Omega

Quoted slightly out of context?

No, you're quite right, Sam... It absolutely was quoted out of context. As there was no easy way for me to quote the entire thread or threads over at TZ in context here, at least not feasably.

Well, I really didn't mean . . . (sigh) May 15, 2007,03:12 AM By: SamJH (registered) 

Chuck's views about the 50th anniversary edition -- and my own misgivings -- are now confirmed by the extraordinarily high MSRP set by Omega. 

Well, I will be even-handed enough to say that if the "Patch" flavor of the 50th Anniversary edition includes the rather cool box and tool set, the $1,000 MSRP premium isn't entirely out of line. That box and those tools are probably not inexpensive. But I still remain squarely in the group of people who are disappointed that Omega didn't do more on the "affordable" 50th Aniversary model.

Note I said "set prices" not "charged prices".  There is a apparently some history by Omega of having very high MSRPs on limited edition watches, then they or their dealers having to dump them on the gray market. 

And some dealers offer substansial discounts on MSRP too. And the higher the MSRP, the more even a 5% discount is worth pursuing.

For instance, the Museum Collection watches are all still available from Omega, each model from 2001 to 2006, and are regularly seen sold new in box without papers.  A friend of mine bought an officer's chronograph (Series Four, I think) for about 20% of the MSRP -- and it was one of 5 or 6 offered. 

20% of the MSRP or 20% off of the MSRP Sam? Two very different things.

i am not signed up for a 50th Speedy, or a new DeVille Hour Vision for that matter either (MSRP for stainless steel is also in excess of $9,000 as I recall).  I was very interested in both watches -- but not at those prices. 

I don't know I'll ever be interested in the 50th [patch] Speedmaster even at regular MSRP price, even at a discounted MSRP price. I suppose if it came with the box and tool set I might be able to justify the purchase, but the Patch model doesn't strike a resonant chord with me. But that's just me. My "chords" doesn't mean it isn't the right watch for some other potential customer.

As an aside, Omega is trying a different strategy with the Museum Collection with the Series Seven Marine.  Rather than the 1900 to 1950 pieces for Series Two through Six (and 4,938 pieces for Series One), Series Seven is being produced in 137 pieces, and I expect at an extraordinary price (has anyone seen a MSRP?  I've been afraid to ask). 

And this is one of the oddest of the more recent Omega announcements (which is the next topic you address below, Sam] in that the venue that Omega chose to announce this product was buried in the lot's of the Omegamania Antiquorium listing... In case anyone missed it, here's a link to the listing:

“This unique piece was created especially for the Omegamania sale and is based on the famous Omega "Marine" of the 1930's. The 1932 "Marine" will also be produced with a pink gold outer case and white inner case, as watch No. 7 in the "Museum Collection" in a limited series of 135 pieces.”

I won't say Chuck misquoted me -- he didn't. 

I don't misquote people.

But I admit to and will state that I didn't quote the entire thread or other threads which occured on another Omega forum. So what I posted's "context" is definately debatable. I mainly stuck with why I [and seemingly quite a few other folks] were disappointed with Omega's 50th Anniversary Speedmaster strategy.

I wrote the words he pasted in.  How to explain . . . I haven't gone back and re-read the thread, so my memory is likely imperfect, but my state of mind at the time was something like this. 

There had been a series of posts complaining that Omega had an unsuccessful showing at Basel, and I was frustrated with the comments to that effect. 

True.

Omega had introduced a number of items, some in advance of Basel admittedly,

Just so it's clear, I created a table showing how Omega had either introduced or leaked nearly every last "new" item shown at Basel [Apologies, but the table is much prettier over on TZ...]:

New Product:

What was done:

When Announced:

General Reaction:

Speedmaster Reduced

Revised dials, improved W/R

late 2006

Positive

Speedmaster Day

Revised Dials, 100m W/R, COSC

late 2006

Positive

Revised SeMPC

Revised Dial, modest price increase

late 2006

Relief it wasn't cancelled, Positive

Seamaster NZL-32

New Model, c.33xx variant

late 2006

Positive

BA 1957

Revised enamel & 1957 dial

4 Jan 2007

outrage @ putting 1957 on dial, enamel isn't very tool watch is it? Mostly negative.

Hour Vision

New movement, quasi-Inhouse

23 Jan 2007

Positive mainly, some are guarded.

Marine 135 LE Museum

Homage piece to original Marine

Omegamania Catalog [Lot 280 ]

Positive

50th Aniversary Patch

Patch Dial, LE numbering, [Price?]

late March 2007

Disappointment, underwhelmed

50th Anniversary c.3210

"castrated" c.3313 LE numbering, Shocking pricing [if accurate]

late March 2007

Disappointment

My apologies in advance for those models I've forgotten to include.

The only completely new watch shown at Basel, i.e. one that hadn't previously been announced or leaked, was the gold Planet Ocean.

but the first large public exposure was primarily at Basel. 

Everything on the table above the Hour Vision had been seen on Authorized Dealer's shelves prior to Basel. The Hour Vision, Marine and the 50th's had only been seen either at Press showings, Omegamania or on-line except for the aforementioned Gold Planet Ocean.

Omega seems to make most of their announcements with introductions other than at Basel, when they believe they can command the horological world's undivided attention. 

They did this year anyway. In the past, Omega has waited until Basel or the immediate ramp up before Basel to announce their new offereings. The PO and PO Chrono's showed up at Basel, the Gemini 4 40th LE was leaked the week of Basel, etc.

I challeged others to point out who did better at Basel. 

You did. If I remember correctly I stated that for the most part nearly everyone had a disappointing Basel showing, I excepted Longines, who showed some very attractive [IMO] pieces:

[Ok, I included more pictures this time around... ;-) ]

 

However, People were expecting big things for the Speedmaster's 50th Anniversary.

Chuck wasn't one of those making the comments, although he effectively and skillfully commented on Omega's Basel showing. 

Nice of you to say so Sam.

I'm not 100% sure if my comments were in the same post, same thread or a different thread, but I believe I stated that Omega largely did their Basel showing in themselves by pre-announcing nearly everything in their cache ahead of time. It's not much different than a Magician posting in the program that : I'm goingo to do the Bunny in the hat bit followed by the turn the wand into a flower arrangement, saw my assistant in half, do the sword in the coffin bit, etc. A more modern example would be to think of how effective Steve Jobs keynote's would be if he leaked an outline to his talking points the week before a MacWorld San Francisco address.

I had, in the same state of mild irritation, expressed essentially the alternate view that 50th Speedy wasn't that bad and noted the mostly negative comments.  And I challenged readers to suggest better alternatives, other than another 1861 in new shoes or a reintroduction of the 321.  Chuck rather ably took up that challenge . . . .

Again, it's nice of you to say so, Sam.

And the alternatives I posted on TZ were pretty much the same as I reposted [excerpted] here. I know that we had also bandied about the possibility of a "straight-lugged" aniversary edition and/or a Titanium cased edition too.

Irritation dissipated today, the Speedy 50th edition -- both the new movement and the "patch" version - now leave me completely cold.  And I have  more reason than most to want a 50th and an HourVision with Calibre 8500.

The patch I might be able to warm to if the price is right and the nifty box and tool set comes with it. The "castrated" c.3313 models? I just really don't know what Omega is thinking, stripping out the rotor and auto-winding bits out of a c.3313 and charging twice as much as a BA or BA 1957. That's just goofy. 

I won these items in a TZ contest, rather than purchased them.  While a 50th Speedy of some stripe would be a nice addition, I'll be content with the Snoopy.  And truth be told, I wear my hat with Omega on front more often than this one. 

I'll sum up with the two concluding paragraphs within that section of the post I quoted from [I've added the emphasis]:

What the passionate Speedmaster community here and on the other Omega discussion boards were thirsting for from Omega was something imaginative, exciting and worthy of the significance of the 50th anniversary of one of a select few watches [Movado Museum, IWC "Type", Rolex Sub and GMT] in continous production for such a long time, largely unchanged.

What passionate Speedmaster fans received was essentially a failure of the imagination [a stripped c.3313 and a busy dial -- whoopie.]. As a result what we've seen [expressed] here and in the other on-line Omega Communities, is the disappointment of what could have been...

In essance it was a tailor made opportunity for Omega to sell a bunch of watches, and it seems like it has been squandered.

-- Chuck