NWA: JDM Omega Speedmaster Date

In a sign that the universe wants me to keep collecting watches (or that mathematically, 1 in 7 odds aren’t that odd), my very first Speedy arrived on a Tuesday!

This JDM Omega Speedmaster Date (3511.50) is from the early 90’s, placing it firmly in “neo-vintage” territory. It measures 39.0mm wide, 13.5mm thick, and 43.9mm lug-to-lug by my calipers. The “reverse panda” dial is matte black with silver radial subdials, a date window at 3pm, and crisp white printed Omega branding and minute numerals. But the stars of the show in my eyes are the Tritium-lumed hour markers. I am by no means a fauxtina hater, and I quite like the way that many such examples look, but these subtly creamy patinated markers were what turned me onto this reference in the first place. On the inside is the Omega caliber 1155, based on the famed ETA/Valjoux 7750 automatic chronograph movement that I learned all about in my pursuit of this reference. Seriously, if you have time to kill, Google the Valjoux 7750- it’s history is fascinating.

But enough about the stats- if you all are anything like me, you know of at least 17 trusted sources to find spec sheets, reviews, and not-so-subtle “now available in the shop” advertisements. Instead, I’d like to share why I fell in love with and ultimately decided to add this piece to my collection.

The main reason I chose this piece is that it continues my current collecting theme, which I would label as something along the lines of “Echoes of Icons”. Yes- dramatic and horribly cheesy, but how else will I convince you all that this post is not written by AI? Anyway, my current “core” collection is made up of a Seiko 5 Sports desk diver (echoing the SKX), a Seiko Prospex “Baby Alpinist” (echoing the Alpinist), a white-dialed Seiko Presage Sharp Edge (echoing the GS Snowflake- this is my post and I’ll make giant leaps if I damn well please), a 90’s Omega Seamaster 120m (echoing the original Brosnan Bond Seamaster 300), and a Certina titanium diver (echoing… well I guess nothing other than the Rolex Sub in the general way that many divers do). This Speedy is a click away from the icon-amongst-icons- the Speedmaster Professional “Moonwatch”- in several ways that I find very interesting and endearing.

First, the compact size feels like it was tailor made for my lower-middle class 6.5-inch wrist. While I’ve tried on the modern Moonwatch and thought that it looked and felt fine- nay, GREAT- this little JDM number is more my speed.

Second, the reverse panda color scheme and the 6-9-12 subdial layout lets you know that this isn’t your normal Speedy- it’s here to party and maybe get a little weird, unlike the austere and monochromatic (note that I expressly did NOT say “boring”) Moondaddy.

Third, while many dislike the “asymmetry” of the subdials at 6, 9, and 12, I find it quirky and interesting that the top and bottom half of the dial are mirror images of each other. Who said that the only type of symmetry is left-right, and top-bottom doesn’t matter? Don’t be such an axisist, bro.

Fourth, the stainless steel bezel with the lacquered tachymetre scale is subtle from up close and basically imperceptible from afar, and does less to draw the eye away from the dial. Side note- I will never use the tachymetre no matter how far down this rabbit hole I continue to fall, so moving it to the background of my consciousness is a win for me personally.

Fifth, the fact that Omega produced such a beautiful model and dropped it in the Japanese market feels like a cool convergence of Swiss and Japanese watchmaking and watch appreciation.

And finally- did I mention that Tritium lume? This reference is actually a very interesting time capsule, as it contained Tritium lume for the early-90’s portion of its production run (including the model I was able to find) and Super-LumiNova for the late-90’s part of its production run. So, this reference literally sat at the crossroads of a particular change from old technology to new- and 30 years later, which side of that change this particular example sat on is evident in the subtle patina of the markers that gives the watch a warm, vintage feel.

Alright, this has gone on long enough- thank you for sticking with me. I hereby end this rambling mess of a NWA post. Take care, Crunchers!