January 3, 2023, the date on which a video appears on Omega’s official Instagram profile that leaves it open to multiple interpretations by the fashion house’s followers.
Watching the video, you could glimpse what appeared to be a spiral, the most complex component of the regulating organ of a mechanical watch. Among the various interpretations, there was no shortage of comments inherent to a possible new watch with something revised mechanically.
It is in the wake of this premise that Omega has unveiled an innovative hairspring within the movement of the Speedmaster Super Racing, a new version of the iconic Speedy.
Spirate Technology
We all know that movement is that crucial part that allows our beloved clocks to come to life.
Whether it is a time-only, a chronograph, or a perpetual calendar, the caliber of a watch turns out to be the most complex component of a timepiece, regardless of the complication we are talking about.
Composed of countless parts that are functional to each other, even the smallest element can make a difference in reliability, power reserve, and most importantly, accuracy.
It is through the pursuit of this fundamental quality that Omega, over the years, has developed several innovations including the Co-Axial Escapement of 1999 and the Si14 balance spring of 2008, which then enabled the development of the world’s first entirely anti-magnetic movement.
In a constant quest for precision, Omega today unveils a new tiny component with unprecedented technology that will initially find its place inside the new Speedmaster Super Racing.
It is a revolutionary balance spring, currently being registered, which the company’s engineers were able to develop from the Si14 balance spring.
Thanks to this novel technology developed by the manufacture, the watchmaker will be able to act on the stiffness of the attachment point of the balance spring through an eccentric adjustment mechanism located on the balance wheel bridge.
Through this new hairspring, the daily deviation of the movement (in this case the Co-Axial Master Chronometer 9920 of the new Speedmaster Super Racing), will be as little as 0/+2 seconds per day, a quartz-like precision I dare say.
Made of silicon, this new spiral takes shape through a fabrication process that involves etching a wafer (the thin slice of silicon from which the spiral is made) and is called DRIE (an acronym for “Deep etching with reactive ions”).
Adopted, for the time being, only on the new Speedmaster Super Racing, this new technology will later be progressively integrated into many other calibres.
The new Omega Speedmaster Super Racing
To mark the introduction of the innovative Spirate technology, Omega has decided to include this component inside a new Speedmaster. The Speedy Super Racing is in fact the first model from Omega’s house to be equipped with it.
At first glance this new steel chronograph may look like a “normal variant” of the iconic Speedmaster. However, looking closely at the details and colors we can immediately notice the strong reference to an anti-magnetic watch presented 10 years ago by the Biel-based maison.
In fact, with the new Speedmaster Super Racing, Omega wanted to pay homage to the 2013 Seamaster Aqua Terra > 15,000 Gauss. This is especially evident when looking at the color of the dial details. The hour markers, hands and even the bezel inserts pick up the color of the Seamaster.
The color code is also echoed by the yellow shaded central chronograph hand and the black and yellow striped small seconds hand in the counter at 9 o’clock. At 3 o’clock, on the other hand, the 60-minute and 12-hour counter hands can be seen, which also serves as a second time zone.
The arrow-beveled hour markers are filled with a unique and unprecedented Super-LumiNova with yellow luminescence. At 6 o’clock, where the date window is located, an interesting detail can be seen.
Each month, in fact, the special number 10 materializes with the Speedmaster logo font to celebrate the 10th anniversary since the creation of the Aqua Terra in 2013 mentioned above.
On the outside of the dial with a honeycomb pattern (a tribute to a “concept watch” exhibited at the Omega Museum in Biel that can withstand 160,000 Gauss magnetic fields), there is an eye-catching racing-style minute track
If you haven’t seen our visit to the Omega museum in Biel yet, I’ll leave you the full video here!
Complementing the design of the 44.25 mm diameter case is a black ceramic bezel with the famous “Grand Feu” yellow enamel tachymeter scale.
Turning to the back of the watch we can see, through the sapphire crystal case back of the 14.9 mm thick case, the beating heart of the new Speedmaster Super Racing: the Co-Axial Master Chronometer 9920
The perfect synthesis of all of the house’s innovations, this METAS-certified movement contains the innovative and revolutionary Spirate technology inside.
Thanks to the performance of the Co-Axial Master Chronometer 9920 caliber, combined with the new balance spring (visible through the case back) developed by Biel engineers, the new Speedmaster guarantees a 60-hour power reserve.
With a declared water resistance of 5 bar (50 meters), the new Speedmaster Super Racing equipped with a steel bracelet is accompanied by a black and yellow striped recycled nylon Nato strap, a tribute to the colors of the Seamaster Aqua Terra > 15,000 Gauss.
Price
Sold at a list price of EUR 12,700, the new Omega Speedmaster Super Racing is delivered inside a black case with a honeycomb pattern and yellow stitching, containing the additional nato strap and a tool for replacing it.
To learn more about Omega visit their official website and our dedicated section.
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