Quote:
Originally Posted by njlam
While I hope to own both someday, I think the 321 is a better watch and is harder to get.
The 321 has the history and was designed to work in zero gravity, hence the manual wind. Do not like enough other Omegas to get the spend history to get a 321 at MSRP
The modern Daytona is only sought after only because it is hard to get. It is more of a status symbol than a watch...The pushers are screw down which makes the watch waterproof but less functional as a chrono. Most of them are hard to read, however I do like the new LeMans version...hard to get (for anyone).
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Well, the Speedmaster was not
designed for zero gravity; it (as well as several other brands) was purchased from local Houston jewelry stores and exposed to the same tests. And the Speedmaster was the only one that survived all the tests. At one time I had a copy of the test methods as well as the reports indicating how and where the others failed.
Now, the Bulova (Lunar Pilot I believe it is called) watch
WAS in fact designed specifically for space missions but was not able to pass the NASA tests. That was a mess for Bulova (who invested heavily to capture that spot), and probably began their demise. Some did hitch rides on astronauts but was never officially approved for space flight (so could not be a sole timepiece).
The later Omega X33 was also designed in conjunction with pilots and astronauts specifically for space flight, and it is also an approved space flight timepiece by NASA. I have a first-gen of that watch and it has functions I have no hope of ever understanding... I think the big difference here was Bulova was trying to meet the criteria on their own and Omega worked closely with NASA and pilots, with subtle improvements being made until everyone agreed it was "done".
So, for me, the 321 powered Moonwatch is the one chronograph to own, if you own only one chronograph. Based on pricing and availability of the "new" 321 I will likely be getting an original and/or collecting parts to resurrect one from the ashes.