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 while the first Omega in space was worn by spaceman Wally Schirra, not Neil Armstrong.
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" No watch has this much degree of pedigree and panache "
My wrist has a circumference of 15 centimetres hence I went for a better fitting FOIS which is paired to a leather strap (which is a good thing since I’m not quite a fan of Omega’s metal bracelets yet). The FOIS is pleasing to the eyes by being functional yet keeping a well balanced design.
At 39.7 mm it exudes presence despite being a good 2.3 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 the history bit.
Winding is made easy since there's no need to unscrew the crown although the action can be smoother. A minor complaint would be, standing at 14 millimetres tall. The FOIS makes its companionship felt and gets in the way from time to time where the wear would need to readjust its case back to the middle of the wrist.
Worst of all, the Omega’s calibre 1861 has regularly accelerated by 5 minutes every twenty four hours which is quite unacceptable in terms of time keeping. Then again, it could be due to being in the period of breaking in.
Those aside, the First Omega in Space design proportions is simply perfection. Be it seeing with the eyes or in front of a camera, there's no debating on this being a handsome watch. The lack of crown guards, straight lugs and use of alpha hands further accentuates its vintage approach. The asking price is within reach and the Omega brand doesn't carry the douchebag status as much as some watches which is a plus for people who don't like attention.
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've wanted to be an astronaut since childhood. As far as dreams go, they don’t always take flight thus owning a moonwatch is probably the closest thing to being a spaceman. 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.