# Which series to get ? Omega speedmaster Michael Schumacher 1996 or 1997



## Kermit e Froggy (Jun 27, 2006)

Hi Guys, I was considering to get a get a 2nd Omega but this time around it would be e OMEGA SPEEDMASTER MICHAEL SCHUMACHER series. Is there any thing which u guys consider a unique pc in the MICHAEL SCHUMACHER series ?

I always like to hear some views before I hit the nail and hopefully someone here can give their feedbacks and suggestions if any.

Currently there's two which is on my mind and I hope to see some results from the Poll put up within this thread.

Come guys, start your engines .... Vrooom vroomm >>>

1) 1996 Omega Speedmaster Schumacher Automatic Chronograph Watch Ref: 3510.61.00 with Rare Red Dial

Pics from WatchObsession









2) 1997 Omega Speedmaster MK40 AM/PM Triple Calendar 3520.53.00


Wristshot borrowed from http://www30.discuss.com.hk/viewthread.php?tid=9063954


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## SpeedyF1 (May 18, 2009)

First post:

I'd say go with the 3510.61.00 (Red Dial). 1996 was historically significant for Schumacher as it was his first year with Ferrari.


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## Artistmike (Feb 11, 2006)

Definitely this one, all those hands and dials are great fun :-! It's a great little watch ( On Royal Engineers strap for those who don't know it. )








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## no_self_control (Jun 27, 2007)

i honestly don't particulary like either. i think the 'classic' speedie is a better option. but if you must go for a schumacher, how about the yellow dial. i think the red dial looks a little, shall we say, rustic.


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## GravityZ (Sep 22, 2008)

depends on what you are searching in a watch

red one only tells time
blue one(which i also have) tell you time, date, month and day

furthermore, this is the only triple calendar with these colors and they made it look like the flightmaster(blue, arrowlike hand on date)
wanna know the date, just search for the yellow arrow.
with other types they are not so readable because al the hands look the same.
you can also take the 3520.53.00 which is the metal band type. you can always replace the watchband later like i did


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## Kyle L (Dec 2, 2008)

I like the 1997, but I have the 2001 version.


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## Tuff Gong (Feb 2, 2007)

I'm not certain but is the day/date really an official "Schumacher Collection" watch? Schumacher was used in Omega's ad campaign for the day/date but were they sold as official Schuey watches by Omega? I figure the special versions that came out later which had his name and all the championship stuff written and engraved on it were the 'official' Schuey watches. 

Not sure if I'm correct on this though since I pay no mind to anything Schumacher after '95, '96o| Was a huge fan in '94 but I slowly grew to dislike him some how, the years at Ferrari just cemented that feeling:-d Man, I did love watching him in the rain though, incredible-)

Anyway, I personally love the Mk40 Day/Date version with it's cockpit gauge inspired dial I don't think I'm flamboyant enough to sport the red one:-d Best of luck with your decision;-)

-Chris

PS. Go Vettel!


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## GravityZ (Sep 22, 2008)

the blue mk40 was an official shumacher watch(otherwise why make advertisements with it)
at that time he was racing for Benneton so his star was rising
after he got immensely populair with Ferrari omega decided to actually make watches with a racing attitute.

so i think the blue mk40 was developed with the flightmaster look in mind(or maybee the blue benneton)
all speedmasters after this were probably designed with some feedback from shumi regarding the things he liked/did not like and some items related to racing.
after all i do not think shumi could read anything more than the time while racing



Tuff Gong said:


> I'm not certain but is the day/date really an official "Schumacher Collection" watch? Schumacher was used in Omega's ad campaign for the day/date but were they sold as official Schuey watches by Omega? I figure the special versions that came out later which had his name and all the championship stuff written and engraved on it were the 'official' Schuey watches.
> 
> Not sure if I'm correct on this though since I pay no mind to anything Schumacher after '95, '96o| Was a huge fan in '94 but I slowly grew to dislike him some how, the years at Ferrari just cemented that feeling:-d Man, I did love watching him in the rain though, incredible-)
> 
> ...


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## josephc78 (Aug 24, 2007)

IMO, I feel that it is not entirely correct to label the mk40 as an official Schumi watch since as another member pointed out, Omega actually used him to advertise for other models as well. Also, I was not aware that the packaging for the MK40 was any different from Omega's mainstream packaging used at that time though I may be wrong about this since I do not own a mk40 personally.

In contrast, the red and yellow dial versions are definitely Schumacher watches even though there are no indications on the watches (compared to the later Schumi models that had engravings on the case or caseback stating so). The reason I say this is due to the special packaging they come in (tyre-case with Schumacher's signature) as well as a certificate with his picture on it.

Anyway, these are purely my own opinion and it would be interesting to hear other members' views on it.

 
 


GravityZ said:


> the blue mk40 was an official shumacher watch(otherwise why make advertisements with it)
> at that time he was racing for Benneton so his star was rising
> after he got immensely populair with Ferrari omega decided to actually make watches with a racing attitute.
> 
> ...


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## no_self_control (Jun 27, 2007)

i think there's a blue one too.


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## jwestave1 (May 20, 2007)

I've got both models and love them both! the only difference is that the yellow one "seems" lighter and has hesalite crystal while the MK40 gives you a lot more info other than just telling you the time. They both goes very well with weekend wear (tees and jeans) nevertheless.:-!


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## GravityZ (Sep 22, 2008)




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## no_self_control (Jun 27, 2007)

marketting! so what did he do with the other if this is 'his' choice?


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## GravityZ (Sep 22, 2008)

This guy really took some time to sort out things.
you can debat about watches being real shumi's or not.
it al depends on how you look at things

http://www.old-omegas.com/schuey.html#others


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## no_self_control (Jun 27, 2007)

told you it was available in blue!!!

i also note this doesn't include the send watch that the OP listed. at the end of the day it's just marketting. if you like the watch, buy it. if not, don't. simple really. no schumacher required.


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## gg4411 (May 15, 2008)

To be honest, i'm not fond of either choice


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## socalbreeze (Feb 9, 2009)

I would get the red one. But the red, yellow, blue (cart) were NOT official Schumy watches. 

They are small. Around 38mm


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## josephc78 (Aug 24, 2007)

IMO, I would say that while the red, yellow and blue speedy did not officially state on the caseback that they were Schumy watches, they should still be considered as part of the Schumy collection due to the packaging they come with (tyre case holder with Schumy's signature and Schumy booklet).

I also do not personally think that 38mm is small (really depends on one's wrist size) and I wear watches from 38mm to 45mm (thanks to the PO and Bell and Rose ), but that is just my opinion. :-d



socalbreeze said:


> I would get the red one. But the red, yellow, blue (cart) were NOT official Schumy watches.
> 
> They are small. Around 38mm


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## Kermit e Froggy (Jun 27, 2006)

jwestave1 said:


> I've got both models and love them both! the only difference is that the yellow one "seems" lighter and has hesalite crystal while the MK40 gives you a lot more info other than just telling you the time. They both goes very well with weekend wear (tees and jeans) nevertheless.:-!


Wow, thank you so much for the side by side pic. I was figuring out how does both the watches feel when put side by side and u come into the rescue.


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## no_self_control (Jun 27, 2007)

probably a small point but i really don't like the date indicator on the second one. i think the extra hand is confusing. is there some reason, mechanically, that it couldn't have been done using a window at 3 o'clock, like most watches?


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## GravityZ (Sep 22, 2008)

not at all

on ALL speedmaster models of this type(triple calendar) it might be confusing.

this type however has a YELLOW arrow

so you mean if you are looking for something yellow on the dial you can not find it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
that is the beauty of this type. you can instantly look for the date(as long as you are looking for something yellow instead of looking for the date hand)

i bought this watch specifically with this in mind. i want to know the date instantly. offcourse you can debate if a window with a number will be even better but this is more exclusive.



no_self_control said:


> probably a small point but i really don't like the date indicator on the second one. i think the extra hand is confusing. is there some reason, mechanically, that it couldn't have been done using a window at 3 o'clock, like most watches?


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## no_self_control (Jun 27, 2007)

GravityZ said:


> so you mean if you are looking for something yellow on the dial you can not find it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


no, i'm sure i'd get used to this. but i don't inherently like it. i thought i'd seen this style of hand used for some other function on other omega's. can't remember which or what though.


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## augsix (Jun 16, 2006)

The reason I chose Mark40 is because of its functions.


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## josephc78 (Aug 24, 2007)

I also have a Speedy triple calendar (not the MK40 though) and Yellow tip or not, it is not really difficult to look for the date indication as long as you know where to look for it. It is probably just a matter of getting used to it over the more conventional date window.

For me, the positive aspect of this is that it gives the watch a more unique look as well as makes it look more complicated than it is but this may probably not be everyone's cup of tea. 



GravityZ said:


> not at all
> 
> on ALL speedmaster models of this type(triple calendar) it might be confusing.
> 
> ...


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## GravityZ (Sep 22, 2008)

Omega Flightmaster i think

the blue/black 9 hour dail style is also from the flightmaster.

agreed that you either like it or you don't

i either like a watch with a lot of complications(iwc davinci) or something very plain but with it's own identity(planet Ocean)

i noticed that watches with complications most of the time use small numbers thus readability is a problem.

for me reading this watch is easy and very clear.



no_self_control said:


> no, i'm sure i'd get used to this. but i don't inherently like it. i thought i'd seen this style of hand used for some other function on other omega's. can't remember which or what though.


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## socalbreeze (Feb 9, 2009)

josephc78 said:


> IMO, I would say that while the red, yellow and blue speedy did not officially state on the caseback that they were Schumy watches, they should still be considered as part of the Schumy collection due to the packaging they come with (tyre case holder with Schumy's signature and Schumy booklet).
> 
> I also do not personally think that 38mm is small (really depends on one's wrist size) and I wear watches from 38mm to 45mm (thanks to the PO and Bell and Rose ), but that is just my opinion. :-d


Agreed. While they were NOT LE nor official Schumy watches, indeed Michael Schumacher showed up with a red one in 97.

The 38mm Speedy looked awfully small on my wrist, but the funny thing is that I don't have a huge wrist. I believe around 6.75. Its strange, because I got a Pasha C (around 35.5mm) and that looks bigger on my wrist.


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## josephc78 (Aug 24, 2007)

Agreed, Michael Schumacher had been spotted wearing them hence it is likely that he had some input into their design. Moreover, the packaging for them simply screams Schumacher hence while it is fair to say that they are not official Schumy watches, we can at least guess and think that Omega may had intended them to represent Schumacher and his racing heritage.

I think that the Speedy looks small on your wrist due to the color of the dial. Indeed, I have a Speedy triple date of the same size and strangely, it looks bigger on my wrist than the red Speedy too.

The Pasha is a nice watch by the way. 



socalbreeze said:


> Agreed. While they were NOT LE nor official Schumy watches, indeed Michael Schumacher showed up with a red one in 97.
> 
> The 38mm Speedy looked awfully small on my wrist, but the funny thing is that I don't have a huge wrist. I believe around 6.75. Its strange, because I got a Pasha C (around 35.5mm) and that looks bigger on my wrist.


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## glimmer (Dec 11, 2006)

I don't know much about the Schumacher series, but I have a friend who bought the red one purely for business reasons (he is not a WIS); he claims that he will re-sell it in a few years and make a profit...I don't know if this is true, but I guess that's his point of view. 

I guess if I were you and would buy to wear the watch I would go with the Mk40. It's just sportier and doesn't announce itself as much as the red.


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## GravityZ (Sep 22, 2008)

i do not think the red shumacher can be classified as a classic(i would not)
go with the classics, these watches will keep their value over time or increase.
this Mk40 is a classic because it is the only type made with these colors(normal triple calendar is still in production)

otherwise go for the classic speedmaster(black/white), either manual wound or automatic.

the manual wound is a bit bigger and would be my choice since i allready have an automatic.

please note that there are 4 categories which a watch can fall in

1 you like it
2 others with no watch knowledge like it (like your girlfriend)
3 others with knowledge like it (like the people on this forum)
4 nobody likes it.

you do not want option 4 so either go with one of the other options or a combination.

reading all the posts above you can clearly tell

you like both watches
people on this forum tend to go with the mk40

that is 2 out of 3.
check with your girlfriend(or boyfriend) and ask them what they like
after that you have all the answers you need.



glimmer said:


> I don't know much about the Schumacher series, but I have a friend who bought the red one purely for business reasons (he is not a WIS); he claims that he will re-sell it in a few years and make a profit...I don't know if this is true, but I guess that's his point of view.
> 
> I guess if I were you and would buy to wear the watch I would go with the Mk40. It's just sportier and doesn't announce itself as much as the red.


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## josephc78 (Aug 24, 2007)

IMO, I wouldn't classify the Red Schumacher or the MK40 as a classic now or in future.....Unique perhaps but probably not a classic. Each have their own appeal with the MK40 with its colourful scheme and the red Schumacher with its Schumacher link especially if you have the Tyre-shape box it comes in.

Moreover, you are hardly spoilt for choices if you are looking for a red colour Omega watch for men since I don't think Omega made too many red colour scheme watches for men recently.

I am sure interest for them would always be around due to their unique color scheme but IMO, it is best to buy watches that you like rather than for investment.



glimmer said:


> I don't know much about the Schumacher series, but I have a friend who bought the red one purely for business reasons (he is not a WIS); he claims that he will re-sell it in a few years and make a profit...I don't know if this is true, but I guess that's his point of view.
> 
> I guess if I were you and would buy to wear the watch I would go with the Mk40. It's just sportier and doesn't announce itself as much as the red.


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