Omega Speedmaster Reduced Owner Review : Beautiful, elegant and original

To reward me for my admission to business school, my family insisted on giving me a watch. In 2017, I purchased a Frédérique Constant Classique Heartbeat Moonphase. After wearing it daily during my four years of study and putting it through everything, I broke the crown stem in a collision. The watch was sent to the manufacturer for repair, and upon its return, more than three months later, I noticed significant humidity inside the watch. Fog formed under the crystal as soon as it heated up in the sun. I contacted the brand, who accused me of wearing my watch in the shower with the crown open... I was disgusted by this after-sales service experience and decided to have my watch repaired directly by a Brussels watchmaker and get rid of it. And it was while looking for a quality watchmaker that I came across this Omega. I'm not a big fan of the Speedmaster Moonwatch, or of chronographs in general. But when I saw this one on the "l'artisanat du temps" website, I fell in love. It was a Saturday morning, 7 a.m., and I was in bed. I sent a WhatsApp to see if it was still available and visible in the store. Even before the store opened, I received confirmation: it was available at the Brussels store! So I arrived at the opening to try it on; it's magnificent. The deep blue sunray dial gives off magnificent reflections. The 18k gold bezel contrasts and breaks up the sporty look of the model. The signed crown, pushers, hands, and gold indexes accentuate the contrast and the dress watch feel. The case back engraved with the Speedmaster logo is very clean, the watch is in beautiful condition, polished but not overly so, retaining some sharp edges. No box, papers, or original strap, too bad. The watchmaker perfectly chose a midnight blue leather strap that matches the dial, perfectly blending the dress watch and sporty look thanks to its perforations reminiscent of the automotive world. In barely 15 minutes, I made up my mind and took it home. For my first purchase from a true luxury brand. It will be a magnificent replacement for my FC, which will, incidentally, be lost by the carrier during delivery to its buyer... So yes, it's the ungrateful little sister of the Speedmaster Professional for purists, but it has an automatic movement that hasn't changed in almost four years of use. And at least in this configuration, it has its own unique DNA and therefore doesn't come across as "the poor man's moo watch."