Best Omega Vintage Reissue Watches

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Truth be told, vintage reissues are nothing new. Every year, we’re treated to a crop of old-meets-new watches, with brands looking to their archives for models to update and modernize. One brand however, has not failed to excite watch fans when they bring back much loved watches of the past – Omega.

Omega has been around since 1848 and has recorded many important moments in history, from the first moon landing to the Olympics. Since then, they have succeeded in incrementally evolving their timepieces, such that they feel both historical and modern at the same time.

Once in a while though, they’ve revived old designs after decades of hiatus, much to the delight of the Omega faithful. Here are our favorite Omega vintage watch reissues.

For the 60th anniversary of the trilogy, Omega released spot-on vintage remakes of the watches, made available individually or as a set. With careful attention to detail, and with help from the Omega Museum, every watch in the 60th Anniversary 1957 Trilogy recreated the look and feel of the originals, down to the size, textures and even tan markers to replicate aged lume.

Omega updated the revivals with modern bracelets, modern Omega signature co-axial escapement technology and Super Luminova markers.

Omega’s renowned Calibre 321 movement was the first movement ever used in the Speedmaster, back in 1957, but had been in use in Omega’s older chronographs. Apart from its beautifully intricate construction, what makes the Calibre 321 so popular is its place in history.

It was used in a number of historic models, including the Speedmaster ref 105.003 (the first Speedmaster qualified by NASA for use in space and donned by astronaut Ed White in the first American space walk) and the Speedmaster ref 105.012 (the watch worn on the first moon landing).

After decades of hiatus, the Calibre 321 was reintroduced in 2019, in a faithful reproduction of the classic “Ed White” model. The 2019 model was updated with a slightly smaller case and straight lug design, polished black ceramic bezel, and a sapphire display caseback that shows off the Calibre 321.

Introduced in 1969, the Mark II version of the Speedmaster was the first radical departure from the Speedmaster’s case, with a tonneau shape and hidden lugs. Considered the “muscle car” of Speedy models, it was created with a very 70s look, and a very solid feel.

Omega relaunched the Speedmaster Mark II chronograph in 2014, only updating it with the latest technology and a splash of color. The modern version has a very retro look at first glance; and that’s because all the major changes really happened on the inside. While the original was powered by a manual-winding calibre 1861, the revival uses the Co-Axial Calibre 3330 self-winding movement.

Everything else was true to the original. It kept the 1969 original’s tonneau-shaped case, brushed stainless steel case and bracelet, and monochromatic dial; but Omega also added a “racing dial” version that features a bold, fluorescent orange chronograph seconds hand and hour markers.

Developed in the late 1960s, and launched in 1970, the Omega PloProf was an extremely advanced diver for its time. Designed with none other than legendary diver Jacques Cousteau, the Omega PloProf was revolutionary in many aspects: it was machined from a single block of steel, the crown is placed at 9 o’clock (instead of at 3 o’clock), and it used a chemically hardened mineral crystal (when others used acrylic glass).

All of these innovations made the landmark timepiece very expensive, costing as much as two Rolex Submariners, so it failed to enjoy commercial success. However, it did become a popular choice among professional divers.

In 2009, Omega released an updated version of the PloProf under the Seamaster family, with luxurious new details and modern upgrades. The revival comes with a titanium case, ceramic bezel, metallic helium escape valve, a double extension bracelet, and an increased water resistance of up to 1200M.