Speedmaster Legend

[thechief]

I am really eyeing a Legend. I have been for a couple years. Any comments on this Omega? I really do not see much discussion on it. I am looking to ad an Omega to my collection and this really has me intrigued. The white dial has a classy/sporty look.
Any opinions are appreciated.

[Putts113]

The Legend is a great watch, having a similar layout and same sizing as the Speedmaster Professional, plus it's automatic. If it weren't for the colour combinations (not a fan of any of the three options) one would be on my wrist right now.

[mwille]

Ever so happy with mine.. :-! I have one of the original 6000 "limited edition" pieces, which have the solid black subdials, as opposed to the current model with only a black ring around the subdials. I liked the solid ones better, but that just my personal taste.
The watch is rock solid, the chrono is ever so smooth and mine stays well within chronometer specs. She gets a LOT of wristtime here :-)

http://www.freeimagehosting.ca/imagehost/pic/324i58r0/7715.jpg

Good luck with your decision!

Mark

[CJ90]

There are really 4 models: (1) black with white subdials; (2) red with black subdials, (3) off-white with silver subdials (ringed in black) and (4) off-white with black subdials (this is the 6,000 piece limited edition).

I think they are great looking watches and keep excellent (COSC) time. One technical point that others who are more knowledgeable may be able to elaborate on -- the limited edition was produced at a time when the 33XX movements had some issues. The gist, I think, is that when in chrono mode, you have to use the "stop" pusher before using the "reset" pusher. You would normally do this anyway, but if you forget to or otherwise don't do it, it can cause problems. Omega corrected this problem with the 33XX movement at some point a couple years ago. Anyway, the other Legend models have been produced over a period of years, so some older ones might be subject to this issue, while newer ones aren't. To my knowledge, there's no way of telling when a particular piece out of the three non-limited edition models was produced.

A few more thoughts -- strictly subjective stuff:

-- The black with white subdials is the best looking, IMO. It is sporty to the point where I probably wouldn't want to wear it in a work environment where suit and tie is the norm. If I buy another Omega of any kind, this is the watch I'd most likely buy. The local AD has this sucker in the window all the time, and it calls out to me every time I walk past it. But at $4,350 or so retail, I need to be strong, lol.

-- Both off-white models have what I would describe as a "classic" chronograph appearance and strike a nice balance between being sporty, yet conservative enough to wear with a suit and tie. Put it this way -- they look appropriate for wearing with a tee and shorts on vacation, but also in a boardroom. A word of caution in terms of judging the watch based on pictures -- the off-white is definitely OFF white, meaning there's a slight cream or almost yellow-ish tint that is more or less apparent depending on the light. The version with the silver sub-dials tends to make the rest of the dial look more off-white than does the version with the black sub-dials, even though I'm pretty sure they are the same shade of off-white.

-- I'm not as big a fan of the red with black sub-dials. I thought it looked kind of neat/different when I first saw pictures of it (including a cameo in Casino Royale), but something about it was just not as appealing when viewed in person at the local AD. I guess what I'm saying is that it's one of those watches that you really have to see in person to know whether you're going to like it.

[mwille]

If memory serves me well (don't shoot me if I'm of by a year or so) Omega introduced the calibre 33xx in 2001 in the Speedmaster Broad Arrow.
The limited Legend like the one on my wist was introduced in 2004 to celebrate Michael Schumacher's 6th Formula one World title (which is why the watch was limited to 6000 pieces).
By this time the initial problems with the calibre were solved by Omega. I remember this because I did a lot of reading about those problems before I purchased my Legend :-) (which is good advise before buying any watch i guess)

And CJ90 was right about the dial : "creme" is probably the best way to describe its color. Perhaps this pictures shows it a little more accurately :

http://www.freeimagehosting.ca/imagehost/pic/324i58r0/9115.jpg


Mark

[itrade]

The off-white is more like an ivory color. I really like it, and it looks good with suits or causal look. Highly recommended it.

There are really 4 models: (1) black with white subdials; (2) red with black subdials, (3) off-white with silver subdials (ringed in black) and (4) off-white with black subdials (this is the 6,000 piece limited edition).

I think they are great looking watches and keep excellent (COSC) time. One technical point that others who are more knowledgeable may be able to elaborate on -- the limited edition was produced at a time when the 33XX movements had some issues. The gist, I think, is that when in chrono mode, you have to use the "stop" pusher before using the "reset" pusher. You would normally do this anyway, but if you forget to or otherwise don't do it, it can cause problems. Omega corrected this problem with the 33XX movement at some point a couple years ago. Anyway, the other Legend models have been produced over a period of years, so some older ones might be subject to this issue, while newer ones aren't. To my knowledge, there's no way of telling when a particular piece out of the three non-limited edition models was produced.

A few more thoughts -- strictly subjective stuff:

-- The black with white subdials is the best looking, IMO. It is sporty to the point where I probably wouldn't want to wear it in a work environment where suit and tie is the norm. If I buy another Omega of any kind, this is the watch I'd most likely buy. The local AD has this sucker in the window all the time, and it calls out to me every time I walk past it. But at $4,350 or so retail, I need to be strong, lol.

-- Both off-white models have what I would describe as a "classic" chronograph appearance and strike a nice balance between being sporty, yet conservative enough to wear with a suit and tie. Put it this way -- they look appropriate for wearing with a tee and shorts on vacation, but also in a boardroom. A word of caution in terms of judging the watch based on pictures -- the off-white is definitely OFF white, meaning there's a slight cream or almost yellow-ish tint that is more or less apparent depending on the light. The version with the silver sub-dials tends to make the rest of the dial look more off-white than does the version with the black sub-dials, even though I'm pretty sure they are the same shade of off-white.

-- I'm not as big a fan of the red with black sub-dials. I thought it looked kind of neat/different when I first saw pictures of it (including a cameo in Casino Royale), but something about it was just not as appealing when viewed in person at the local AD. I guess what I'm saying is that it's one of those watches that you really have to see in person to know whether you're going to like it.

[trekman]

I bought the red with black, I do like it a lot very solid!