Omega Speedy Tuesday watches

What began as a hashtag in 2012 has since developed into two Speedy Tuesday limited edition watches. These special Moonwatches are in such high demand that their prices increased by several thousand dollars within a few months of release. Today, prices of 9,000 USD are par for the course.

Omega released the first Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday in 2017, five years after the initial #speedytuesday post. Defining features of this timepiece include its reverse panda dial, matte black aluminum bezel with a tachymeter scale, and hesalite glass. The 42-mm case has a satin-brushed finish. Another interesting detail is the silvery white subdials. They are coated with luminous material, making them easy to read in the dark. If this design looks familiar, that's because it's based on the Speedmaster Alaska Project III from 1978. Omega made 56 copies of this Moonwatch exclusively for NASA.

The second Omega Speedy Tuesday followed in 2018. This limited edition also takes its inspiration from a classic timepiece, namely the ref. 145.012-67 "Ultraman" from 1968. Speedmaster fans lent this watch its nickname after it appeared in the Japanese TV show The Return of Ultraman in 1971. The most unique detail of this rare vintage Speedmaster is its orange stop-seconds hand. This same splash of color found its way onto the 2018 Speedy Tuesday. The newer watch also has orange accents on its dial, bezel, and NATO strap. When exposed to ultraviolet light, Ultraman's orange head appears on the small seconds dial at 9 o'clock. Like its predecessor, the Speedy Tuesday Ultraman is a coveted collector's item that has seen a major increase in value.

It took less than five hours for the Omega Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday with a reverse panda dial to sell out. Omega only sold this wristwatch on their own website. If you wanted to get your hands on one, you had to reserve it first. At the time, its official list price was 6,500 USD, 900 USD more than the standard Moonwatch.

The limited run of 2,012 pieces was far below the high demand for this timepiece, meaning prices for the Speedy Tuesday quickly skyrocketed on Chrono24. By late 2017, prices for a never-worn ref. 311.32.42.30.01.001 had already reached over 10,000 USD. Pre-owned pieces were selling for around 1,200 USD less.

Prices for a mint-condition Speedy later fell to around 8,100 USD before climbing once more. As of 2019, prices have stabilized and settled around 9,300 USD for a new Speedy Tuesday and 9,000 USD for a pre-owned timepiece.

The first Speedy's historical predecessor – the Speedmaster Alaska Project III – was made exclusively for NASA and is so rare that one will likely never turn up on the pre-owned market. However, a "normal" Speedmaster from the 1960s or 70s with the reference number 145.022 costs around 5,000 USD today. The current standard edition Moonwatch bears the reference number 311.30.42.30.01.005 and changes hands for roughly 4,200 USD new and 3,700 USD pre-owned.

The Speedy Tuesday Ultraman sold out within two hours of going on sale. Omega stuck to the same strategy as the first Speedy, offering it exclusively on their own website. Reserving the Ultraman required quick reflexes and access to 7,100 USD.

The price of a new Ultraman jumped to around 10,000 USD almost as soon as it reached the initial buyers' hands. This quickly dropped to around 8,500 USD for a new timepiece, where it remains to this day. Pre-owned pieces cost a few hundred dollars less.

Vintage Ultraman watches from 1968 are exceptionally rare today, especially since their authenticity is hard to guarantee. In the past, so-called "Frankenwatches" regularly popped up claiming to be an original Ultraman ref. 145.012-67. However, these turned out to be modified watches with an orange stop-seconds hand added after the fact. These spare hands likely came from the Speedmaster Mark II or Omega Chronostop, which also had orange hands. However, these hands are not identical to that of 1968's Ultraman. You can purchase a standard Moonwatch with the ref. 145.012 without an orange hand for around 8,200 USD.

The manual caliber 1861 powers both Omega Speedy Tuesday models. This movement is based on the legendary Omega caliber 861, which ticked away inside the Moonwatches that the Apollo 11 astronauts wore to the Moon in 1969. Omega has also released a number of limited edition Speedmasters in honor of the Moon landing, often on important anniversaries. These Apollo 11 watches are hotly sought-after among collectors and make a sound investment.

When fully wound, the chronograph caliber 1861 has a 48-hour power reserve. A cam switch controls its chronograph mechanism. This movement ticks at 21,600 alternations per hour, the equivalent of 3 Hz.

It was a sunny Tuesday in Cannes when Robert-Jan Broer – a major Speedmaster fan and founder of the watch blog Fratello Watches – posted an image of his Speedmaster with the caption "Speedy Tuesday" on Facebook. Soon thereafter, Broer decided to name a series of articles on his blog after this caption. He published the first Speedy Tuesday article on May 29, 2012, wherein he discussed the Speedmaster Day-Date Caliber 1045. In the years that followed, he would publish hundreds of these articles. Fellow fans of the Speedy from around the globe soon began posting their own Speedmaster photos on Instagram under "#speedytuesday." The single vacation post quickly developed into its own brand that is now known by almost every watch enthusiast and has spread the Fratello Watches name.