LuxuryWatchesWhy I replaced my Omega Speedmaster with a Tudor Black Bay 58They are two icons of the watch world, but there’s only space on my wrist for one…When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
LuxuryWatchesWhy I replaced my Omega Speedmaster with a Tudor Black Bay 58They are two icons of the watch world, but there’s only space on my wrist for one…When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
They are two icons of the watch world, but there’s only space on my wrist for one…
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: T3)
(Image credit: T3)
It was while watching a recentNetflixdocumentary about SpaceX that I felt my first real pang of regret. The Omega Speedmaster’s inextricable link with space exploration had somehow not entered my mind until the show’s second hour, but then I spotted the watch strapped to an astronaut’s wrist and remembered mine fondly.
I don’t regret selling my calibre 1861 Speedmaster – the predecessor to the current model, purchased new on a black leather strap in 2019 – and replacing it with a Tudor Black Bay 58, navy on a steel strap. But that one scene reminded me of just what a privilege it is to own a Speedmaster.
The watch became standard issue for all Nasa astronauts, and landed on the Moon in 1969, strapped to the wrists of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. Fast-forward to the aborted Apollo 13 mission a year later, and the chronograph function of a trusty Speedmaster was used to precisely time the burning of fuel during the critical re-entry process.
(Image credit: Omega)
(Image credit: Omega)
Originally intended for motorsport – hence the tachymetre on its bezel, used to calculate the average speed of a vehicle over a known distance – the Speedmaster’s ascent to the stars, and ability to bring humans back to Earth again, puts it among the most storied watches of all time. All of this is reason enough to own one – it’s even enough to present the argument that a Speedy could be your only watch, worn every single day.
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During the next nine months, I think I wore my Speedmaster twice, before admitting to myself that it must be sold. The Tudor had won me over from day one and I haven’t looked back since. It is a more compact watch, with its 39mm case diameter better suited my slim wrists than the 42mm Speedmaster. The case is shallower too, and I simply adore the colourway. The Tudor arrived during a deluge of blue timepieces hitting the market, and in some quarters was criticised as a lazy rehash of the original Black Bay 58. I disagree. While I respect the original, I was never drawn to it like the navy – a colour that shifts from a light, almost pastel blue to a dark, inky hue depending on ambient light. I like its simplicity too, compared to the more chaotic face of the Omega with its busy bezel and three-dial chronograph.
(Image credit: T3)
(Image credit: T3)
Ultimately, picking between two watches is entirely down to personal preference. Watch ownership is a highly subjective thing, and I’ve intentionally avoided trying to compare these two at a mechanical level. They’re both Swiss, one is manually wound and the other is automatic; the rest is up to you.
It felt like an honour and a privilege to own an Omega Speedmaster, to feel that connection to man’s greatest achievement every time I read on the case back: “The first watch worn on the Moon”. But, for me, the Tudor is the watch I lusted after, rather than felt obliged as a horology fan to own. It is the smaller, sturdier of the two; the one that can be worn anywhere, with anything. And it’s more interesting than a Rolex.
This article is part ofThe T3 Edit, a collaboration between T3 and Wallpaper* which explores the very best blends of design, craft, and technology. Wallpaper* magazine is the world’s leading authority on contemporary design and The T3 Edit is your essential guide to what’s new and what’s next.
This article is part ofThe T3 Edit, a collaboration between T3 and Wallpaper* which explores the very best blends of design, craft, and technology. Wallpaper* magazine is the world’s leading authority on contemporary design and The T3 Edit is your essential guide to what’s new and what’s next.
This article is part ofThe T3 Edit, a collaboration between T3 and Wallpaper* which explores the very best blends of design, craft, and technology. Wallpaper* magazine is the world’s leading authority on contemporary design and The T3 Edit is your essential guide to what’s new and what’s next.
This article is part ofThe T3 Edit, a collaboration between T3 and Wallpaper* which explores the very best blends of design, craft, and technology. Wallpaper* magazine is the world’s leading authority on contemporary design and The T3 Edit is your essential guide to what’s new and what’s next.
This article is part ofThe T3 Edit, a collaboration between T3 and Wallpaper* which explores the very best blends of design, craft, and technology. Wallpaper* magazine is the world’s leading authority on contemporary design and The T3 Edit is your essential guide to what’s new and what’s next.
This article is part ofThe T3 Edit, a collaboration between T3 and Wallpaper* which explores the very best blends of design, craft, and technology. Wallpaper* magazine is the world’s leading authority on contemporary design and The T3 Edit is your essential guide to what’s new and what’s next.
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