missing?
That looks utterly superb.. not sure I'd be brave enough to modify my Speedmaster but that does look amazing :)
Gorgeous piece!
I though this had 'disaster' written all over it, but I do quite like it.
The only part I'm unsure about for my tastes is the bezel. I'd love to see a photo with the original bezel laid on top of the current one (hint!)
Last edited by demonloop; 22nd October 2012 at 14:09.
I really like how minimalistic and clean this looks.
Just do a google image search for Mitsukoshi Speedmaster
Nice choices :) looks beautiful
Congratulations Darren, that is a special mod. I agree with Ross' comments about possibly retaining the original tachymeter bezel (it looks a liitle bare down below) but then it wouldn't be as unique and individual to you. Enjoy it!
David
Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations
Very nice and a definite improvement for me,was not sure of the bezel when looking at the first part picture of it,but on viewing the watch in full it definetly looks good.
On a side note I noticed the little Omega logo in the centre of the crystal is this normal on all Omegas as I have never noticed it before?
Thanks all for the comments, and feedback. Looks like the bezel is the biggest talking point and has induced the most amount of mixed reaction. It's certainly different, and really summarises what i was trying to achieve with this mod.
Yeah you can't go wrong with the silver hands, gives it a really modern look. Can't wait to see yours when its finished.
That's all good, if we all liked the same things this world would be one boring place. Thanks for taking the time to read my post and contributing to the thread though.
Mr Alligator strap himself, good evening Sir! I'm way behind when it comes to leather straps but yes i should start looking into a decent alternative to the bracelet.
Good god no! I would not fancy the chances of anyone who needed medical assistance and came to me for help!I didn't even know these type of bezels existed until a couple of weeks ago, just a chance event that ended up on the finished piece.
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it. From my understanding, and from scouring the net, i believe the wording 'Gradue Pour 15 Pulastions' is standard text for this type of bezel. Those more in the know than me may come and say otherwise but all of the 'doctors watch' bezels i've seen have exactly the same text (bar the 30 pulsations variation). Agree though, it would be unlike Omega to miss the finer detail on something like this.
A nice, and very subtle touch by Omega and a feature that appears on all Speedie hesalite crystals (pretty sure it comes on other models also). The symbol is not etched into any of the sapphire crystals.
Looks fantastic, especially the bezel.
Pure class!
“Don’t look back, you’re not heading that way.”
superbly put together - it absolutely works -love the orange highlight ! I personally would have continued the orange theme onto the seconds dial -maybe using something similar to what can be found on Speedmaster Mk2 (exotic racing dial)
Wow looks amazing
Before I saw your watch, nearly all of the doctors watches I had seen were marked on the dial rather than the bezel, hence with a "cadran gradué" rather than a "lunette graduée". There's clearly an idiomatic use here that I haven't picked up and can't find in Bescherelle. C'est la vie.
Enjoy your watch, and keep a good check on your pulse rate from now on.
Nice! I wouldn't be surprised when there's an Omega 'End of an Era' (Spaceshuttle) LE in the shops within weeks, looking just like your Speedy!
Have a look here: and you'll see what I mean: http://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.ph...38#post2479338 Same colour scheme!
Menno
The last thing this thread needs is another guy to say "wow, that looks brilliant" but, here I am - really great to see an expensive, well-known watch modded and such a great success made of it - well done.
Cheers,
Andy
Thanks again all, couple more pics taken today:
Oh My God.. WOW.. I can't wait to get mine back now, I'm so excited! .. stunning stunning photos.
Lovely, loving that bezel insert, looks great!
That really does look lovely. Wel done!
Superb job. Makes the Speedy look much more 'up to date' and I would certainly buy one like that.
I have the same in mind, but my project started with a new / mint caseset. I wasn't sure whether to go down this route or get a Snoopy dial, but decided on the Panda. Next I looked around for a 861 movement as I didn't want to mess with my 2004 Speedy. I now have a Tissot Chrono with the Lemania equivalent to use as a movement donor, caseset, dial etc. I have been dithering about the hands and this post has helped me make my mind up. They must be silver.
That looks great Darren, good work!
Another vote for looks fantastic :)
I can find the Speedmaster a bit fussy at times, however, with this gorgeous bezel insert and dial it looks wonderful. Talk about fortune favours the brave, you are on a winner here. Impressive photos to boot. Thanks.
The more I look at the pictures, the more it grows on me! very classy and sporty at the same time!
Very nice indeed overall, if I could walk in and buy one of these at the jeweller it might tempt me to get a modern speedy... although the fact you cant is what makes it so special, not to mention the fact you created the look! Brave and good job!
That is an absolute beauty. I'm salivating.
Sent from my iPhone using TZ-UK mobile app
Ohh. Very nice work! Stunner
Loving the pictures. Great project.
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