6 Rolex BaselWorld 2017 Predictions (base on speculations & wishlist)

6 Rolex BaselWorld 2017 Predictions (base on speculations & wishlist)

One of the most sought after watches - The Rolex Submariner

In the 20^th (and 21^st century), the Rolex Submariner is arguably the most recognized, admired, and surreptitiously produced wristwatch. 

 Introduced in 1953, the Rolex Submariner watch is the pioneering timepiece specifically engineered for scuba diving and water sports activities. Believe it or not, this Rolex watch was not the first water-resistant watch, and it wasn’t even Rolex’s first water-resistant watch. At that time, the watch market already has its’ giant Patek Philippe and Jaeger-LeCoultre as though they were Rolls Royce and Aston Martin. What the market needed was however a Volkswagen, a cheery and reliable product for the masses, and that was what Wilsdorf provided.

The Rolex Submariner was designed to be water resistant at 100 meters or 330 feet. Since then, the legendary watch has evolved through successive innovations to maintain its consistent and reliable performance in water depths of up to 300 meters or 1000 feet. The Submariner watch attained a remarkable status among luxurious watch collectors and avid scuba divers. This high-end wristwatch is sophisticatedly designed and superbly constructed. With its eye-catching design and neutral tones, the watch is simply marvelous. It comes with a large and great looking dial that will surely catch anyone’s attention. Even though it was designed as a scuba diver’s watch, this accessory can also be an everyday wear. It can be a great accessory to any formal and classy events.

Features	Perpetual Movement
Case: Oyster, 40mm, Steel Bracelet: Oyster, flat three-piece links Dial: Black	The Submariner and Submariner Date models are equipped with calibre 3130 and calibre 3135 respectively, self-winding mechanical movements entirely developed and manufactured by Rolex. Like all Rolex Perpetual movements, the 3130 and 3135 are certified Swiss chronometers, a designation reserved for high‑precision watches that have successfully passed the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC) tests. They are fitted with a Parachrom hairspring, offering greater resistance to shocks and to temperature variations. Their architecture, in common with all Oyster watch movements, makes them singularly reliable.
Price of Rolex Submariner watch: Approx. USD7,500 to USD8,550

Finally, the upgrading of an icon – The Speedmaster Mark II (an Omega’s 1969 classic)

The Omega Speedmaster is one of Medga’s most iconic series that have been a part of all six lunar missions. The legendary Speedmaster is an impressive image of the brand’s venturous spirit. The Speedmaster Mark II carries the familiar characterisitcs of the Speedmaster family (also known as The Moon Watch), but attempt a case design with a obviously retro appeal.

While there is minor modification on the outside, like how the tonneau-style case has remained unaltered, and both the case and bracelet are brushed stainless steel; Most of the changes are on the inside. This includes an in-house co-axial movement that changed from the orginal 1969 Mark II’s Calibre 861 to co-axial caliber 3330. This new caliber is a self-winding movement equipped with an Si14 silicon balance spring and a column-wheel chronograph mechanism. 

 

The Omega Speedmaster Mark II also adds a dash of colour with the grey dial, features a fluorescent orange central chronograph seconds hand and a matching minute track. Another interesting function it has is the illuminated tachymeter. The transparent tachymeter scale on the sapphire crystal is lit up from beneath by an aluminium ring filled with Super-LumiNova is just so cool!

For anyone looking to make a statement, this watch is definitely suitable for a person who likes the legacy of Moonwatch design with a little touch of vintage Omega appeal.

FEATURES	TECHNICAL DATA	MOVEMENT
Chronograph Chronometer Date	Crystal: Flat scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment on both sides Case: Steel Bracelet: Steel Dial: Black Water resistant: 10 bar (100 metres / 330 feet) Size: Case Diameter: 42.4 x 46.2 mm	Caliber: Omega 3330 Self-winding chronograph with column-wheel mechanism and Co-Axial Escapement for greater precision, stability and durability of the movement. Free sprung-balance equipped with Si14 silicon balance spring. Officially certified chronometer. Power reserve: 52 hours
Price of Omega Speedmaster Mark II: Approx USD6,250

The New Speedmaster Mark II “Rio 2016” delicated to Brazil’s Olympic Games!

The countdown has began despite the Opening Ceremony of the Rio 201 Olympic Games is still 2 years away. Omega will be the official timekeeper for the 27th time, and this perfectly celebrates the excitement and dazzling spirit of this amazing competition that will bring together more than 200 nations.

This special edition of the Omega Speedmaster Mark ll watch is barrel-shaped and has a polished crown and pushers. It was released by Omega at Baselworld watch fair and is inspired by a vintage Omega Speedmaster model from 1969. Beneath a flat scratch-resistant sapphire crystal is a matt black dial featuring a 30-minute recorder at 3 o’clock, a 12-hour recorder at 6 o’clock and a small seconds sub-dial at 9 o’clock. The sub-dials are decorated with a bronze ring, 18K yellow gold ring and 925 silver ring respectively – a design that recalls the medals awarded to Olympic champions.

Sharing the same specs as the regular Speedmaster Mark II, the Rio 2016 edition likewise has an SuperLuminova-filled aluminium ring under the sapphire crystal, which means the tachymetre glows in the dark.

Signifying the year that the XXXI Olympiad takes place, only 2,016 pieces of this model will be produced. The screw-in caseback is stamped with the logo of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and is engraved with "Si14", "Column Wheel" and the limited edition number of the wristwatch.

The Story of ‘The Moon Watch’; OMEGA Speed Master Professional

The Omega Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch is one watch with one of the most famous story of all times. It was given the name ‘The Moonwatch’ because it was the first watch to be worn on space in the Apollo 11 Moon Walk mission. Today, it is still in production with various modern versions of the original Speedmaster; in both design, and movement wise.

Here is the ‘backstory’ behind the iconic watch:

The launch of the Soviet Sputnik 1 (Russian Satellite) triggered the space race known as the Amercian Sputnik crisis. The radio pulses of these metal spheres were detectable on Earth; and this elevated new technological and scientific developments. On a quieter part of the Earth, another game-changing creation of 1957 was born: The Omega Speedmaster. The Omega Speedmaster was at first designed for sports chronograph with a tachymeter bezel for calculating speed. Omega has already a growing name for events timing (such as the Olympic Games), but little will anyone suspect the kind of trail the Omega Speedmaster would have to withstand.

However, it was only in 1962 the paths of both NASA and Omega Speedmaster crossed. Following Kennedy’s inaugural promise to make an Amercian the frist man on the moon, NASA’s search for reliable watches for the space begins. Having the extreme space conditions in mind (the variation in temperature between -160°C to +120°C, vacuum, and high pressure), the “Qualification Test Procedures” puts the watches to a series of  tests. The test begins 3 years later and it was exhaustive and meddlesome such as temperature, near-vacum, humidity, PH value, Shock, acceleration, high-pressure tests.

In the same year, on March 18^th, news from Soviet Russia shocked the US; Alexey Leonoy completed the world’s first spacewalk outside his Voskhod 2 spacecraft successfully. It was found later that Leonov had some difficulty moving around in the 0 gravity conditions as his suit expanded under its own pressure (partly also from overheating in the vacuum of space), risking his life re-entering the capsule.

The race was truly on (as far as NASA was concerned), and a watch needs to be chosen urgently. Luckily, the test result was ready. The 3 finalist were Rolex’s Daytona, Longines’ Wittnauer and The Omega Speedmaster Professional. Rolex wavered during the humidity and high pressure test; Longine had a crystal blowout during both the test, while Omega only suffered a timing error during the acceleration test and decompression test. We have a winner; the Omega Speedmaster Professional was the chosen one from a selection of 13 other watches that includes Rolex Daytona, Longines Wittnauer, and Houston Jeweler.

This is where the Omega Speedmaster Professional adventure begins as its roles as NASA’s official watch. The missions started badly, with launch rehearsal in 1967 for Apollo 1 ending in tragedy. All three crew (Virgil ‘Gus’ Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffe) were killed in a cabin fire. Complications are foreseen as there were 113 incomplete refitting due on the CM-012 spacecraft when it had arrived at the Kennedy Space Centre. 

We quote Grissom’s interview about his concerns, and here is his response before the incident: "You sort of have to put that out of your mind. There's always a possibility that you can have a catastrophic failure, of course; this can happen on any flight. It can happen on the last one as well as the first one. So you just plan as best you can to take care of all these eventualities. You get a well-trained crew and you go fly."

This statement was inspirational and it was echoed in the continued efforts to get to the moon, despite the tragedy. In October 1968, Apollo 7 was launched. It was the next manned Apollo mission, where a full orbital test of the command and service modules was attempted. Just 2 months after, Apollo 8 took Frank Borman, James ‘Jim’ Lovell and William Anders to the moon and back again. The mission was supposed to be a low Earth orbit test of the lunar module, but it wasn’t ready in time. Instead of abolishing the mission, it was changed; cutting the astronaut’s training by 3 months and bringing the launch forward. As dangerous as it seems, it was mankind first visit to the ‘dark side of the moon’. 

In 1969, the Russians were fast to have beaten NASA again to the first lunar module test. Apollo 9 was finally launched 2 months after the Russians where the second docking of two manned spacecraft occurred. Followed by Apollo 10 that finalized the testing, with a lunar module flight that came within ten miles of the moon’s surface. Everything was set for Apollo 11, including the watches. And as it turned out, it seems like the most epic race of the century NASA have to win.  

On 20^th July 1969, at 18 minutes past 8, the lunar module of Apollo 11 set its feet upon the fine dust of the moon’s surface. But the landing was not a smooth one; an important instrument had failed and Neil Armstrong had to use his Omega Speedmaster in its place. This was the reason why he was not wearing the OMEGA was not worn in the world’s first steps on the moon. Instead, it was Edwin ‘Buzz’ Aldrin who wore his Omega Speedmaster as he joined Armstrong on the lunar surface, making it the first watch ever worn on the moon. 

In the mission technical debrief, Neil Armstrong shared his experience: Our mission timer was out, and we decided we had better leave one wristwatch inside in case it got damaged. We would have at least one working watch to back up the mission timer or to use in place of the mission timer, in case we could not get it going again.

The entire mission was an immense accomplishment, considering that the first man-made satellite was sent into space less than 12 years earlier. This short time was all it took for Omega to develop an iconic watch like Omega Speedmaster, which was later known as ‘The Moon Watch’.

Overview of 'The Moon Watch' - OMEGA Speedmaster Professional

The Omega Speedmaster was given then title as ‘The Moon Watch’ as it was the first watch to be worn on the Apollo 11 moon landing mission. Interestingly, while Armstrong was the first to step on the moon, it was Aldrin who wore this Moon Watch on the moon’s surface. It was later found out that Armstrong left his OMEGA on the landing craft as a backup timing device just in case of system failure on board; while Aldrin wore his OMEGA on his wrist during their two-and-half-hour moonwalk.

NASA chose the OMEGA Speedmaster Professional over a selection of 13 other watches which includes Rolex Daytona, Longines Wittnauer, and a Houston Jeweler. It was chosen for its toughness and good timekeeping abilities. During the start of the Apollo program, NASA put the wristwatches through extreme tests that could withstand the extreme environment of the outer-space; such as extreme temperature test (from -160 to 120 degree Celsius), as well as vibrations of space flight. But that’s not all, the watch must also serve as a backup for the astronauts when all other equipment fails, allowing them to calculate thrusters’ burns, speed, and distance.

The OMEGA further proofs its worth during the Apollo 13 mission when the command module had an onboard explosion that caused power lost; the crew was forced to drift around the moon and return to earth. For the 3 long days, their OMEGA was the only functioning instruments on board. 

Here is the full ‘backstory’ behind the iconic watch.