Today's post is about one of the most recent speedies which the WIS community has already branded as a future classic.
Initially introduced back in 2013 the watch has now been officially discontinued. The TinTin had a very hard early life and dealers could not get it off their displays. This meant that quite a few of them could be found for extremely attractive prices.
As time went by it became known that the watch had been designed by Omega as a TinTin special edition.
It was Omega's decision to add TinTin's rocket on the dial and roll it out as a limited edition of 1954 pieces. Unfortunately, it seems that Herge pulled out of the project and Omega was left with a bunch of red-white chequered dials. Apparently, Omega owns an early prototype of the watch exactly as it would have been but they are not allowed to showcase it due to copyright issues. Instead of abandoning the project all together they decided to add the existing dials in stock speedmaster cases and fill in the famous caseback inscription with red rather than the usual black paint. The watch was originally marketed as part of the racing series and is the last manual-wind racing speedmaster uptodate.
The watch originally came with the red Omega leatherette box which was later changed in favour of a massive wooden one of much better quality. The attention to detail is evident across the whole package. Just have a look at the red lining inside the box!
It also came with the standard speedmaster bracelet. The earlier watches seem to have a pin and collar arrangement whereas the latest seem to have the screws that help with the bracelet adjustment.
I have always found that I prefer straps to bracelets and I chose a cognac racing one to compliment a beautiful racing watch!
The watch not only benefits from the standard moonwatch case but it features the same manual-wind movement and the same hesalite crystal as the standard speedmaster. It may seem anachronistic, and it may in one sense be, considering that the movement has been pretty much the same since 1969 and that the hesalite crystal has been in use since the introduction of the speedmaster line back in 1957, but all of these features are greatly appreciated by today's collectors.
The case measures 42mm across and this might be a consideration for the small-wristed among us, I should know since I am one of them. I used to own a FOIS and I found that the TinTin wears very similar to that one. The asymmetrical case extends to protect the pushers and the crown but it slopes down quite steeply hence disguising the extra 3mm nicely.
The manual wind movement helps in keeping the overall thickness down and and short lugs help in making this a very wearable watch. Just have a look at it next to a 40mm automatic Sinn chronograph and judge for yourselves.
It doesn't look that big now, does it?
It really is a watch that reveals its beauty during a sunny day and looks much better in real life compared to its photographs. The painted dial is appreciated under different angles that also tend to emphasise the recessed subdials. It is a pleasure having it on the wrist when the sun is out!
As was mentioned above, the TinTin was an unpopular model during its early life and only recently have collectors started showing their appreciation towards it. It has now been officially discontinued and supply has definitely dried out. Some NOS examples can still be found through some asian markets but even these have become quite scarce the last few months. The prices also seem to be creeping upwards and the watches seem to actually sell more than the MSRP. Perhaps the fact that only around 2000 of them seem to exist in the wild has something to do with it.
Is it still a good buy? Well, if you ask me it certainly is. It can be bought for the same price that the actual moonwatch now retails for and you can be almost certain that you will not spot another one out there unless you attend an Omegaforum or a WIS get together!
Should you go for it if one comes along? For the right price you certainly should. Not only will you be getting an excellent, iconic tool watch that will last for a lifetime but you will also be getting something that will not be easily found in the future.
I will leave you to it with a picture of the TinTin next to another under appreciated but extremely beautiful automatic speedmaster racing.
