Omega Speedmaster OLYMPIC – 321.30.44.52.01.001

Is there an Olympic event that lasts for a whole week? If there is, you could time it with the Omega Speedmaster Olympic (Omega ref: 321.30.44.52.01.001). Omega has been the official timekeeper of the Olympics for some time , and this Speedmaster Olympic was released to reflect the brand's ongoing connection to the contest. It's one in a long line of celebration luxury watches designed by Omega for various Olympic Games, and it's one of the best.
For reference 321.30.44.52.01.001, Omega sensibly elected to stick with the classic stylings of the Speedmaster, a watch first seen in 1957. So you get the beautiful, slightly rounded Speedmaster case, this time in stainless steel and with a water resistance of 100 m—a respectable, Olympic kind of distance, and a rating that would allow Michael Phelps (one of Omega's sporting ambassadors) to wear it in the water. If he didn't mind sacrificing his streamlining, that is. The Speedmaster Olympic might be a good-looking, smoothly-built luxury watch, but it's not going to do you any favours in the 200 m fly.
Phelps was the perfect ambassadorial choice for Omega : so much so, he could almost have been created by a PR company just for the purpose. His inaugural year as an Omega sports ambassador was 2004, but he'd splashed onto the scene at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, where he became the youngest male competitor since the 1932 games: the year Omega was first announced as official timekeeper.
The heritage of Omega, and the Games, is written all over the Speedmaster Olympic. Almost literally: the dial of the watch is adorned with five chronograph counters in the shape of the Olympic rings. And the extra two counters (a chrono usually has three)? They're geared for tracking the passage of days, and weeks. So you could theoretically time an event that lasts for seven days, or multiples of seven days, with this luxury watch. In other words: you can time the entire Olympics. For a brand that's made its name as the Olympic timekeeper, that's a pretty neat little nod to tradition and history.
Beyond those five rings, which spread across the centre of the dial, and a date window at 6 o'clock, the Speedmaster Olympic is completely unadorned. It makes a refreshing change from event-linked luxury watches that feel the need to splash extra logos all over themselves. This is a celebration watch that wears as a daily chrono, but with a pedigree that makes it a collector's item as well.
The bracelet, like the case, is in stainless steel. Hour marker and hands are lumed. The folding clasp is steel, stamped with both Omega and Speedmaster logos. The dial is black and viewed through a sapphire crystal.
Omega has released a ton of celebration watches through its long association with the Olympics. There aren't many that match ref. 321.30.44.52.01.001 for looks, legibility, and longevity. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that it wins the gold medal. And as it's discontinued, you can only win this piece if you can find one on the collector's market.
Image Credit – officialwatches.com vedere di piu rolex copie e Breitling Super Avenger