TEST: OMEGA SPEEDMASTER BROAD ARROW
126
WatchTime December 2001
Game, Set,
Match
A new era begins for Omega with the
Speedmaster Broad Arrow, a chronograph equipped
with the firm’s own automatic column-wheel
caliber. Here is another superlative Omega model that
needn’t fear comparison with its competitors.
BY ALEXANDER LINZ
December 2001 WatchTime
127
TEST: OMEGA SPEEDMASTER BROAD ARROW
T
he Speedmaster Broad Arrow is a
rather impressive-looking wristwatch,
especially in the version with the
cream-colored dial and metal wristband. With
this timepiece strapped to your wrist, you’ve
really got an ample example of today’s timekeeping technology near at hand. The Speedmaster Broad Arrow has been built to assert
itself in the hotly contested sport chronograph
market, and If Omega has its way, the Broad
Arrow and the Rolex Cosmograph Daytona
will soon be sharing the leading role in this
niche. Revolutionary new design may not be
evident in this watch, which more or less preserves the classical Speedmaster attributes –
the emphasis here is on high-tech and highend. This chronograph encases Omega’s new,
exclusive, self-winding, column-wheel caliber
and thus rounds out the collection’s upper
echelon. It’s a welcome arrival, and one that
Omega fans have long been waiting for.
If you’re not particularly well acquainted
with the older members of the Speedmaster
family, you might have a hard time distinguishing the new model from its predecessors. But closer inspection reveals that numerous details unmistakably differentiate it from
the classical, hand-wound Speedmaster Professional, more popularly known as the
”Moon Watch.” The new sibling has its date
display above the ”6” and the words ”Speedmaster Automatic Chronometer” on the upper portion of its dial. An essential distinguishing characteristic is the bezel with its tachometer scale: the bezel is always polished on the
Broad Arrow, and the calibration is always in
black, regardless of whether the dial is creamy
white or black. To refresh your memory, the
original Speedmaster always had a black dial
and a black bezel with silver lettering.
Energy and power reserve in abundance,
together with an especially elaborate escapement, team up to characterize the new Caliber 3303, which is based on the chronograph
If Omega has its way, the
Broad Arrow and the Rolex
Cosmograph Daytona will soon
be sharing the leading
role in the chronograph market.
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WatchTime December 2001
Energy and power reserve in abundance, together with an elaborately constructed escapement,
team up to characterize the new Caliber 3303. The decoration seen on this
specimen (which comes from the previous series) will be further refined in the final version.
Caliber 1185 from Frédéric Piguet. Based, we
said, not slavishly imitated. Omega borrowed
only those attributes that made sense for the
new watch. Development director Marc-André Miche, a high-carat specialist who formerly worked for Rolex, designed the new caliber
so that the optimal interplay of all its components would give the timepiece the longest
possible life span. The technicians who
worked with him devoted particular attention
to reducing the pressure on the bearings.
The 11?-ligne Caliber 1185 from Frédéric
Piguet is one of the smallest chronograph
movements on the market. Perfect miniaturization and the integration of the clutch in the
chronograph’s center-wheel were instrumental factors that helped to reduce the overall
size. Especially with regard to the ability to
make fine adjustments, the 1185 seems to
have reached the limits of feasibility. To create
DATA PAGEOMEGA
SPEEDMASTER
BROAD ARROW
greater power reserves and thus yield greater
security, Omega conceived its Caliber 3303 to
be somewhat larger. The process could be interpreted as follows: Marc-André Miche took
over Frédéric Piguet’s ingenious chronograph
guidance mechanism more or less one-toone, then constructed around it a caliber endowed with the qualities of the Omega 1120.
The 3303 can build up a power reserve of
approximately 55 hours. To ensure that the
automatic winding mechanism, which winds
the mainspring in only one direction, always
winds the spring efficiently and rapidly, the
barrel-drum has been lined with a special gold
coating. The resulting inner surface is both
highly resistant and uncommonly smooth.
This extraordinary smoothness means that the
mainspring within the barrel will build and dispense its energy to the gear-train at a constant
rate, without peaks or spikes. All of this gives
the Broad Arrow the ability to wind itself
quickly and reliably, and to maintain its power
The Caliber 3303 is
adjusted in six positions,
at various temperatures and
under the influence
of magnetism. Naturally,
the Broad Arrow has earned
a C.O.S.C. certificate.
reserve even if it’s worn by a fairly inanimate
person. A great many technical problems and
defects which plague mechanical watch
movements have their source in the barrel,
but thanks to the elaborate treatment lavished on Caliber 3303’s barrel, this should
now be a thing of the past.
Because of the larger diameter of the
movement (27 mm = 12 lignes), Omega was
able to install a larger balance in the Caliber
3303. The balance used here runs at 28,800
beats per hour, compared to 21,600 beats for
the Piguet 1185. The adjustment system used
in the Caliber 3303 is the same one that’s also
implemented in the Caliber 2500 with co-axial escapement. Omega describes this system
as ”swinging, free, spiral balance-spring without a regulator-assembly.” The system is composed of a balance with a variable moment of
inertia and a Nivarox flat spiral spring. The rim
of the balance bears two golden regulator micro-screws situated at opposite ends of an
imagined diameter. The balance-spring is
made of the latest thermo-compensating
Anachron alloy. The terminal winding of this
all-important spring is protected against
shocks. The spring is already perfectly poised
and centered when it’s installed, thanks to the
help of computers and laser-guided measuring instruments. A laser is also used to permanently fuse the balance-spring to the collet. A
highly precise gluing procedure is employed to
Manufacturer: Omega, S.A., Rue Stämpfli 96,
CH-2500 Biel, Switzerland
Model: Speedmaster Broad Arrow
Reference number: PIC 3551.20.00
Functions: Shows hours, minutes, seconds and
date; chronograph with 30-minute and 12-hour
counters.
Movement: Omega caliber 3303; diameter =
27 mm (12 lignes); height = 6.85 mm;
33 jewels; column-wheel slide-way to guide
the chronograph; 28,800 beats per hour; Swiss
lever escapement with swinging, free, spiral
balance-spring; Nivarox-Anachron flat balancespring; balance with smooth rim; fine
regulation via two golden regulator microscrews; ball-borne heavy metal rotor winds
mainspring in one direction of its rotation; one
barrel (Nivaflex 1 mainspring); 55-hour power
reserve (±5%); stop-seconds function;
chronometer with C.O.S.C. certificate.
Case: Massive, tripartite, steel case; threaded,
screw-down back; crown and push-pieces aren’t
screw-down; inner surface of sapphire crystal
has an antireflective coating; water-resistant to
100 meters.
Wristband and clasp: Metal wristband with
folding clasp.
Results of running test in seconds per
24 hours:
Parenthesized figures refer to performance with
chronograph function switched on:
Dial up:
+2
(+1)
Dial down:
+1
(–1)
Crown left:
–1
(–1)
Crown up:
+1
(–2)
Crown down:
0
(0)
Greatest deviation of rate:
5
(3)
Average deviation:
0
(–1)
Dimensions: Diameter = 40 mm;
height = 14 mm; weight = 161 grams.
Price: $4,495
Typically Speedmaster: viewed from the side, there’s no way to distinguish the Broad Arrow from the familiar hand-wound model.
December 2001 WatchTime
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TEST: OMEGA SPEEDMASTER BROAD ARROW
Omega Speedmaster
Advantages
Optimal functionality and massive construction characterize the Broad Arrow’s metal wristband.
pin the end of the balance-spring to its stud.
The advantages are obvious: an adjustment system with a conventional regulatorassembly works by lengthening or shortening
the active portion of the balance-spring. To
In the next few years
look for a Caliber 3303
equipped with a co-axial
escapement or
fly-back function.
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WatchTime December 2001
accomplish this, the balance-spring must be
able to glide between the curb-pins with little
or no play. But a system of this kind is very sensitive and, in theory, every successive strong
shock suffered by the watch can cause its rate
to deteriorate progressively. The aforementioned play in the balance-spring is an
”anisochronous” element in the adjustment
system. (”Isochronism” describes the ability of
an oscillating or adjustment system to always
oscillate at the same frequency, independent
of its amplitude.) The free spiral balancespring is constructed so that it eliminates ir-
+ New chronograph caliber with
superlative qualities
+ An impeccable classic
+ As water-resistant as a Seamaster
+ Plenty of watch for comparatively
little money
Disadvantages
– No transparent case back
regularities of rate caused by the anisochronism of the regulator-assembly. The fine adjustment of the ratevia micro-screws further
facilitates an extremely precise and long-lasting correction of the running behavior. If the
watch runs slow, the micro-screws are tightened slightly closer to the center of the balance, which decreases their moment of inertia
and accelerates the rate. Inversely, if the
watch runs fast, turning the micro-screws in
the opposite direction moves them slightly
further away from the center of the balance,
thus increasing their moment of inertia and
decelerating the watch’s rate. When the
watch is given a general overhaul, the entire
unit can readily be removed, serviced and reinserted. The unit thus preserves its original
properties and does not require readjustment.
The Caliber 3303 is adjusted in six positions, at various temperatures and under the
influence of magnetism. As we mentioned
above, its isochronism is also thoroughly tested. The differences in rate that occur when
the chronograph function is running or
switched off are extremely minimal, and the
amplitude of the balance is scarcely affected.
Naturally enough, the Broad Arrow has
earned a C.O.S.C. certificate.
The caliber’s decoration includes circular
graining, Geneva Waves on the bridges and
the rotor, circularly polished wheels and polished-flat screws. By the way, Omega has
made all the necessary preparations so that
the 3303 can also be equipped with a co-axial
escapement. If the firm’s directors so desire,
this could happen as early as next year. A version with fly-back switching is scheduled to
follow in 2002, and a split-seconds variant is
slated to debut in 2003.
A good look at of the Broad Arrow’s case
makes it abundantly clear that Omega hasn’t
relaxed its exacting standards here either. We
TEST: OMEGA SPEEDMASTER BROAD ARROW
could find nothing to criticize in the case’s impeccable craftsmanship and perfect finishing.
The insulation system for the non-screwdown crown and push-pieces derives from the
Seamaster Professional, where, as here, two
O-rings are arranged one atop the other to
guarantee that nary a drop of water ever pen-
TEST RESULTS
Omega Speedmaster Broad Arrow
Wristband and clasp (10):
9
Massive, appealing metal wristband with
functional clasp.
Operation (5):
4
Precise setting via the typical Omega-style crown.
The crown and the chronograph push-pieces are
not screw-down, but are absolutely water-resistant nonetheless.
Case (10):
8
Beautifully crafted, massive steel case with
screw-down back; underside of sapphire
crystal has an antireflective coating.
Design (15):
12
Classical Speedmaster design. Elaborately designed dial, pleasantly broad hands.
Legibility (5):
5
Very good legibility of the time under all
conditions.
Wearing comfort (10):
9
A sporty watch with a good level of wearing
comfort.
Movement (20):
17
Omega automatic chronograph Caliber 3303
with column-wheel guidance. An interesting
new development without shortcomings.
The adjustment system consists of a swinging,
free, spiral balance-spring without a regulatorassembly.
Results of running test (10):
10
Perfect in all positions. Average deviation was
plus/minus zero seconds per day.
Overall value (15):
13
A classic with a superbly noble „motor.“
A chronograph that shouldn’t be lacking in
any collection. A great deal of watch for
comparatively little money.
TOTAL: 87 points
★★★★
Even if the crown is pulled
out it remains water-resistant
to a depth of 100 meters.
The push-pieces can also be
operated underwater.
etrates into the case. The watch remains water-resistant to a depth of 100 meters, even if
the crown is inadvertently withdrawn. The chronograph push-pieces can likewise be operated
underwater without causing any problems.
The sapphire crystal, the underside of
which has been treated with an antireflective
coating, is pressure-fit into the case together
with an exceedingly special ”Isoframe” insulating washer. Perfect fit and total impermeability to water under all conditions are thus
guaranteed for a very long time.
There’s no ”window” in the back through
which to admire the movement. That’s a pity,
but Omega has conceived its Broad Arrow as a
genuine sports watch, and a glass back really
wouldn’t be appropriate. Beneath the fully
threaded, screw-down back, you’ll find an antimagnetic calotte, which provides the movement with additional protection against the
deleterious influence of magnetism.
Correctly Calibrated
Subdivisions
We were particularly pleased to discover that
Omega had heeded the criticisms we voiced
earlier about the erroneous subdivision of the
strokes around the minute-circle on the dial of
the Speedmaster Professional Replica. Counting the intermediate lines between the seconds strokes, we found that the Broad Arrow
has the correct number of subdivisions for a
caliber whose balance oscillates at a pace of
28,800 beats per hour. This watch would ideally have eight subdivisions between each of
the seconds, but there simply isn’t enough
space, even around the periphery of a relatively large dial like this one, so Omega divided
eight by two and subdivided each second into
four parts. That’s the reason why there are exactly three short strokes between each of the
longer seconds strokes.
While we’re on the subject of the dial, let’s
consider the Broad Arrow’s legibility. Against
Omega has chosen to use a solid case back.
the background of the cream-colored face,
the broad hands (hence its name) provide optimal contrast so that the time can always be
read correctly under all conditions. The date
window above the ”6” is sufficiently large,
and the space available within the window is
used to best advantage thanks to intelligent
typesetting on the date disk: one-digit numbers are printed in a slightly larger type size
and two-digit numbers are widened slightly so
that they optimally fill the entire area of the
aperture.
The Speedmaster Broad Arrow once again
underscores Omega’s iron determination to
return to the summit of the wristwatch world.
After five years of research and development,
followed by 18 months of intensive testing,
the new Speedmaster has arrived – and all
that remains for us to do is to congratulate
Omega. The company has indeed raised the
bar another notch. Wristwatch connoisseurs
around the world can take pleasure in welcoming an extraordinary wristwatch that sells
for a truly fair price.