ON THE WRIST: Omega Speedmaster FOIS
MONDAY OCTOBER 26, 2015
PRO
Modern vintage feel
Historical value
Beautiful aesthetics
CON
Wears big
SPECIFICATION
39.7 mm Diameter
14.5 mm Thickness
50m Water Resistance
48 hours Power Reserve
47 mm Lug to Lug
RM 18,900
The Omega Speedmaster, known as the Moon Watch is a timepiece that’s a must-have in anyone’s collection. Little did I know it was actually first made for motorsport timekeeping before it became NASA’s space certified watch to this date. As appealing as those facts are, we are not visiting the moon anytime soon and the First Omega in Space is meant to celebrate being in space for the first time, not moon landing.
.jpg)
RELATED ENTRIES
VIDEO: Omega Speedmaster FOIS
ON THE WRIST: Panerai Radiomir PAM 512
ON THE WRIST: Grand Seiko SBGM221
" No watch has this much degree of pedigree and panache "
I have a 15 centimetres write so the smaller FOIS is more fitting. This variation of the Speedmaster is paired to a leather strap (which is a good thing since I’m not quite a fan of Omega’s metal bracelets). The FOIS is pleasing to the eyes by looking nearly identical to the larger’s Speedmaster balanced design. This is a brilliant job of proportional shrinking.
At 39.7 mm, it exudes presence despite being a good over two millimetres smaller in diameter than the Professional which makes it an excellent choice for those with a smaller wrist. Having worn this watch for several months, the FOIS gets a lot of praise for looks from the general public despite not knowing its history one bit. The perk of pairing a leather strap to a watch is that it accentuates the beauty of the case.
Legibility cannot be better with white texts on a black dial. The layout of it all is no easy thing as things can get crowded when it comes to a chronograph design. Be it seeing with the eyes or from pictures, there is no debating on this being a handsome watch.
The lack of crown guards, straight lugs and use of alpha hands further accentuates its vintage-inspired approach. Despite not adhering to all of die-hard fans’ checklist for a Speedmaster, see the FOIS as a modern iteration instead of a reissue of the original watch.
Winding is made easy since there is no need to unscrew the crown although the action can be smoother. In comparison, the older 861 movement is smoother to wind and is more interesting to look at.
Caged inside is Omega calibre 1861 which has regularly accelerated by 5 minutes every twenty four hours which is unacceptable in terms of time keeping. I have emailed the camera and they replied that the watch could be due to being in the period of breaking in.
This Speedmaster is for one of two things. Space exploration fans with a smaller wrist or those who would like a vintage watch but made today. I am the former and could not be happier for being able to dream of being an astronaut. It is not like I will ever take it to space but knowing that it could do that is incredible.
Most people will go for the full-fat Professional Speedmaster while the FOIS is buried down in Omega’s catalogue so I have a suspicion that we will not see many of these and will be something special in years to come.
A minor complaint would be its height of 14 millimetres tall which is common for chronograph watches. The FOIS makes its companionship felt and gets in the way from time to time where the wearer would need to readjust its case to properly sit in the middle of the wrist.
The FOIS is one of my favourite pieces in the collection, if not the most. That should be taken lightly because it is only natural for me to be drawn to the Speedmaster as I have wanted to be a spaceman since a child. As far as dreams go, they don’t always take flight hence owning a moonwatch is probably the closest thing to being one. The Speedmaster mirage is like how people picture themselves as James Bond while driving an Aston Martin. That’ll do for me, at least for now.