The year 2022 has gotten off to a start with a striking debut from the manufacture in Bienne to mark the 65th anniversary of the Speedmaster model.

 

What makes the new watch introduced by Omega stands out is the amount of attention that’s been paid to historical detail to remain true to the collection's first watches unveiled in 1957. This is an understandable approach with demand for archive models currently peaking.

 

There was more proof of this last fall when an Omega Speedmaster CK2915-1 with a brown dial from 1957 given a pre-auction estimate of CHF 80,000 - 120,000 sold for a record CHF 3.1 million during the Philips Geneva Auction Week.

 

Historical accuracy is now worth more than gold, hence why all of the cherished model’s key features have been transferred to the Omega Speedmaster 321 Canopus Gold. Named in a similar way to Seamaster Railmaster, the Speedmaster uses a bezel with a tachymeter scale which is where its name was coined from in the 1950s.

 

This is known as a DON bezel (dot over ninety) among fans of the brand. The watch's distinctively wide hands and the applied vintage OMEGA logo with an "oval O" have been transferred to the 2022 model, just like the typography used in the first CK2915-1 model.  

 

Speedmaster was initially introduced as part of the Seamaster collection. Watches in this collection had the NAIAD symbol incorporated into the logo on the winding crown to indicate the water-resistant crown system they used.

 
 

 

This symbol can also be seen on the Omega Speedmaster 321 Canopus Gold. The caseback has been engraved with a Seahorse design. Respect of tradition has been sacrificed here in favor of making the anniversary watch stand out: the Seahorse has a blue sapphire for an eye.

 

The caseback itself has been made transparent. How could Omega resist showing off the company's restored and revived movement — the legendary manually wound Calibre 321? This is the same movement that was created by Omega in partnership with Lemania back in the 1940s.

 

Omega Speedmaster 321 Canopus Gold
Omega Speedmaster 321 Canopus Gold
Omega Speedmaster 321 Canopus Gold
Omega Speedmaster 321 Canopus Gold

The Lemania 2310 chronograph movement which later evolved into Calibre 321 first saw the light of day in 1942. This was the movement that was used in Speedmaster watches right up to 1965. It was also used in Speedmaster Professional watches from 1965 to 1968 and flew to the Moon with the American astronauts.

 

Even the presentation box for the new watch has been developed with an eye to on the original from 1957. The case itself may be made of tulip wood but it still has a historical touch. Apart from the decision to replace plexiglass with scratch‑resistant sapphire crystal with an anti‑reflective treatment on both sides and the choice of onyx for the dial, one of the main updates has been the choice of Canopus Gold as the case material.

This notably bright-white alloy was introduced in 2015 and used for the Speedmaster Moonwatch Professional Canopus Gold and one of the models from the 2018 Seamaster Olympic Games Gold Collection.