Omega Speedmaster Pro advice
Discussion
Looking at buying a Speedmaster Pro, either the 3570.50 model or the 3573.50 model.
The 3570 has the Hesalite crystal and the 3573 says it has the Scratch Resistant sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment.
So does that follow that the Hesalite crystal is prone to scratching?
Is the extra dosh for the 3573 worth it, they also mention two different movements for the watches, does the 3573 have a better movement?
Sorry if these are dumb questions, but new to Omegas
The 3570 has the Hesalite crystal and the 3573 says it has the Scratch Resistant sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment.
So does that follow that the Hesalite crystal is prone to scratching?
Is the extra dosh for the 3573 worth it, they also mention two different movements for the watches, does the 3573 have a better movement?
Sorry if these are dumb questions, but new to Omegas
casbar said:
Looking at buying a Speedmaster Pro, either the 3570.50 model or the 3573.50 model.
The 3570 has the Hesalite crystal and the 3573 says it has the Scratch Resistant sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment.
So does that follow that the Hesalite crystal is prone to scratching?
Is the extra dosh for the 3573 worth it, they also mention two different movements for the watches, does the 3573 have a better movement?
Sorry if these are dumb questions, but new to Omegas
Not an expert but I've been looking myself and I believe the differences between the two are:The 3570 has the Hesalite crystal and the 3573 says it has the Scratch Resistant sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment.
So does that follow that the Hesalite crystal is prone to scratching?
Is the extra dosh for the 3573 worth it, they also mention two different movements for the watches, does the 3573 have a better movement?
Sorry if these are dumb questions, but new to Omegas
3570 - is flight qualified by NASA; 3573 is not;
3570 has a steel case back; 3573 has a see through display back;
3570 hesalite is more prone to scratches (but they are easy to polish out); the sapphire crystal in the 3573 is slightly more likely to break (one (the?) reason for the lack of NASA flight qualification);
3570 has the 1861 movement (which is basically a Lemania 1873); 3573 has the 1863 movement (Lemania 1874) - I think the difference is entirely looks - the 1874 is a decorated movement and hence used in the display back model
Personally I'd have the 3570 because of the NASA connection/history - it is truer to the original moon watch. Also I think it really should have a hesalite crystal.
Indeed I'm considering one right now ... but along with about four other watches and Christmas may get in the way ...
Hesalite (plexiglass) crystals feel plasticky and cheap and will scratch very easily and very obviously. But they can be re-polished, so minor scratches are not a total disaster. On the plus side, they are more shock resistant than sapphire, which is the main reason they're chosen for space flight.
I love the traditional Speedmaster, but the plastic crystal is not the best choice for normal use here on earth. The inevitable scratches can make your watch look pretty naff. You can either live with it or you can't. I can't. Even the NASA qualified contemporary Speedmaster X-33 uses a Sapphire crystal.
I love the traditional Speedmaster, but the plastic crystal is not the best choice for normal use here on earth. The inevitable scratches can make your watch look pretty naff. You can either live with it or you can't. I can't. Even the NASA qualified contemporary Speedmaster X-33 uses a Sapphire crystal.
For what it's worth, I had a Speedie Pro with the Hesalite crystal face for 4 years. I wore it every day during that time and, while I don't work with my hands, I am a clumsy bugger and hard on watches. After four years, it hadn't picked up any significant scratches to the face.
They're both lovely watches but don't you want to be prepared just in case NASA suddenly finds itself a man short?
M
They're both lovely watches but don't you want to be prepared just in case NASA suddenly finds itself a man short?
M
All of my watches have plexiglass - I love it as its authentic vintage, but then that suits my type of watch.
Plexiglass crystals are also very cheap to replace...ive had my heuer carrera plexiglass crystal supplied by Tag uk a couple of months ago- £25 for the part...as opposed to something well into the several hundreds for a sapphire crystal should you ever need to replace it.
Unless you give it a real knock it should be fine.. you can wear them day to day as I and many do, and it wont mark really. It may pick up a few hairline marks you may see when it catches light in a certain way over time but nothing major.
If you DO scratch it, you can get it polished out in few minutes by a decent jeweller (mine does it while I wait if I ever need it) and it will look like new.
In my experience, plexiglass will scratch and crack, whereas sapphire will just shatter. My attempted mugging meant it received a pretty hefty couple of whacks against a brick wall. Had some deep gouges in, but they polished out fine. The reason I replaced it was there was a tiny hairline crack up the side of it from said incident.
The same impact on a sapphire I have no doubts would have shattered it.
Of the two you mention i would have the 3570- more authentic and with the history and for the reasons above. Plus I cant stand clear backed watches. But im just a picky git
Its a personal choice- neither one is 'bad' or worse than the other...
Plexiglass crystals are also very cheap to replace...ive had my heuer carrera plexiglass crystal supplied by Tag uk a couple of months ago- £25 for the part...as opposed to something well into the several hundreds for a sapphire crystal should you ever need to replace it.
Unless you give it a real knock it should be fine.. you can wear them day to day as I and many do, and it wont mark really. It may pick up a few hairline marks you may see when it catches light in a certain way over time but nothing major.
If you DO scratch it, you can get it polished out in few minutes by a decent jeweller (mine does it while I wait if I ever need it) and it will look like new.
In my experience, plexiglass will scratch and crack, whereas sapphire will just shatter. My attempted mugging meant it received a pretty hefty couple of whacks against a brick wall. Had some deep gouges in, but they polished out fine. The reason I replaced it was there was a tiny hairline crack up the side of it from said incident.
The same impact on a sapphire I have no doubts would have shattered it.
Of the two you mention i would have the 3570- more authentic and with the history and for the reasons above. Plus I cant stand clear backed watches. But im just a picky git
Its a personal choice- neither one is 'bad' or worse than the other...
Edited by GCH on Friday 7th December 01:02
I have a 2001 Speedmaster pro 3750 with a very expensive at the time (approximately £250 from memory ) see through genuine Omega back. It has spent most of the time in my safe. Still in original box with papers etc. Just been serviced and almost indistinguishable from new. As soon as I have some photos I am putting it in the classifieds so you may be able to have the best o both worlds.Only selling it to replace with IWC in my collection.Great watch.
I've taken delivery of my 3753 this week (can recommend fellow PH'er Dominic_H for great service and a good deal btw). What Tertius said is right - the movement in the Sapphire back is the same but with one key piece modified from plastic to metal so that it looks great behind the crystal. Obviously there is also no movement cover as you'd get on the 3750.
If you want to be true to the original moon watch then go for the 3750, but even then this has a different movement to the original cal.321 which went to the moon.
I had a look at both the Hesalite and the sapphire in the Omega store on bond street. There is very little difference in feel between the two types of glass when new (beyond the anti-reflective, which isn't nearly as "see through" as on something like the PO anyway) and both are slightly domed.
In the end I went for the 3753 over the 3750 because the Hesalite does scratch more easily (and I am reasonably hard on my watches) and because I love being able to see the movement through the glass.
The Omega store manager did say that they can replace a scratched Hesalite for under £100, with the Sapphire at around £50 more, but I still wanted the tarty sapphire back, and this ultimately made my mind up.
As for the difference in price - have a word with Dominic_H and you'll find that it isn't quite as big as list would suggest, and this would be for a UK supplied watch, BNIB and with valid warranty.
If you want to be true to the original moon watch then go for the 3750, but even then this has a different movement to the original cal.321 which went to the moon.
I had a look at both the Hesalite and the sapphire in the Omega store on bond street. There is very little difference in feel between the two types of glass when new (beyond the anti-reflective, which isn't nearly as "see through" as on something like the PO anyway) and both are slightly domed.
In the end I went for the 3753 over the 3750 because the Hesalite does scratch more easily (and I am reasonably hard on my watches) and because I love being able to see the movement through the glass.
The Omega store manager did say that they can replace a scratched Hesalite for under £100, with the Sapphire at around £50 more, but I still wanted the tarty sapphire back, and this ultimately made my mind up.
As for the difference in price - have a word with Dominic_H and you'll find that it isn't quite as big as list would suggest, and this would be for a UK supplied watch, BNIB and with valid warranty.
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