Unboxing Omega's Tribute to A Top-Secret Speedmaster | What's in the Box Ep. 13
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- Опубліковано 2 жов 2024
- This week on What’s in the Box, the spotlight is on the Limited Edition Omega Speedmaster Alaska Project. Shop: www.bobswatches.com
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Learn about the watches featured in this video and find links to buy them below.
WRIST CHECK
Emily’s Wrist: Rolex Lady-Datejust Ref. 69178
Find the Rolex 69178 for sale here: www.bobswatche...
Justin’s Wrist: Rolex Milgauss Ref. 116400
Find the Rolex 116400 for sale here: www.bobswatche...
FEATURED WATCH: Omega Speedmaster Alaska Project Ref. 311.32.42.30.04.001
ALASKA PROJECT I PROTOTYPE: If you dig deep enough into the most obscure corners of Speedmaster history, you might stumble upon the curious case of the Alaska Project, a top-secret venture dreamt up by Omega in the late 1960s and early 1970s to develop the ideal watch for space travel.
The earliest prototypes were developed to tough the unfavorable conditions of space, from extreme temperature changes to direct exposure to sunlight. They featured a white dial to reflect the heat of the sun and a removable anodized aluminum thermal shield in red, a color chosen for its outstanding heat resistance.
It’s also worth noting that these early models were the first wristwatches in the world to be produced entirely in titanium, an incredibly hard material to find and work with at the time. The Alaska Project model from 1969 used the caliber 861, the successor to the famous caliber 321.
ALASKA PROJECT II PROTOYPE: A second iteration came to market in 1972 dubbed the “Alaska II (Prototype).” This model also featured the caliber 861, a white dial, and a removable red thermal shield but was built upon the standard Moon Watch silhouette, featuring a similar asymmetrical case in stainless steel and a unique 60-minute bezel instead of a tachymeter.
Furthermore, the dial had a more “modern” looking aesthetic and black rocket-shaped sub-dial hands, compared to its predecessor, which had red.
Omega’s ambitious endeavor to create a NASA watch for space travel ultimately proved futile because neither of the early Alaska prototype watches was picked up for production by NASA. And why would it? The classic Speedmaster had already traveled to the Moon and was a reliable space exploration tool watch for lunar and other space missions.
2008 LIMITED EDITION ALASKA PROJECT OMEGA: That brings us to the modern expression of rocket-tough Speedy, ref. 311.32.42.30.04.001 featured in this week’s edition of What’s in the Box. It recalls aspects from each of its predecessors, including the white dial, rocket-shaped sub-dial hands, and removable thermal shield.
Like the 1972 Alaska II prototype, it is essentially a classic Omega Speedmaster with a unique white dial. The thermal shield on the 2008 model is impressively resistant to temperatures ranging from - 148C to +260C - perfect for varying celestial environments.
However, unlike its predecessors, this Alaska Project watch did make it to the production stage in 2008 and was produced in limited quantities of 1,970. It features a long white textile Velcro strap (in addition to a stainless steel bracelet), Hesalite crystal, a 42mm stainless steel case, and a newer caliber 1861 - a descendant of caliber 861.
Reference 311.32.42.30.04.001 represents Omega’s undying devotion to its space exploration heritage and innovation.
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Wow, the Omega Speedmaster Alaska Project looks amazing! 😍
Quite the watch to unbox this week!
What a great presentation! Emily always knocks it out of the park. Omega to the moon and back. Very cool/hot.
❤ - so happy to hear you enjoyed this week's watch and video!
As #MoonwatchUniverse pointed out in September 2015, the ex-Alaska II Project Speedmaster with its outer case has been worn by Russian cosmonauts onboard Salyut--6 space station !
Interesting fact to learn! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Explorer 36mm. The only watch you’ll ever need. (not me, because I’m special) 😂
Great watch!
What a great piece! I don’t have a Speedy yet, but it’s on my radar. Kind of a chill day here, so haven’t put on a watch yet. Thinking my 16610 today though.
So glad you enjoyed this week's watch!
I am double wristing today. On left I'm wearing a Rolex Submariner and on the right I'm wearing an Omega Speedmaster.
What duo for the day!
Gorgeous….
absolutely!
Very cool and collectible watch. To me it’s more interesting than Snoopy.
Truly fantastic!
This could be the most beautiful Omega tool watch ever made! And looks definitely more beautiful and unique than the current white dial Speedy 3861 just released this month. Looks fantastic 👌🏻
Now this is a statement!
For the self-proclaimed resident newbie, Emily knew that this watch existed. Well done, young lady. It was certainly new to me. I wonder why the sub dial at the 9 o'clock position doesn't have the "space shuttle" hand like the other two. As I mentioned before, my son has the black dial Milgauss. It will be interesting to see if his also fades to the gray like the one Justin had on today. Emily's watch today will always be a stunner with the President bracelet. On my wrist today, I took my Grand Seiko "Katana" out of the box for some air. Like the Alaska Speedy, It's also a limited edition, number 287 of 500.
So much to enjoy in this episode! Love that you have on a LE piece today, a perfect connection to our watch this week. All the best to you!
The 9 o'clock hand is the running second hand, while the others are the chronograph minute (3 o'clock) and hour (6 o'clock) hands. The shape is to differentiate between running seconds and chronograph. Similarly, the chronograph hands on the Omega Apollo 8 are yellow (including the sweep seconds) as opposed to the white standard running hands.
@@garyadels1 Thanks. Makes sense now that you pointed it out.
Very interesting watch,i am sure it will be a prohibitive price but very nice
Interesting indeed!
Wearing a fitbit. Great watch! Thanks for sharing!
Happy to share this watch!
Only a short time after seeing Omega release the white dial Speedy as part of the range (not limited) we get to see maybe the inspiration for it. I've seen photo's of the Alaska Project but this is the 1st video. I love it. I'm not sure if I would use the heat/cold shield but it's great that it was included in the pack along with the Velcro strap. A cracking limited edition that I'm sure will get more attention since the new white dial speedy release. Many thanks for sharing. As I already have a 1863 sapphire sandwich I'm not currently in the market for a new one but in a year or so who knows.
So happy to hear you love the watch! This Alaska Project version is easy to enjoy, especially on the hells of the new white dial Omega Moonwatch.
Without further adieu, goodby