article 05: "The Watch I Keep Coming Back To"

A week isn’t enough time to fully know a watch.

But it is enough time to figure out if you actually enjoy wearing it. And after a week with this Speedmaster, I think I finally understand why I’ve somehow ended up owning one three separate times. On paper, the Speedmaster isn’t the craziest watch in the world. It isn’t rare, it isn’t flashy, and there are definitely watches out there with better water resistance, more complicated movements, or more impressive finishing. But for whatever reason, every time I sell one, I eventually start looking at another. This is Speedmaster number three. So this time I wanted to actually pay attention to why.

The First Few Days

When I first put it on, there really wasn’t that whole “new watch” learning period. I already knew what a Speedmaster felt like. Black dial. White hands. Three subdials. Hesalite crystal. Manual wind movement. It’s a formula I’ve already spent a lot of time with. What did stand out almost immediately was how good this newer generation feels on the wrist. bA lot of that comes down to the bracelet. It tapers way more than the older Speedmaster bracelets I’ve had, and it gives the whole watch a much lighter and slightly more vintage feel. The funny thing is, it still looks like a pretty big watch off the wrist. On the wrist, it really doesn’t feel that way. After a couple days I basically stopped thinking about the size altogether. That’s usually a pretty good sign.

Winding It

I’ve gone back and forth on manual winding. There have definitely been times where I’ve looked at it as an inconvenience. But after wearing this one every day, I kind of get it now. There’s something cool about having to interact with the watch before you put it on. You pick it up in the morning, wind it, maybe set the time, and then throw it on. It takes almost no time, but it gives the Speedmaster a little ritual that you just don’t get with most automatic watches. You have to participate in owning it. And I think that’s actually part of the charm.

The Dial

The Speedmaster dial is just good. There really isn’t much more to it. There’s a lot happening on it, especially when you actually sit there and look at everything. Three subdials. Tachymeter bezel. Long white markers. Multiple hands. Text. It should feel busy. It doesn’t. The stepped dial on this generation helps a lot, and the Hesalite crystal gives the whole watch a softer look that I really like. Depending on the angle, the crystal slightly distorts the outer edge of the dial and minute track. I know sapphire is technically the more practical option. I still think a Speedmaster should have Hesalite. The scratches come with it.

The Bracelet

The bracelet might honestly be my favorite improvement on this generation. The taper completely changes how the watch wears. Older Speedmasters can feel a little heavier and more modern than the actual design of the watch. This bracelet fixes a lot of that. It’s thin, comfortable, and doesn’t overpower the watch. More importantly, it just looks right. Omega didn’t completely change the Speedmaster. They just cleaned up a bunch of little things that needed cleaning up. And I think that was the right move.

Is It Perfect?

No. The water resistance still isn’t amazing. The Hesalite is going to scratch. The bracelet and clasp are going to pick up marks. And yes, having to wind your watch every day isn’t as convenient as throwing on an automatic. There are definitely watches that make more sense as an everyday, do-everything watch. There are also watches that feel more luxurious. But I don’t really think that’s what the Speedmaster is trying to be. It’s just a Speedmaster. And I mean that in the best way possible.

Why Do I Keep Buying This Watch?

This is really the whole reason I wanted to write this. Because I’ve sold Speedmasters before. And every time, I had a perfectly good reason for selling one. Then enough time passes and somehow I’m looking at Speedmasters again. Maybe your favorite watch isn’t the one you refuse to sell. Maybe it’s the one you keep buying back. I think there’s probably some truth to that. There are watches I’ve owned that were more expensive, more interesting, or felt more special when I first bought them. But the Speedmaster is the one I keep finding my way back to. And after this week, I think I understand it a little better. It’s the proportions. It’s the dial. It’s winding it every morning. It’s the history. And it’s the fact that for such an iconic watch, it’s actually pretty easy to just wear and forget about.

One Week Later

After a full week, I don’t think my opinion of the Speedmaster has really changed that much. And I actually think that’s a good thing. There wasn’t some crazy honeymoon period where I thought it was perfect and then slowly started finding things I hated about it. I just wore it. A lot. And I enjoyed it. Speedmaster number three hasn’t suddenly convinced me that this is the greatest watch ever made. But it did remind me why I keep coming back to it. And knowing me, that probably won’t be the last time either.

Original. Honest. Aged Over Time.