# Omega speedmaster Professional vs. Coaxial



## cheuba (Aug 5, 2010)

Hi all, 

So far the biggest difference i can find is that the professional's water resistance is 50m less, does not show the date, the battery life is shorter and that the professional's face is smaller. 

But other than that i don't really understand the technical details stated below:

Professional:
Famous manual-winding chronograph movement that was worn on the Moon. Rhodium-plated finish

Co-Axial:
Self-winding chronograph movement with column wheel mechanism and Co-Axial Escapement for greater precision stability and durability of the movement. Free sprung balance, with date, hour, minute and continuous small seconds hands, central chronograph hand.

thanks!


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## 1love (Aug 20, 2010)

The coax is self winding, the original is a manual wind.


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## Dixan (Oct 10, 2009)

Co-Ax is 44 mm. Speedy Pro is 42 mm.


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## cheuba (Aug 5, 2010)

1love said:


> The coax is self winding, the original is a manual wind.


manual winding seems to have a longer battery life but is there really a difference between self winding and manual winding? i'm a new watch enthusiast and to me it seems like the same thing... can someone kindly elaborate? thanks!


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## 1love (Aug 20, 2010)

There is no 'battery'. With the manual wind you have to wind the crown periodically to keep the watch working. The self wind can be manually wound and/or will 'charge' based on your wrist movement. If it ever 'dies', you can wind the watch manually and reset the time.

Consider that the importance of this watch is that it was the first to go to the moon purely because it was the only one capable at the time. The manual wind is also tried and true with a 50+ year history. The coax is only 10 years old and thus relatively unproven. I would say if you are getting the Speedy Pro, the manual is the way to go, purely for historical reasons.


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## nikola0406 (Jun 17, 2010)

cheuba said:


> manual winding seems to have a longer battery life but is there really a difference between self winding and manual winding? i'm a new watch enthusiast and to me it seems like the same thing... can someone kindly elaborate? thanks!


What battery!?! None of those two has a battery. Pro is a manual wind,and coax is automatic selfwinding. Go Pro is my advice. In ten years by coax


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## cheuba (Aug 5, 2010)

1love said:


> There is no 'battery'. With the manual wind you have to wind the crown periodically to keep the watch working. The self wind can be manually wound and/or will 'charge' based on your wrist movement. If it ever 'dies', you can wind the watch manually and reset the time.
> 
> Consider that the importance of this watch is that it was the first to go to the moon purely because it was the only one capable at the time. The manual wind is also tried and true with a 50+ year history. The coax is only 10 years old and thus relatively unproven. I would say if you are getting the Speedy Pro, the manual is the way to go, purely for historical reasons.


thank you for your input. It seems like i'm stuck at a crossroad. The co-axial seems cooler because it has more functions but the professional has a stronger history... my next question is what happens if i wind the professional too much? when will i know when to stop winding the watch and does it get annoying having to constantly wind the watch every few days?


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## 1love (Aug 20, 2010)

The Pro and Coax are both chronos, the coax shows the date not sure about the original.

Dixan points out that they are also slightly different in size, 42mm vs 44mm.

Im not 100% sure but i doubt you can overwind either of them. The general rule i heard was 40 turns from a 'dead' state will ensure it is fully wound and will last the stated 48hrs or whatever it is before it 'dies' again.

There are others here far more knowledgeable about these specific items than i am. Im sure they'll chime in soon.


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## cheuba (Aug 5, 2010)

nikola0406 said:


> What battery!?! None of those two has a battery. Pro is a manual wind,and coax is automatic selfwinding. Go Pro is my advice. In ten years by coax


i think the technically term was actually "power reserve" . thanks for the correction.

seems like 2 people are suggesting the professional. I have another two concerns.

The first is that i'm scared that i might damage the watch if i wind it too much. is there anyway for me to know when to stop winding the watch?

The second question i have is on the price of the watch. According to a magazine i'm reading the pro is 13,500 hong kong dollars (1,737 USD) but according to the online price it's completely different. Can someone kindly suggest the correct market price for this watch? thank you!


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## cheuba (Aug 5, 2010)

1love said:


> The Pro and Coax are both chronos, the coax shows the date not sure about the original.
> 
> Dixan points out that they are also slightly different in size, 42mm vs 44mm.
> 
> ...


thank you for your speedy response and your help!


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## Dixan (Oct 10, 2009)

nikola0406 said:


> What battery!?! None of those two has a battery. Pro is a manual wind,and coax is automatic selfwinding. Go Pro is my advice. In ten years by coax


I'm sure the OP just meant power reserve. "Battery life" is actually a pretty descriptive way to term it, albeit an inaccurate one.

To the OP: The larger dial of the Co-Ax looks a bit off, IMO. The tri compax subdials are a bit too bunched around the center. One of the most enduring aspects of the Speedy Pro's design is its perfect sense of proportion. The subdials of the Speedy Pro sit perfectly sized and spaced within the dial itself. Simply stated, it just looks more balanced.


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## nikola0406 (Jun 17, 2010)

cheuba said:


> i think the technically term was actually "power reserve" . thanks for the correction.
> 
> seems like 2 people are suggesting the professional. I have another two concerns.
> 
> ...


You can NOT overwind watch with yours fingers  so wind it until it stops,and then stop The price can be different from state to state,and yours is not bad at all. In my country it is much higher. If you go Pro you won't regret for shure.


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## zekio (Jun 9, 2010)

you should decide if you want a manual wind watch or automatic.

with the speedmaster pro you will have wind it every day. or every second day if you always wind it at the same time. the power reserve is usualy slightly over 48 hours. some people might find it tiresome having to wind the watch every day
you cannot overwind the speedmaster pro, as the crown stops, and you simply feel it that its done. you cannot damage it unless you use brute force like pliers or something similar

you cannot overwind automatics. neither by manualy winding them or by rotating the rotor too much. both the manual wind and autowind on the automatic use a clutch, which prevents the winding mechnism to further wind the mainspring.


i too would suggest the speedmaster pro aswell. but im biased, as for one i like manual wind watches better and i own a speedy


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## Zavato (Dec 10, 2007)

I own a 3750.50 and think it is a great watch. That said, I also have a watch with a coaxial movement and find its accuracy excellent. I realy this boils down to finances and preference. If authenticy is important the 3750.50 is the choice.


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## 1love (Aug 20, 2010)

zekio said:


> you should decide if you want a manual wind watch or automatic.
> 
> with the speedmaster pro you will have wind it every day. or every second day if you always wind it at the same time. the power reserve is usualy slightly over 48 hours. some people might find it tiresome having to wind the watch every day
> you cannot overwind the speedmaster pro, as the crown stops, and you simply feel it that its done. you cannot damage it unless you use brute force like pliers or something similar
> ...


Agreed that winding watches is a tedious task.

However, i find myself winding my self-winding watch every night before going to bed, just-in-case. Its become a ritual for me because i want to be sure the watch has full 'charge' when i wake up in the morning and put it on.

Its my only watch but i do it anyway. If theres one thing i hate its that i need to reset the time, figure out if its about to hit midnight and the date will change, etc. Just a p in the a.

My 2c.

OP: Get the Pro else consider the Seamaster series. Most of everything else Omega has is Co-Ax as well. However, none of the others have this kind of iconic legacy.


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## enkrypt (Feb 24, 2009)

Someone seems to have forgotten to report the very bad reputation for reliability that the Speedy CoAx movement (3313) has!
That would be the number 1 reason for me not to go for it.
Also, the date window just looks stupid, I would prefer they didn't add that.
So yeah, me too: go Pro.
For the name, for the movement, for the heritage of the original design.
Also an important decision to make: Hesalite or Sapphire?


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## 1love (Aug 20, 2010)

3313 is unreliable? It seems to be used in:
Speedmaster Broad Arrow 1957 · Constellation Double Eagle Chrono · De Ville Co-Axial Chronoscope · De Ville Co-Axial Chronograph · Seamaster Planet Ocean Chrono · Constellation Double Eagle Mission Hills · Speedmaster Co-Axial Chronometer

So have we seen problems with all of these models?


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## enkrypt (Feb 24, 2009)

It's the same movement each time, so yeah.
The 3313 has quite a negative reputation on this forum, try to do a search for 3313 + problem for example, you'll get a few hundred topics.


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## joeuk (Feb 16, 2010)

i would opt for the pro hand-wind but dont forget wouldnt use it in the water i know some people what swim with these but been told to not bother swimming i have a seamaster for swimming but looking into buying speedy myself hopefully.


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## zekio (Jun 9, 2010)

> Someone seems to have forgotten to report the very bad reputation for reliability that the Speedy CoAx movement (3313) has!
> That would be the number 1 reason for me not to go for it.


you are right. i was about to mention it, but i dindt want to be the messenger bringing the bad news. you know what they do with messengers ;D
sometimes its hard to decide if posting something would be just "being negative" or "being informative"

i really like the looks of the Aqua Terra Chrono, but it having the 33xx movement made m just ditch the idea of buying it.


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## Dixan (Oct 10, 2009)

1love said:


> However, none of the others have this kind of iconic legacy.


It's amazing how people often have no knowledge of, forget about, or otherwise overlook Omega's role in developing true divers' watches. Here's a _great_ thread about Seamasters, which are every bit as iconic, in their own right, as Speedmasters:

https://www.watchuseek.com/f45/omega-diver-generations-235359.html

;-)|>

I would be willing to do some seriously questionable things for a Seamaster "Grand" and "baby PloProf." :-d


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## 1love (Aug 20, 2010)

What i meant is, few things in this world have been able to achieve that level of glory. Im sure there have been others watches of importance from Omega, but in my mind first to the moon is the ultimate.

Now if only they made a watch that could get my gf to shut up. That would be the worlds greatest LOL.


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## 1love (Aug 20, 2010)

enkrypt said:


> It's the same movement each time, so yeah.
> The 3313 has quite a negative reputation on this forum, try to do a search for 3313 + problem for example, you'll get a few hundred topics.


How closely are the 3313 and 2500 related?


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## Dixan (Oct 10, 2009)

Cool thread, though, right? Some amazing pieces. Makes me feel happy about my Seamasters every time I read it.



1love said:


> Now if only they made a watch that could get my gf to shut up. That would be the worlds greatest LOL.


Yeah, they do... In my experience, they are called the Cartier Ballon Bleu (note that for about 99% of the female population, _any_ Cartier would likely do) and the Chopard Happy Diamonds. (Not that I want my wonderful gf to shut up or anything. ;-)) Luckily for me, my gf bought herself the HD right before we met. That's a substantial bullet dodged....


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## 1love (Aug 20, 2010)

Definitely a cool thread. I have to admit i did not know seamasters were that old.

Ill be checking out the Cartiers right now hahaha.


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## Dixan (Oct 10, 2009)

1love said:


> Definitely a cool thread. I have to admit i did not know seamasters were that old.
> 
> Ill be checking out the Cartiers right now hahaha.


Yeah, Seamasters are LEGIT. See how much the PO is inspired by the old school bada%* Omega divers?

BTW, of the Cartiers, I really like the ladies Roadster. It's a nice design.


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## gt_5454 (Jun 10, 2010)

1love said:


> How closely are the 3313 and 2500 related?


They are quite different despite both being co ax ... 33XX is piguet based whereas 2500 is ETA 2892 based ...


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## cheuba (Aug 5, 2010)

1love said:


> what i meant is, few things in this world have been able to achieve that level of glory. Im sure there have been others watches of importance from omega, but in my mind first to the moon is the ultimate.
> 
> Now if only they made a watch that could get my gf to shut up. That would be the worlds greatest lol.


lol!


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## cheuba (Aug 5, 2010)

enkrypt said:


> Someone seems to have forgotten to report the very bad reputation for reliability that the Speedy CoAx movement (3313) has!
> That would be the number 1 reason for me not to go for it.
> Also, the date window just looks stupid, I would prefer they didn't add that.
> So yeah, me too: go Pro.
> ...


what's the difference between hesalite and sapphire?

thanks!


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## Zavato (Dec 10, 2007)

cheuba said:


> what's the difference between hesalite and sapphire?
> 
> thanks!


hesalite is plastic/acrylic

Sapphire is synthetic sapphire.

Sapphire is much harder and far less prone to picking up scratches then is hesalite. But both can break and when sapphire breaks it tends to shatter. Hesalite does not shatter. If the crystal has minor scratches, hesalite can easily be polished out but sapphire can not. If the crystal has to be replaced hesalite is much cheaper.


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## Andrés (Aug 25, 2006)

1love said:


> How closely are the 3313 and 2500 related?


 They´re not even related. For starters the 3313 is a chrono. The 3313 uses a Piguet movement as a base and the 2500 the ETA 2892-A2.

Both have a Co-Axial escapement.


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## cheuba (Aug 5, 2010)

so... i BOUGHT THE PROFESSIONAL !!!! thanks for your advise ppl!!!!


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## 1love (Aug 20, 2010)

SWEEET!! Congrats! Post pics


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## Chev James (Apr 13, 2009)

I took my Speedy "40th anniversary moon watch" and my Seamaster Pro coaxial on a short vacation. My Seamaster stopped, and would not restart. I ended up wearing the Speedy the rest of the time. I've got four coaxials, and two have stopped. One was serviced and is running nicely now, and the other is still with the Swatch Group. The coaxial is a great movement IF it's lubricated properly and the tolerances are right. I've read about Rolexes that are also very, very sensitive to proper lubrication.

But you almost never hear of problems with the Speedy's movement. And this was the watch--the only watch--that passed all of NASA's tests and made it to the surface of the moon during the Apollo 11 mission.

There is no question in my mind as to which watch I would acquire first--it would have to be the Speedy. Its movement--the 1861 caliber in the modern versions--has to be the most proven movement on earth, and on the moon, as well!


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## joeuk (Feb 16, 2010)

hi chev james my smp also stopped and sent it off to swatch uk, now seems to be running nice only thing running about 6 sec fast no matter what pos i place it in, i know this is within cosc but they could of checked it out and improve on this, most peoples 2500c runs about 1sec


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## cheuba (Aug 5, 2010)

1love said:


> SWEEET!! Congrats! Post pics


i just did, it's on the post above yours in the red box !!!


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## zekio (Jun 9, 2010)

cheuba said:


> i just did, it's on the post above yours in the red box !!!


heh i overlooked the pic aswell
first glance it seemed to be a signature pic 

grats on your speedy, its an awesome watch on so many levels!


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