Get Your €100K+ Speedy Now! Omega Offers The Speedmaster Calibre 321 With A New Platinum Flat-Link Bracelet
The first Speedmaster to hit retail with a six-figure price is here! Well, that’s if you don’t count the complicated Speedmaster Chrono Chime. Omega introduces the platinum Speedmaster Calibre 321 with a material-matching flat-link bracelet, and at our local AD in The Hague, the price of that most prestigious Speedy is €107,500. If you’re in the United States, the price is still expressed in five figures, but that’s only because it doesn’t include the sales tax. If you go to your watch dealer, you will read $96,900 on the price tag of the very heavy platinum bracelet and a six-figure final price on the credit card machine — unless you’re in Alaska, Delaware, New Hampshire, Montana, or Oregon.
Since we’re talking money, let’s continue doing so for a bit. A sum of €72,300 / US$65,200 buys you the Omega Speedmaster Calibre 321 ref. 311.93.42.30.99.001. That’s a Speedy in a 42mm platinum case based on the fourth generation of Speedmasters (also known as the 105.012), identified by the bevel on the case back. The case in Pt950Au20, a platinum alloy that contains 2% gold, is topped with a black ceramic bezel insert with a white enamel tachymeter scale. The deep black of the step dial is onyx, and the indexes are 18K white gold, but there’s more precious material. It’s a not-of-this-world material that makes the dial look stellar — the lunar meteorite comprising the three sub-dials. Underneath the fascinating dial beats the hand-wound Omega 321, a legendary, reborn movement you can also admire through the display case back. The black leather strap is stylish, but it’s also the least precious feature of this watch.
A platinum flat-link bracelet for the Speedmaster Calibre 321
There’s good news for those who always felt their platinum Speedy was missing something or lacked some pizzazz. Well, that is if Omega will sell you the platinum flat-link bracelet separately. Based on the prices of the platinum Speedmaster in the catalog, €35,200 / US$31,700 will get you the bracelet upgrade. That’s a considerable chunk of money, but you get a beautifully finished, very elegantly shaped, and historically correct bracelet. It shows polished and brushed surfaces and the brand’s old logo on the clasp.
I’m not sure, though, if Omega is very eager to sell separate platinum bracelets and if the calculated difference will be the selling price of a separate bracelet. Having said that, the owners of the platinum Speedmaster Calibre 321 are an affluent little group, and the brand from Biel will probably help them out with pleasure. It’s one of the perks of being a top customer.
Is the platinum 311.90.42.30.99.002 the ultimate Speedmaster?
Now let’s concentrate on the complete watch, the platinum Speedmaster Calibre 321 ref. 311.90.42.30.99.002 with its new flat-link bracelet in matching precious metal. This could very well be the ultimate Speedmaster. It strikes a perfect balance between the materials used, story-telling, and technicality. The base material is prestigious and exclusive. Platinum’s characteristic weight defines luxury, as does the material’s soft shimmer. The deep black dial with its lunar fragments links to the space theme, and Omega’s 321 movement is part of watchmaking history and a fascinating piece of micro-mechanics.
Regarding looks, the bracelet version also beats the reference with the black leather strap, although that is a personal opinion. The silently introduced full-platinum iteration is, in a way, less conspicuous than the “cheaper” version and thus more sober-chic. I can do sober. Can you?
