Impulse purchase is usually a bad thing, or is it? Just purchased an Omega Speedmaster LA 3513.20 recently on a whim and i'm absolutely smitten by it. 39mm case, 37.6mm highly polished bezel, with a very smooth and solid Chronograph function.
The watch is powered by a modified 7750 movement with about 2 days of power reserve. This is a legendary movement that powers watches that range from RM2,000 to RM50,000. If you know anything cheaper/more expensive ( Brand New/Used ) that is powered by this movement, do let me know. It is a very robust movement and relatively cheap to service. It wobbles a bit in your hand when you move it and i find it rather amusing and interesting. It gives a certain character to the watch which you can't find from other more expensive movements and this reminds you that this is a mechanical watch, powered by mechanical wizardry, gears and what not. From what i read and ready to be corrected if i'm wrong, the "wobble" is caused by uni-directional winding mechanism coupled to a rather heavy rotor. Once its on your wrist, you won't feel the wobble. The start button of the chronograph has a rather positive feel to it when you press it and I LOVE IT!! I find column wheel chronographs to be too smooth, not unlike pressing a button on a quartz watch. This 7750 requires some force to start the chronograph that again reminds you that this is a mechanical piece.
This chronograph has another trick up its sleeve. Jumping minutes!!. What it is i hear you ask? Well, the minute indicator jumps 1 step every time the second indicator goes one complete cycle, which is 1 minute, hence the word "jumping" minutes. This is harder to achieve than a simple 30:1 gear reduction in this case. You would need latches, detents, rachets etc to make this work and it is a form of complication that is completely unnecessary, but amazing to have on a watch in this price range. Much more advanced instantaneous "Jumping" mechanisms in one form or another can also be found in my favorite Grail watch, the ZeitWerk, but rather than rotating an indicator/pointer, it rotates a disc with numbers on it. Last I checked, that watch costs above RM300,000. Grail watch indeed.
The white dial is amazing ( It is really white. Could it be enamel? ) and goes rather well with an after market vintage brown suede strap. The large red Omega logo at 3 o'clock can be seen from several feet away and I've gotten queries from strangers about this watch. Watch aficionados i am sure which I never get from the other watches in my collection. Another detail that caught my eye 2 weeks after I bought this piece is the blued seconds indicator. Can't believe i missed that.
Although it is a sports watch, it can also be quite dressy with an aftermarket suede strap and would go pretty well with your cufflinks and long sleeve shirts. It's not as thin as some ultra thin dress watch ( A.Lange Saxonia 37mm at 5.9mm ) but since the bezel is slightly smaller than the case, it hides its size rather well. We do live in a strange world where 39mm is considered small. A brown alligator strap should make it even dressier if that is what you are after. The thickness do give it away that this is not a purpose build dress watch, but how many people actually abide to those rules?
One comment I received from one of my readers is this review is too positive. For a more balanced POV, I should include some negatives about the watch. Okay, if i do need to nitpick, I kind of dislike the sliding clasp of the bracelet. It makes putting on the watch a chore honestly. Probably I'm not used to it since my other watches do not have such a sliding clasp. Since the watch is on straps now, that doesn't disturb me at the moment.
Overall, I'm pleasantly surprised by this underrated and rather rare horology gem. Haute horology it is not, but horology nonetheless.
Rating it at 4.5/5.0.
This is my first watch related post. More watch related posts coming, including one from Germany. Stay Tuned.
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