Omega Speedmaster Broad Arrow

Preserving history. Wristwatches are updated and replaced by newer models over time. Sometimes, the historical value of a particular piece makes it financially feasible to continue an old, dated model for a long period of time. Omega's Speedmaster Professional has been on the Omega line-up for over 50 years with only a minor update to its manual winding movement having been made. But it is the Moonwatch. You cannot retire the Moonwatch.

While maintaining the Speedmaster Professional, Omega needed a more contemporary chronograph with a newer self-winding movements, a higher visibility dial and other improvements which 50 years of watchmaking have brought.

Omega Speedmaster Broad Arrow. The Omega Speedmaster Broad Arrow is an updated Speedmaster Professional. The Board Arrow maintains the older Professionals look, but the Broad Arrow has larger and wider hour and minute hands as well as wider stick markers as opposed to the older Professional. This allows for better use of the Superluminova coating and is where this watch draws its name.

Omega Speedmaster Professional (Ref. 3570.50.00) on the left and the Omega Speedmaster Broad Arrow (Ref. 321.10.42.50.01.001) on the right

The movement powering the hands has also been updated. The broad arrow shaped hands are powered by the Omega 3313 self-winding movement with the Co-Axial Escapement as opposed to the manual winding Omega 1861 and 1863 movements found in the Professional. Protecting the dial of the Board Arrow is a sapphire crystal glass as opposed to the hesalite crystal found on the Professional. The Broad Arrow also incorporates a date display at 6 o'clock. Water resistance has been improved from 50 m. to 100 meters.

Other than that, not much has changed. The Broad Arrow is Tachymeter Chronograph. The three interior dials on the face are a) a second-hand at 9 o'clock, b) a minute elapsed counter for the chronograph at 3 o'clock, and c) an hour elapsed counter for the chronograph function at 3 o'clock. The outside of the dial has a fixed bezel incremented to act as a Tachymeter which is used in conjunction with the stopwatch function.

In the end, the Broad Arrow is a contemporary version of the Professional. In honor of the Speedmaster Professional, the Broad Arrow has "1957", the year that the Professional was released, printed on its dial. The Moonwatch for the new generation pays homage to the Apollo Moonwatch.

About Omega SA. The forerunner of Omega was founded 1848, by Louis Brandt. The name Omega was first used in 1894. It was used as the name of one of the Louis Brandt brother’s watch movement calibers.