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Cosmic Watch - The world's first 4D digital astrolabe - and it's Swiss Made
It's called the Cosmic Watch and it is Swiss Made, but ironically it is not yet available as a watch. Having crossed the desks of the executives at Omega (too digital) and Google Switzerland (not functional enough), the project arrives on the market not as a wristwatch but as an application running on iOS and Android or as a luxurious desk clock or high-end touchscreen display that would make the perfect addition to a boardroom or hotel lobby. It is the world's first interactive astronomical clock in the digital era, and it's Swiss Made!
The Cosmic Watch builds on the centuries old tradition of the astrolabe as a means of displaying the rotation of the heavenly bodies in our solar system. But whereas the historical astrolabes were objects intended as decoration just as much as they were for education, the Cosmic Watch is geared much more towards the educational aspect, capitalizing on the ubiquity of smartphones and tablets around the world.
A new appreciation of time
One of the cornerstones of this approach is adding the dimension of time, which can be overlaid on any of the views in the form of a circle around the equator with an optional digital read-out if desired. Intuitively, the time can also be read against the selected location and the shadow cast by the sun gives an instant overview of where on earth it is night and day.
A "time travel" function lets you move forwards or backwards through time at varying speeds, from a sedate two minutes per second to a dizzying year per second. As you move forwards or backwards you see the trace of the movement of the planets and you can pause at any point to see the exact configuration in the solar system at that point. Furthermore, significant astronomical events such as eclipses are highlighted along the way.
Five different guides (horizon, compass, planet names, connections, celestial rings and equatorial grid) can be toggled on and off to assist with astronomical observations. Simply activating the horizon and compass, for example, then aligning north on the compass with north on the horizon, lets you easily identify the planets at a glance. On a cloudless night in mid-May I was able to pick out Mars, Venus, Jupiter and Mercury from my balcony in a matter of minutes.
The future
As with any smartphone application, the advantage of the technology is that it can regularly be updated. The developers are already working on adding new features such as real-time weather, a world-time display and equation of time function. With such features on board, the application could in future easily replace three or more existing types of application (world time, sky chart, weather). All this at a cost of just 4 Swiss francs!
The Cosmic Watch also comes packaged as two high-end luxury objects, the Vision and the Eclipse. The Vision is an interactive table clock and the Eclipse is a custom-built interactive astronomical "wall time device" using the very best touchscreen technology available.
The Cosmic Watch can be downloaded from Google Play and the Apple App Store.
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Omega - Wearing the Co-axial Speedmaster
One of the major introductions from Baselworld 2011 was, of course, Omega's new chronograph caliber. I was therefore quite disappointed when a Swatch Group scheduling glitch occurred and I missed my chance to see it. "These things happen," I thought and did my utmost to try to get down to the factory in the ensuing months - to no avail. I just seemed destined to miss out on seeing what I suspected was going to be a truly excellent product. In October, my chance suddenly appeared: my French-language colleague at Worldtempus Louis Nardin had arranged a test period with just this watch (
read his story here). Sometimes I am amazed at the way things work out.
The legend
Despite a reminiscent resemblance to Rolex, the Speedmaster has been able to carve out a fixed place for itself in history thanks to the legendary journey it took to the moon on the wrist of Neil Armb in 1969. Back then this watch originally introduced in 1957 ran on a manually wound Lemania that Omega called Caliber 321.
It's hard to mess with a legend and come out on top, but Omega has done an admirable job of it. This beefed up version of the Speedmaster measures a full 44.25 mm in diameter. It is perhaps this large size that gives it such a different feel and look as compared to the previous versions, which were either 38 or 39 mm.
The obvious
Aside from the size, aficionados will notice a few obvious differences between this new version and previous, more classic versions. The chronograph totalizers are bicompax rather than tricompax, a date window has been added to the 6 o'clock position and the ten-minute/stop-second numerals have been left off the new dial design. These three design elements alone have been enough to raise the hackles of collectors, leading some to even ask me outright while I was wearing the watch, "Is this a proper Speedmaster?"
While this is a question that can only be answered individually, my answer to this question would be a resounding, "Yes, it is a proper Speedmaster." A dial - which is the most important and doubtlessly the deciding factor in any wristwatch - is always a question of balance and proportions. While the dial has been slightly transformed, this was necessary because the entire size of the case had changed, making it more contemporary.
Also, in my estimation, the changed elements serve to clean up the dial a bit and make it fresher and cleaner. This, naturally, precludes that it loses a bit of its instrument character, but then so be it. The end look is attractive and compelling, a fact that I came to appreciate more and more as I wore this flawlessly functioning chronograph.
Also, and this is important for me, the changed proportions, cleaner dial and bicompax chronograph totalizers make it appear less Rolex-y than its predecessors. I know I risk some backlash with that statement, but it has always been a detracting factor in my eyes. The transformation is a good one.
The caliber
The original Speedmasters ran on Lemania movements, which were not created specifically for this model. This new Speedmaster, which is officially named Speedmaster Moonwatch Co-Axial Chronograph (Reference 311.30.44.51.01.002), is the first to be fitted with a movement that was created specifically for it. Omega Caliber 9300 is automatic, column wheel-controlled, and contains a co-axial escapement with a free-sprung silicon balance spring and two serially operating spring barrels for 60 hours of power reserve. Though I did not time the chronograph on a Witschi (that is not what our Worldtempus tests aim to prove), I can say that the caliber was extremely accurate and that 60 hours of power reserve is really excellent - you can put it down over the weekend and not have to wind it again on Monday morning. As I am not a watchmaker, I wouldn't want to venture a guess as to whether the co-axial provides more accuracy that a regular Swiss lever escapement with the same attributes. In my estimation, it is at least as precise.
One collector asked me during the test phase if the date changes exactly at midnight: a valid question. The answer is no, it's not an instantaneous change. The changeover lasts about ten minutes or so - not a bad balance.
The bottom line
At $8,700 this stainless steel sports watch is not necessarily overpriced. Comparable Rolex models are commensurate in price: the Oyster Perpetual Submariner Date in stainless steel currently costs $8,000.
The updates to this model are justified and well executed; after all, a simple reproduction would be ultimately boring, like hearing a cover version of a song that hasn't been changed at all except for the fact that a different group is performing it. In fact, the changes contain new codes that correspond to our era and our generation. Welcome to 2011, Omega Speedmaster.
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Reuge - New Boutique in Geneva
Being a direct neighbour to world famous boutiques of Louis Vuitton, Omega, Van Cleef & Arpels, the distinguished customer may, since May 2nd, see, listen and feel some 50 handcrafted master-pieces in a space of 68 m2.
Traditional music boxes, contemporary design objects, singing birds, personalized gifts - 150 years of traditional swiss craftsmanship are here to proof that this traditional manufacturer from the Swiss Jura has established itselfs at the top of individual luxury brands.
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Omega - Speedmaster Professional Apollo-Soyuz "35th Anniversary"
July 15th, 1975 marked the beginning of an important chapter in space exploration. On that day the United States launched an Apollo rocket, referred to as the Apollo Soyuz Test Project (ASTP) Command Module and the Soviet Union sent Soyuz 19 into space.
Two days later a remarkable thing happened: the two spacecraft representing these former adversaries in the space race docked and the three astronauts and two cosmonauts met in the middle where they shook hands, exchanged gifts and spoke with each other as they orbited the Earth.
The ships remained docked for 44 hours after which they separated, and manoeuvred to use the Apollo to create an artificial solar eclipse which allowed the crew of the Soyuz to take photographs of the solar corona. Another brief docking was made before the ships concluded their own journeys separately. The Soviets remained in space for five days altogether, the Americans for nine.
It was the first time that spacecraft built by different nations had docked and signalled an era of cooperation in space which would lead to the efforts to build a permanently occupied space station. The mission also marked the end of an era - it was the final flight of the Apollo spacecraft.
While the Apollo-Soyuz mission is best remembered for its political significance, it also resulted in some major technological achievements as neither of the spacecraft, which were completely different from each other, had been built for the purpose of docking.
The American crew was commanded by Thomas Stafford and included Vance Brand and the last of the original seven Mercury astronauts to make it into orbit, Donald K. "Deke" Slayton who had long been grounded due to a heart problem. The two-man Soviet crew included Valeri Kubasov and the first space walker, Alexei Leonov.
The ASTP Command Module splashed down on July 24th, 1975 after 217 hours, 30 minutes in space.
The Apollo era had ended. It would be six years before another American astronaut would fly in space aboard the reusable Space Shuttle. All of the Shuttle astronauts were equipped, of course, with OMEGA Speedmasters.
THE OMEGA SPEEDMASTER PROFESSIONAL APOLLO-SOYUZ "35TH ANNIVERSARY"
When astronaut Lieutenant General Thomas P. Stafford (USA) and cosmonaut Lieutenant General Alexei A. Leonov (USSR) shook hands in the docking hatch which linked their respective spacecraft, the space pioneers, along with their crews, were wearing Omega Speedmaster Professional chronographs on their wrists.
Commemorating a handshake
The 35th anniversary of their historic handshake is commemorated with the release of the Omega Speedmaster Professional Apollo-Soyuz "35th Anniversary" chronograph in a limited edition of 1975 watches.
A meteorite dial
The dial has been created from a meteorite which survived its entry into our planet's atmosphere and the high-speed impact with the terrestrial surface. The meteorite's unusual structure is the result its very high temperature when it enters the Earth's atmosphere, followed by a period of cooling. The dial is a single piece cut from the meteorite; accordingly, because no two pieces of the meteorite are exactly alike, each watch in this limited edition is absolutely unique.
The black colour of the meteorite dial is the result of a surface oxidation process. The silvery seconds hand and chronograph counters appear in the meteorite's natural colour.
The Omega Speedmaster Professional Apollo-Soyuz "35th Anniversary" chronograph is a fitting tribute to a pivotal moment in space exploration. A handshake in orbit between these two former space race adversaries demonstrated to everyone back on earth that it was possible to move forward in a new spirit of cooperation.
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Omega - The first watch worn on the moon
GMT XXL - Summer 2009
THE FIRST WATCH WORN ON THE MOON
The first manned lunar landing on the 20th of July, 1969 was the greatest, most dramatic scientific achievement in human history. Neil Armb stepped onto the moon's surface at 02:56 GMT on the 21st of July. Nineteen minutes later he was joined by Buzz Aldrin, who was wearing his OMEGA Speedmaster and a legend was born. An interesting footnote: the electronic timing system on the Lunar Module was not functioning correctly so Armb had left his watch aboard as a reliable backup. The adventure is celebrated through two OMEGASpeedmaster Professional Moonwatch Apollo 11 "40th Anniversary" Limited Edition watches: one in stainless steel and (7,969 pieces); the other in platinum and 18K yellow gold (69 pieces).
The distinctive timepieces are powered by OMEGA's caliber 1861, which shares its lineage with the caliber 321 used in the original Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch. The stainless steel casebody is delivered with a stainless steel bracelet which has been upgraded to include OMEGA's patented screw and pin system. The black dial also recalls that of the Moon Watch but has some key differences. The small seconds counter (sub-dial) is a medallion which features an adaptation of Apollo 11's famous mission patch: an eagle descends to the lunar surface with an olive branch representing peace in its claws. In the distance, far above the horizon, the earth is visible. The patch, interestingly, was designed by Michael Collins who remained in the Apollo 11 capsule as Command Module Pilot while his colleagues Armb and Aldrin were in the Lunar Module and on the moon.
ONE SMALL STEP
Below the words "OMEGA Speedmaster PROFESSIONAL" on the dial, the legend 02:56 GMT - the exact time that Neil Armb made his "one small step" onto the moon - is displayed in red. The 40th Anniversary Limited Edition's dial is protected by Hesalite, the same robust, shatterproof acrylic crystal found on the original Moon Watch. Hesalite is ideally suited for use in space - there is no chance that it can break apart and send potentially dangerous fragments into the low-gravity environment.
The Apollo 11 "Eagle" mission patch is stamped on the caseback along with the words, "The first watch worn on the moon", the limited edition number (0000/7969), and "July 21, 1969", the date Armb and Aldrin first stepped onto the moon's surface at 02:56, the time which is printed on the dial. The "40th Anniversary" Limited Edition is delivered in a black presentation box which also includes a 42 mm sterling silver medal (the same diameter as the watch) featuring an engraving of the mission patch. Also in the presentation box is a certificate of authenticity and an envelope containing a black polishing cloth printed with information commemorating the historic space flight.
The story of how the OMEGA Speedmaster became the Moonwatch - the only wristwatch approved by NASA for all manned space flights - all began in the early 1960s when two NASA officials anonymously visited several Houston jewelry stores, including Corrigan's, which at the time was the city's best-known watch and jewelry retailer.
The solo-flight Mercury space programme was almost completed (in fact, Wally Schirra had worn his own Speedmaster on his Mercury flight on the 3rd of October, 1962) and NASA was preparing for the Gemini (twoman) and Apollo (three-man) missions. There were plans for the astronauts on these missions to move about in space outside the ship. One of their key pieces of equipment would be a wristwatch which could withstand the difficult conditions of space. Every time an astronaut suspended in the vacuum of space turned his wrist, the watch would suddenly come out of the shade and be exposed to the unfiltered rays of the sun and temperature increases of more than 100°C. On the moon, President Kennedy's and NASA's declared objective, things would be even tougher. NASA ordered two Speedmasters and two each of five other chronographs for "testing and evaluation purposes" on September 29, 1964 The men from NASA bought a series of chronographs of different brands, charged with the task of finding the best watch available for their astronauts to wear in space.
THE ONLY WATCH APPROVED
On March 1, 1965, the test results were complete. Three brands' chronographs had still been in the running. Of those, one brand's entry had stumbled on two separate occasions in the relative humidity test. In the course of the heat-resistance test it finally came to rest for good. The large seconds hand warped and was binding against the other hands.The crystal of the second brand's chronograph had warped and come away from the case during the heat test. The same unfortunate occurrence took place with a second model of the same make during the decompression test.
Only the Omega Speedmaster passed. At the time, NASA's testers wrote, "Operational and environmental tests of the three selected chronographs have been completed; and, as a result of the test, OMEGA chronographs have been calibrated and issued to three members of the GT-3 (Gemini Titan III) crews." What sounds like a reserved, sober announcement was, in fact, the official decree that from that time forward, the Omega Speedmaster would be the only watch approved for all manned space flights and would be become an inextricable part of the OMEGA legacy. As significant was a NASA communique dated March 1st, 1965 which said, "… the astronauts show a unanimous preference for the OMEGA chronograph over the other two brands because of better accuracy, reliability, readability and ease of operation."
ITS CASE IS QUITE SIMPLY UNMISTAKABLE
Omega's love story with the sea has been going on for years, as the world's great sailors and divers will readily testify. As early as 1970, Omega created a watch capable of withstanding the extreme pressures endured by divers working at great depths. This timepiece, the Seamaster 600m, also called "Ploprof" (an abbreviation of the French term plongeurs professionnels, meaning professional divers), is one of the sturdiest, most robust watches best suited to the underwater world ever produced. Equipped with the Omega Co-Axial Caliber 8500, the new Ploprof is COSC-certified and water-resistant to 1200 meters, ingeniously combining the legendary characteristics of its forerunner with the Omega Co-Axial technology.
The case of the Ploprof is simply unmistakable, with its screw-locked protected crown located at 9 o'clock - a unique position that frees wrist movements and avoids any accidental shifting during a dive. Another feature of the Ploprof is the bezel-release security pusher with an orange anodized aluminum ring at 2 o'clock: one press on this pusher enables the user to turn the bezel in either direction and then to lock it firmly into the chosen position. The Ploprof is also equipped with an automatic helium valve on the side of the case at 4 o'clock. This device enabling helium atoms to escape during the decompression phase is particularly useful for professional divers operating in diving chambers. The Ploprof 1200m is available with either a brushed mesh "Sharkproof" strap or a black or orange rubber strap, featuring a double-extension system and equipped with a new safety clasp enabling precise adjustment thanks to 18 different positions.
[Rating: 5 / 5 stars]
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