Reply With QuoteHappy with either, have owned both 3570 and 3573, kept the sapphire.
Hesalite
Sapphire
Mine is hesalite, but how many other people prefer hesalite or sapphire.
Happy with either, have owned both 3570 and 3573, kept the sapphire.
I spent a long time thinking about it, if I had gone sapphire I would have chosen the FOIS. In the end I went Moonwatch.
Owned the 3573 sapphire sandwich and sold it. Wish I had bought the hesalite at a lower price. Prefer the solid caseback and warmer look of the plexi.
The Speedmaster professional is an old fashioned watch; manual, no date, low WR, slow beat. Even though mine is relatively modern, I wear it as and think of it as a vintage (or perhaps classic) watch. Sapphire makes no sense on a Pro.
For all the other Speedmasters, sapphire makes complete sense.
I >>> own >>> one >>> with >>> hesalite >>> and >>> two >>> with >>> sapphire.
The crystal material didn't influence the choice of each watch, it's just what each watch came with:
Speedy Reduced (hesalite)
Speedy Mk II (sapphire)
Speedy X-33 (sapphire)
I can't put it better than that.Originally Posted by DB9yeti
One of each for me.
Hesalite. Bought new in '97 and still on it's original crystal but it may be I'm not hard on watches. I do have a spare crystal though, just in case.
Sapphire Sandwich - I think of it more as a Homage than as an original and hence am happy with sapphire.
Sapphire every time for me.
It is exactly this reason that totally turns me off a modern speedy. As Yeti above alludes to, manual wind, plastic crystal and lack of date were all the rage in the 1950s but I just find it peverse that they have persisted with the Moonwatch without updating it. It just smacks of trading on past glories and resting on laurels to me. I have a sapphire sandwich 3313 1957 BA (the silver dial model) and I absolutely love it but wouldn't give a man wind non date Speedy a second glance unless it was actually vintage, pre 1970 for instance. I don't buy the fact that the Speedy stays the way it is because of the NASA certification. I don't think a date wheel or sapphire crystal would prevent successful EVA. I also have a X-33 so have scratched the space bug in a different way.
Last edited by Padders; 24th December 2015 at 16:54.
Sapphire caseback hesalite top for me ;)
My take on mine is very similar - it replicates an historic watch and, in doing so, replicates the materials and specifications of the watch.
In my opinion the vintage look of the speedmaster family suits the hesalite crysal.
I have owned many Speedmasters in my time.
Of the various Pro's I've owned, my favourite was the 3573 (Sapphire Sandwich).
But my favourite of all, was the FOIS Numbered Edition, also Sapphire.
Hesalite looks scruffy quickly, even when looked after - I always spotted imperfections in brightly lit rooms and it pi55ed me right off.
Agreed, I always think of mine as vintage / classic / iconic to
I like Speedies to show a bit of age. Hesalite all the way for me. On my third at the moment.
Not sure I agree on that one. If the watch had been fugly they wouldn't have been able to sell it in its thousands for decades. Absolutely they cashed in, but for me they got the design right in the first place and created a watch that was absolutely perfect aesthetically and also happened to make it into space. The rest is history, with them not needing to update what was already a stunning watch.
They have also produced lots of other variants let's not forget.
I agree, mine is a hesalite model and I love it more now it's been used over the last 8 years than when it was new.
I do have a hankering for a sapphire model though, the vintage dark side...
Sapphire Sandwich all day long.
Mine's a hesalite and I've polished it gently only very rarely, still looks pretty new after 15 years of ownership. I like the newer designs with the sapphire crystals but the retro vibe is very nice.
There should be an option for 'both' on the poll.
I like hesalite on my stepped dial Speedy Pro from 1971 and sapphire on my FOIS.
Neutral - had two Speedmaster Pros with plastic and have FOIS with sapphire glass. Makes no difference aesthetically to me, I'll take whatever they come with.
Bought three times and sold twice, love the looks of the Speedmaster plastic or glass, but what periodically gets to me, turns me off and precipitates a sale is the horrible, fiddly wind.
Sapphire for me - and 100m WR.
Exactly !
I like the old plastic watches. The crystal has so many different characters depending on how you view it.
That said, Omega have managed something special with the sapphire watches, they look nicer than many other mineral crystals I've seen.
Tough one to photograph but these are my favourite angles. It's already picking up little scratches after a couple of weeks careful mincing around in the house
Last edited by TimeOut; 25th December 2015 at 12:36.
I have 3 Speedmasters, all with Hesalite.
My FOIS is hesalite as is my Speedie reduction which is a lovely wee thing. Agree it's the classic / iconic set up.
mine is a 3572.50 , hesalite christal front and sapphire on the back. best of both worlds.
+3572
Umm. No it isn't.
Great pics!
I like the old plastic watches. The crystal has so many different characters depending on how you view it.
That said, Omega have managed something special with the sapphire watches, they look nicer than many other mineral crystals I've seen.
Tough one to photograph but these are my favourite angles. It's already picking up little scratches after a couple of weeks careful mincing around in the house
Hesalite Apollo for me that I got from sales corner a few years back. I wouldn't be without it
Sapphire because the FOIS comes with it. If it had hesalite then I would have hesalite obviously.
Always plexi!
Thanks bud :) F15 so very blurry round the edges!
I'm getting a craving to hunt down a nice 68 speedy now with applied metallic omega logo. Would love one of those and an Ed White. Perfect speedy combo those two.
Much as I would love to argue with the above contributor if you think your FOIS has hesalite then think again.
The best mechanical watch I've ever owned.
Manual, plexi? Nuts!
just bought a new moonwatch,love the hesalite
I bought mine new in August and went for the hesalite crystal as it is more traditional and, I think it looks much nicer. Another point, not many watches have hesalite crystals these days so it makes a refreshing change.
Plexi is sexy people :D
Quote Originally Posted by WatchIng :-
Sapphire Sandwich - I think of it more as a Homage than as an original and hence am happy with sapphire.
Horses for courses; you say tom-eh-to, I say tomato; etc - all part of life's rich tapestry. I love it that there are Speedy choices (modernised and ancient) for all of us!
My blue Speedmaster Pro Gemini IV has the hesalite crystal. I totally agree with DB9yeti - I think that + the manual wind and no-date are an essential part of the character of the watch...
Simon
Best of two worlds:
On my '71 birthyear Speedy: plexy with stepped dial and original bracelet (yes it rattles and has no SEL)
On my X33 Gen2: Saphire....
These are Speedy no 11 and 12 as far as I can remember and I had almost all variations over the years. Good combo was the plexy/Saph sanwich with 'gold' 1863 movement, the Ed White and the Neil I had were fantastic. I even had a new one from the store back in '05, plexy of course. Had some Racing, Mark IV, 1957, Limited series a.s.o....
Best is still the Original, 3570.50.00 on bracelet (not on a modern one though....). Pick a year in your life that makes sense and hunt for one....they are cheap and have huge personality. With Saph, they are much more sterile....I don't like that..
List price is now 4200€, mad! First time a saw a Speedy (love at first sight!) was many years ago and they were about 1500€...
Over and out
Always sapphire if I have the option. Always feels safer and more robust as I don't like to worry about it as much.
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