Omega Speedmaster World Cup — Quarter Final 3: Ed White Vs. Apollo 11 45th Anniversary
The Group Stage is in the books. It’s time for the head-to-head contests to begin. Over the next two weeks, we will run two quarter-final match-ups each weekend—one on Saturday; one on Sunday. Our intrepid warriors made it through blood baths of their own making, but now they need your help to fight another day. Only one man can progress from each quarter-final to the next stage. The choice of who receives that honor rests with you. Let battle commence…
Now it’s serious. The men have now been sorted from the boys. For this third quarter-final, the champion of Group E takes on the winner of Group F. But first, let’s have a look at statistics. Almost 2,400 votes were cast in Group E. 45% of those went to the new 321 Ed White. That equates to 1,100 votes. Four-figure backings are pretty impressive, especially when compared to the voting total of other groups…
Group F received around 1,800 votes. 700 of those ballots were cast in favor of the Apollo XI 45th anniversary. That works out at around 40%. In absolute scores, the Apollo XI 45th seems to be the underdog in this quarter-final. Although, percentage-wise, the contenders were much closer.
Apollo XI 45th Anniversary (311.62.42.30.06.001)
Calculating the chances for the Apollo XI 45th to win this quarter-final, I’ve been thinking about the reason why the 321 Ed White got more votes in the group stage. And in my opinion, the lesser number of votes for the Apollo XI 45th must have been caused by its age. The new 321 was extensively presented only this year. It’s a highly anticipated model, with good reason. It is still very fresh in everybody’s mind. The Apollo XI 45th, on the other hand, needed to get its attention from coverage six years old. 2014 was the last time that even we at Fratello had an article on this fascinating model.
What, in fact, is so special about the new 321 Ed White that it should win this quarter-final match? Is it such a huge achievement to rebuild a watch that was built in the 1960s already? Of course, I know, in fact, it is. But should a rebuilt watch win over something original? Would a cloned Muhamed Ali take down Deontay Wilder?
What’s so special about the Apollo XI 45th?
So I thought the best way to give the Apollo XI 45th a fair chance is to freshen up your minds with all the awesome (and rarely seen) details this watch offers. The first thing most people notice when looking at a watch for the first time is its dial. From top to bottom, this is a special watch. The dial, and the way it has been made, is no exception. In fact, it might be the most remarkable of remarkable elements.
The logo and wording are not printed on the dial as we might expect. Nor are they applied. Rather, the dial is made in one piece of metal and has been treated with PVD. It was created using a special laser technique, removing all material surrounding the logo, model name, sub-dials, numerals, minute, and hour markers. The result is a stunning brownish grained surface like you’ve never seen before.
A titanium case
Omega never before used titanium for the typical a-symmetrical Speedmaster Professional case. That was a first for the Apollo XI 45th limited edition. We haven’t seen it since. They decided to use grade-2 titanium with a brushed finish. Normally, titanium watches tend to be made in grade-5 titanium, which is much lighter in color, almost like stainless steel. The – untreated – grade-2 titanium even might become somewhat darker over time. The rather flashy Sedna gold bezel contrasts beautifully with the darker case and dial.
Brushed finish
In combination with this rather dark titanium, Omega decided additionally to give the case an overall brushed finish. Another first for a regular shaped Speedmaster Professional. The only time we saw thát again was with the stainless steel – Speedy Tuesday 1 limited edition. It suits the Speedmaster Professional extremely well. A brushed finish is toolish, but in combination with the Sedna gold of the tachymeter bezel and index-markers, at once, it becomes very sexy.
Conclusion
At the end of this presentation of the Omega Speedmaster Professional Apollo XI 45th Anniversary Limited Edition, we’ll turn off the lights. The clear, boxed, sapphire crystal sharply uncovers the thin lines of Super-LumiNova used in the hands and atop the index markers, which reflect the last rays of light. It’s gorgeous to look at and a real pleasure to wear. Now please leave your vote below this article and, may the best watch win!
321 Ed White (311.30.40.30.01.001)
I looked at this competition from another angle. Going against Gerard, my surrogate Fratello-father (love you, G Pops) put a huge burden on me. Thank God, we do not have the Shakespearean Henry IV type of relationship (him being Henry IV and me being Prince Hal). Still, this is business and we never mix that with family.
Now let’s looks at the watches, aside from their monetary values. To me, it is obvious that the new 321 Ed White is a more exciting piece. Not that I loathe the Apollo XI 45th, not at all. However, let us make one thing clear; when one looks at the 321 Ed White, one needs to take into consideration what and how was rebuilt. One cannot simply say it’s a rebuilt watch of the 1960s. It is that, but it is so much more to boot…
See, I’m not a huge boxing fan, so I cannot reflect on that comparison. Though, I can create my own. Would you say that Michael Jordan or better than Lebron James? You can’t compare then, because they played in two very different eras of the NBA. But if MJ’s clone was to play against Lebron, my money would be in His Airiness. In this “fight” Jordan is the Ed White 321…
21st-century vintage
Omega never used titanium for a Speedmaster Pro before the Apollo XI 45th. Which is true, of course. Omega also never used their resurrected legendary, column wheel, chronograph movement, the caliber 321 in any steel (i.e. affordable) watch before the 321 Ed White.
Yes, it found its way into a platinum Speedy, but let’s be honest here, chances are you won’t be seeing many of those at your local GTGs. While I dig titanium — or platinum — watches, the aforementioned reason alone would be enough for me to go with the Ed White. Then there are the looks. The 321 Ed White has no special alloys, cartoon dogs, or red/white checkered scales on the dial. What the watch has is a charm. A faithful reinterpretation of a legendary model. As if the vintage Omega Speedmaster Ed White (ref. 105.003) wasn’t perfect enough. Omega took the model and remade it, only better, using 21st-century technology. It’s a breathtakingly beautiful timepiece that pays homage to a legend. And then ably picks up the pen and begins to write its own…
Ed and Gene
While most Speedmasters are infused with space DNA thanks to the tight connection between Omega and Nasa, the 321 Ed White ups the ante here as well. As its nickname suggests the original Omega Speedmaster 105.003 was favored by one Edward Higgins White II. He was a Gemini IV and Apollo I member, US Air Force officer, and aeronautical engineer.
White was also the first American to perform a spacewalk wearing the watch that would bear his name a good few decades later. However, there is another gentleman important to the rebirth of the 321 Ed White, namely Gene (Eugene) Cernan the last man to walk on the Moon. Cernan was an equally decorated and important member of the elite group of Nasa astronauts.
A Gemini IXA, Apollo X, and XVII participant, Cernan has a number of his “own” Speedmaster Professionals, such as the Apollo XVII coin dial from 2012 or the Apollo XVII 45th Anniversary from 2018. Yet, the watch he actually owned and wore on the Moon was the one that Omega used to recreate the legendary caliber 321 (here is our video review on YouTube).
Gene Cernan during the Apollo XVII mission
321
Sorry for the small history lesson, still I think it is crucial that we talk about these two fine gentlemen when discussing the 321 Ed White. Obviously, one very important factor we have not mentioned yet; its caliber. Omega fans…hell, vintage watch fans, in general, know just how important the caliber 321 (based on the Lemania CH27 C12) for the history of watchmaking.
While the 321 and its predecessors had a long lifespan, Omega only used them in Speedmasters for a decade and change. That means the recreation of this iconic caliber is a remarkable, brave, and important milestone in the brand’s history. The new 321 Ed White comes with a display back so the future owners will have a chance to admire this watchmaking masterpiece whenever they feel like it — assuming they’ve taken the watch off first!
Conclusion
While I believe that there is no inferior or bad execution of an Omega Speedmaster Pro (although technically the 321 Ed White is not a Pro, you get what I mean) there are those so-called “first among equals” pieces. This new 321 Ed White is such a piece. The looks are divine; the details are supreme: the applied logo, straight lugs, teardrop counterweight, flat link bracelet, etcetera. And let’s not forget the technology. We have a new 321 with a German silver clutch bridge, and bridges and the mainplate plated with Sedna gold. No one would be surprised to see this model march all the way to the Final. So as Gerard said: Now please leave your vote below this article and, may the best watch win!
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