Omega

This is a hands-on look at one of the hottest pieces introduced at Baselworld this week, the Omega Speedmaster “Dark Side Of The Moon.”

It is the first time Omega has offered the Speedmaster in a black case. According to Omega, many years back they considered producing a case with a black PVD treatment, but with even the slightest chance that it might scratch, that just wasn’t good enough. And so instead, they eventually decided to develop their own in-house black ceramic case. A solution far superior to coating steel or titanium with a hard black coating such as Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) or Diamond Like Carbon (DLC). The result, is the most technically advanced ceramic case on the market.

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Baselworld, the world’s largest watch show, starts tomorrow. We are on the way there now, so stay tuned for updates on the best new watches from the show. Below is a teaser video Omega just released which previews one of the soon to be released new Speedmasters.

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Omega has just released of preview of their new Omega Planet Ocean “GoodPlanet” GMT. It comes in a 43.5 mm steel case and is powered by the automatic Omega Co-Axial caliber 8605 with a silicon balance spring and balance wheel. The bezel is blue ceramic with orange accents. The dial is blue lacquered with a contrasting orange center GMT hand. Water-resistance is 600 meters. More details coming at Baselworld, which begins April 25th.

Earlier today at the Setai hotel in midtown Manhattan, the global CEO of Omega, Stephen Urquhart, and the head of product development, Jean-Claude Monachon, introduced the first truly anti-magnetic watch technology (resistant up to 15,000 gauss). Presented inside a prototype Seamaster Aqua Terra, the new movement — caliber 8508 — is the first of many movements that will receive the new technology as Omega has announced that all Co-Axial equipped timepieces will eventually receive this technology.

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This morning in Geneva, Omega announced what they say is the first truly anti-magnetic watch movement. Omega Co-Axial caliber 8508 is resistant to magnetic fields greater than 1.5 tesla (15,000 gauss), far exceeding the levels of magnetic resistance achieved by any other watch — significantly more than the two timepieces most widely known for their anti-magnetic characteristics: the Rolex Milguass (1,000 gauss) and the IWC Ingenieur (1,000 gauss). Omega’s new caliber 8508 has an even higer anti-magnetic rating than the 1989 IWC Ingenieur reference 3508, which was able to withstand huge magnetic fields up to 500,000 A/m. The Omega 8508 is rated to a record breaking 1,200,000 A/m, hence Omega’s claims that this is the first truly anti-magnetic watch movement.

Shown inside an Omega Seamster Aqua Terra. Omega expects to present the technology at the Baselworld trade fair in April. The new movement, the Omega Co-Axial calibre 8508, should be introduced to the market in 2013.

This is the one of the models in the new Omega Speedmaster Racing collection which was introduced at Baselworld 2012. It's the most affordable Speedmaster, and "yes" it does have a Co-Axial caliber inside. Read more about it here.

A grade A 1973 Omega Seamaster Automatic Chronograph Ref. 176.007 will be up for grabs at the Antiquorum watch auction Saturday August 25th. Estimates are low, and it will be sold without reserve, so if you want a cheap Seamaster that doesn't look like every other one out there - pre-register and bid online. There is also a really nice Breitling Premier available, with no reserve as well.

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