Wow, love that! are the hands and dial easy enough to get hold of?
I've fancied a Speedmaster MkII Exotic dial / Racing dial version for ages but the opportunity's never come up - or rather, I've always been tempted by something else first.
I'd never actually tried on a MkII until very recently when I had a black dial version offered to me as a trade, and I was: A. pleasantly surprised that it didn't look too big or chunky, and B. reminded how much I'd wanted the racing dial version.
I looked around for a bit but all I could see were fairly pricey all-original examples. A less popular view these days it seems, but I'm generally not put off by NOS parts when there's strong/bright colours involved - in fact the opposite - it would always be my preference to have a watch like this as it was intended to look when it was first produced. If it ages/fades in my ownership (if I own it that long!), then fine; but what makes the racing dial combo so appealing to me is the strong contrast between the pale grey, the crisp white hands, and the almost fluorescent chrono hands / markers.
While I was hunting round I saw a post on another forum where a guy had modified a standard Speedmaster moonwatch with the dial and handset from the highly collectable 90's Japan-only Racing Dial model. I've seen this done before, and it occured to me this would be an easier way to get a similar end result. Another member kindly helped me out in getting a brand new moonwatch at a discount from his AD recently, and fast-forward to today, this arrived in the post:
Last edited by gcleminson; 20th February 2019 at 19:09.
Wow, love that! are the hands and dial easy enough to get hold of?
Very good!!
Like the different colored subdial hands!
I love that, the red touches are great.
Lovely. Reckon that needs a Horween No 8 strap.
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I like that very much, well done.
For my tastes, the grey suede may be a little too much, but all the rest looks fantastic.
Dave
Looks great.👍 Probably a different strap but that's an easy fix.
That looks superb.
"A man of little significance"
That’s lovely. So it came with the 2nd dial?
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Fantastic !
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That’s a stunner... great work!
These threads have got me thinking about mine
That would look really good on a Hirsch Robby black and red.
Can you recommend a reliable source for the dial and hand-sets, please ?
I really like it on the grey suede :-)))
I was basically copying this pic I found online which I thought (and still think) looks great:
I've been wanting to try it on it's bracelet too, but had to wait until yesterday when I paid a visit to one of the London Omega boutiques - first time I've ever been defeated by a bracelet and been unable to remove links myself. The newer style bracelet with the screws instead of push-pins is awful IMO. One of the screws I just couldn't remove myself despite trying various tricks like immersing in boiling water to loosen the superglue, heating with a hair dryer, etc.. I was at risk of mangling the screw so decided to swallow my pride.
Also now discovered there's no half-links available for the newer bracelet either and there's only the single micro-adjustment hole on the clasp of around 2.5mm - 3mm. Baffling that a flagship model would be so poorly adjustable..
I also called into Atelier Jean Rousseau in the Picadilly Arcade having spoken to them earlier in the week about a custom nato strap (also in grey!!). I dunno if they make all of the OEM Omega NATO straps, but they definitely made the strap that came with the Apollo 11 45th and the quality of that is excellent - I've never worn it though as it makes the watch sit very high.
I've ordered one of the JR natos in what's sometimes called the RAF style - i.e. without the second bit of strap underneath, plus custom length and a couple of other tweaks. Customisation didn't add much at all to their price, and I was impressed with how they indulged my rather specific requirements, so will report back again in a few weeks once it's been made.
I'll send you a link
Last edited by gcleminson; 24th February 2019 at 12:05.
I've always loved Speedy Pro's since acquiring my first one back in the 80's. This IMHO is the best looking Speedy I've seen. I tried to buy the Japanese model but failed miserably. Stunning watch.
That looks absolutely fantastic! I really like the colours in the racing dial Mk2 but not sure on the case shape. This is a nice alternative.
That looks fantastic! Good job sir
Like the red, does it stand out in sunlight as much as in the photos?