Lessons In Wristory: Vintage Omega vs Modern Omega

Everything old is cool again. That seems to be the current mantra of the major watch manufactures. Bell & Ross has been on this train for a while and has seen success with their Vintage line; Panerai had a hit with their PAM 372 and PAM 127 1950 “Fiddy”; and Longines has been on a roll with their new vintage inspired pieces like the Legend Diver, Avigation, and Heritage 1973. Of course, we all know very well that Tudor has hit several consecutive home runs with their Black Bay, Ranger, and Heritage Chronograph. Hell, even Rolex went back to an Orange Hand Explorer II a few years ago, and revived the Pepsi GMT Master II at Baselworld 2014. The big boys are realizing the massive appeal in a vintage style piece with modern technology, features, and reliability. Putting those brands aside, we will focus on a few of our favorite vintage-inspired pieces from Omega: the Speedmaster Mark II, Seamaster Bullhead, and Spacemaster Z33.

If you’ve been following our vintage Omega series, you should be well aware we love the classic versions of the Mark II, Bullhead, and Flightmaster. We love them for their unique features and designs that didn’t go along with the crowd — that told the status quo to ‘piss off’. This is why we’re so pleased it’s these models Omega decided to pay homage to with their new releases. While we’re glad to see the Speedmaster ’57 and the Seamester 300, they are the more obvious choices with the new trend of “vintage” re-issues. It’s the revival of obscure choices that are a bit more risky. I can just imagine ‘the suits’ in a meeting at Omega; that one squirrely guy in the corner who’s just ‘a little off’, convincing the others in the room how crazy-yet-brilliant of an idea it is. Yeah, crazy like a fox.

Mark II Speedmaster

Black dial Mark II Speedmaster

We’ll start with the Mark II. Both of them. Taking after the Moonwatch, the original Mark II features the tried and true manual-wound calibre 861 — you can read all about its history here. The modern Mark II is very faithful to the original with similar dimensions, pushers, and bracelet, with only minor tweaks to the dial, chronograph hand, and tachymeter scale. The major difference lies underneath with the greatly improved 3330 movement. The certified chronometer movement features a column-wheel chronograph, Omega’s Co-Axial escapement, and a silicon balance spring running at a healthy 28,800 vph with a 52-hour power reserve — no slouching here.

Mark II Speedmaster with “racing” dial

For other than reasons of nostalgia and true vintage appeal, there isn’t too much of a comparison in the movements, but what about the other aspects of the watches? The original Mark II measures in at a little under 42mm wide, and the new one just a little over, as well as just a bit over 1mm longer lug-to-lug, at 46.2mm, compared to 45mm in the original. The similar dimensions are important here because with too many vintage re-issues, the pieces seem to grow substantially in size. My only real gripe with the new one is the date window. It seems unnecessary, and takes away from the clean look of the original. However, you really can’t go wrong with either. If you’re having trouble deciding between the two, the price point will be the greatest difference. The new Mark II retails for $6,250 and a nice example of the original comes in at or just below $2,000. It would be hard to convince me not to get a vintage Mark II with a racing dial, especially at the current price point and the fact that it has a movement that undoubtedly works outside of the Earth’s atmosphere.

Seamaster Bullhead

Omega Seamaster Bullhead with black dial

Next up are the Bullheads. The new version of the Bullhead is also fairly faithful to the original and they even got the date window right, although there are more aesthetic differences than when comparing the Mark II’s. The dimensions are almost the same at 43mm x 43mm in width, which as discussed earlier, is very well received. At first glance, you’ll notice the major difference is the dial. The original came in with a brown dial but featured a tri-color top register, setting it off very nicely. The new version does not feature those great colors but it makes up for it by providing three different color variants: white dial with a ‘roulette wheel’ inner bezel, black dial with a black bezel, and silver “rallye” dial with a black bezel. The pushers are slightly different as well, with the original featuring cylindrical pushers, and the new version has more flat angular ones, more or less matching the case.

Vintage Omega Bullhead — courtesy of ChronoMaddox

Like the Mark II, the movement is obviously different. The original was a manually wound Calibre 930 and the new one is and automatic 3113 Co-Axial. While the Co-Axial calibers have been beefing up many Omega watch cases, it didn’t make a big difference with the Bullhead, since it was already a beefy piece. An interesting thing to consider with the Bullhead is the price. The original has been nearing $10,000 on the vintage market, and new version’s retail is priced quite similarly, just under $10,000. However, depending on the source, you can find a ‘brand new in box’ Bullhead for about $7,500. We would understand if you opted to pay the extra dough for an old one, as it has pretty lovable vintage looks. If the new Bullhead floats your boat, the roulette wheel’d white dial version is a solid buy in my book. Plus, it’ll certainly be much easier to find than the elusive vintage model.

Z33 / Flightmaster

Omega Z33 Spacemaster

And now for something completely different. The original Flightmaster is one of our favorite watches. It’s so unique and quirky, yet still classic and functional. The modern Z33 Spacemaster is not supposed to be as much of an homage or re-issue, like that of the Mark II and Bullhead, but more of the next evolution of the Flightmaster. We are pleased to see that the Spacemaster has an almost visually identical case to that of the Flightmaster, to include the 43mm size, with only slightly different pushers and titanium vs steel construction.

Flightmaster caliber 911 – picture courtesy Chronomaddox.com

What makes the original Flightmaster so great is that it throws out all the rules with the case and dial, and the Spacemaster manages to do the same, only in its own way. The quartz movement and dual LCD screens are an immediate departure from what you’re used to reading about here at Wound For Life, as we prefer mechanical watches to battery powered. However, the battery power allows for a long list of features like, alarm, dual time zones plus GMT time, chronograph, flight timer, flight log, and full calendar. Much like the original Flightmaster, the Z33 may seem a bit off the wall, but it is a purpose-built timepiece. What’s more, if you’re wearing either of these awesome pieces, I highly doubt you’ll see its double on another wrist. If you want a unique, classic, functional work of art, get the Flightmaster ($3,000-$6,600). If you want a unique, highly functional and advanced tool, get the Spacemaster ($6,600).

Omega has really been doing their due diligence to get these vintage re-issues right. Normally when the new “vintage” watches are released, it makes me hunger for the original even more. With these Omegas, it’s almost the opposite — they make me strongly consider getting the new versions. Okay, maybe not the Flightmster, but there’s something to be said in getting vintage looks with the comforts of modern technology. The classics are just that, classic, and you can never go wrong there. The updated features and movements of the new versions will provide you with a tough, long-lasting watch, and worry-free ownership. It’s up to you to decide which suits you better. Or you could always just get both, we certainly won’t judge.

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