Reply With QuoteGreat choice and welcome!
Hi,
First post here under new username (let the old one lapse when other hobbies took over). I'm eagerly awaiting a new Speedmaster of the First Omega In Space variety. It's my 50th birthday present to myself and the only watch I've bought new. It's at Omega being shipped out to the dealter tomorrow. Be interesting to see what the number is since Omega keep churning these out.
Purchase logic: It's been a while since I've had a Speedmaster. My last was was a '67 321 that I sold to Neil of this parish (Hi Neil). Wish I could have that one back. A '65 birth year watch would have been nice, but the prices seem to be going all "Paul Newman Daytona" lately. The FOIS captures some of that vintage Speedmaster look without all the attendant worries/cost. I was heavily influence by a great review by @RossC. He really captured the look of the watch in his photos. I have a smaller wrist and though the actual dimensions aren't that different to the Speedy Pro, I'm hoping it will wear slightly smaller.
I've already got a black strap lined up to try out. Try as I might, I can't get on with brown strap/blackface watch. I may change my mind but I think the brown strap detracts somewhat. Anyway, final countdown begins. Hoping to have it Weds. with luck. Cheers,
_Tom
Great choice and welcome!
The FOIS is a great watch that does wear smaller than the standard Speedy.
I did hear a rumour that it was about to be discontinued but we shall see.
Congrats and wear it in good health!
You won't be disappointed. You mentioned Ross C's great review and pictures of his FOIS. Well, I bought it from him. Looks just fine on the brown strap. Great watch. So much better than the other limited edition Speedmasters Omega has been crimping out in recent times.
Welcome, the FOIS is great, congratulation
A great choice OP. I really like the look of the FOIS and the size is very appealing to us smaller wristed gentlemen :-).
I think you've had that one for long enough now. Surely it's time to move it on, feel free to drop me a PM ;-)Originally Posted by seabiscuit
Good choice, i like the Speedmaster as well, just always bugged me that the original doesnt come with a date function.
Great choice, lovely watch, congratulations. I think I might well follow your footsteps very soon...
A couple of months too soon for me, but if anyone is interested there's one a couple of £100 cheaper than is normal at a grey seller popping up with a cursory Google search at the moment.
Sad to report that I sold it on to a colleague who had taken a shine to it. Big mistake! I miss it. It really is my favourite Speedie.
I have one and it's great . I don't miss the date function too much and if I need a date, I use my back up watch 16600 sea dweller
Great choice. I'm pretty sure the FOIS is my next watch.
..now that Omega have the straight lugs case, they could produce an "Ed White" model. I know you easily could make one from a FOIS, but I'll be interested to see what else they do with this case.
_Tom
Welcome!
Can't wait to see the photos!!
How have we got this far in the thread without a pic or two..?!
Great pics, RossC: nice to see the two watches together!
Hi Tom and welcome back. Great choice the FOIS. Classic looks and does wear a tad smaller , it's the speedmaster that I also want to get one day. Look forward to your pics when you get it.
Well, my FOIS has arrived. As promised, I've taken some pics. Sorry for the quality, they were taken with my ancient iPhone. It was a long wait for this one, which gave me plenty of time to second guess my choice. I needn't have worried, it's exceeded my expectations. I'm in the "honeymoon" period, but a few observations:
This is a difficult watch to capture in photos (especially if you're a crap photographer like me). If you're interested in one, I'd suggest trying it on at a dealer. It looks a lot better than most of the pictures out there suggest.
In comparison to the Speedmaster Pro, from the straight on view, the straight lugs emphasize the dial more. This may or may not be to your taste. From other angles, there is more of a balance. The case is nice with great contrast between the brushed and polished bits.
When the light hits the hands just so, the whole thing comes together. Not strictly as readable as the white hands of the Pro, but not far off.
If I'm being picky, the applied logo seems small compared to a 2998. It's also the modern shape. This is probably what Omega has in stock for other models, and reinforces their current branding, but it may irk some purists.
The sapphire crystal is no big deal to me. I like hesalite too, but if you're on the fence about this watch, you owe it to yourself to try it and keep an open mind. Same for the alpha running seconds.
I swear the dial is stepped (slightly) or either that it gives the illusion of being so. The light has to hit it just right for you to see it. It is in no way a step like the proper premoon Speedmasters, though.
The crown is a bit small, but it still winds just fine. Mine lost a total of 2 seconds over 12 hours, so it looks like Omega are on their game in that respect.
The brown strap works better than I thought it would, but I've got a black cordovan rally that I'm dying to see on it. If you look at the advertising from the late 50s early 60s, Omega aimed these "wrist stopwatches" at car enthusiasts. Anyway, I like this watch for what it is, not a slavish clone of the 2998, but a great watch in its own right. Hope this is useful to someone. Any questions, let me know.
_Tom
Still in a dilemma over this or the standard Pro. I've been edging towards the Pro as I really want a bracelet. I might have to go into the local AD and try them on again - they have both.
I love the straight lugs, no crown guards and applied logo. Gives the watch a real classic look.
Consensus on the inter-mess is that an 1125 bracelet and 560 end pieces work fine on the FOIS and it shouldn't be ungodly expensive. Regards,
_Tom
Just acquired one of these myself and really like it. Over time I found the speedy pro to be just slightly too large, while the fois is just a touch smaller which I prefer.
I did a lot of hand wringing regarding the brown strap with tang buckle and immediately set about trying to find an alternative but the reality is that it is very nice indeed and also very comfortable. Having said that, I do have an omega NATO on the way :) The strap is a nice length as well- I don't particularly like it when the tip of a strap is visible when I'm looking at the watch on my wrist which is why I normally choose deployants, but no such issues with this watch.
I like the hands more than the pro but the speedy pro is more legible, and the tiny sliver of lume on the fois makes it harder to read in the dark.
The sapphire crystal is just practical- I don't want to scratch the crystal and I also don't see myself shattering it. Having owned several speedy pros I also don't entirely 'get' the aesthetic advantage of the hesalite although I do obviously concede that it is a more accurate material for the speedmaster. I used to love my sapphire sandwich and wish that the fois had the see through caseback as well
Would the mesh be an option? Not sure about the lug size of this watch though.
Congratulations, can think of a better way to mark half a century.
Don't worry it's still getting some love up north!
:D
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