Brand
Omega Speedmaster Day-Date MK40 3820.53.26
The Omega Speedmaster MK40 is an odd ball. Built on the Speedmaster Reduced platform, this model adds in a triple-calendar complication to the mix in an extremely charming, extremely colorful manner. As a physical object, the watch is a bit funky at first glance but continues to amaze as you peer deeper and admire further. Knowing where the Speedmaster's comfort zone is, the MK40 is so far outside of that while feeling cohesive at the same time. That is a thoroughly impressive thing to do for a watch brand. So many extensions of a greater, more well known model feel gimmicky and money-grabby for lack of a better term. But not the MK40. The MK40 is a great watch.
Checking in at 39mm diameter and 14mm thick, the case is of a noticeably smaller footprint than one would expect from a watch with the features that the MK40 boasts. You would be extremely hard pressed to find an automatic chronograph with a date feature, let alone a triple date, in a case firmly under 40mm in diameter and not overtaking the entire wrist.
But wait, there's more. Beyond what this OMEGA is as a piece of horology and a wearable object, this holds a special place in the collective heart of fashiontourbillon.com. When asked what his favorite Speedmaster was, Ben Clymer, fashiontourbillon.com's founder, explained, "I’ll say from the get go, my favorite Speedmaster for fully selfish reasons is my self-winding, triple-calendar "MK40." It was the watch my grandfather wore in his later years, and the watch that he gave me in my mid teens – it’s the watch that caused me to fall in love with watches entirely. When Entrepreneur Magazine asked me to tell them my story, it began and ended with this watch. When author Matt Hranek asked me to identify "my watch" for his book A Man And His Watch, it was this Valjoux powered, all but forgotten model that I chose to be included. Without it, there is no current version of me, there is no fashiontourbillon.com."
The MK40 served as a heavy handed inspiration for the OMEGA Speedmaster fashiontourbillon.com 10th Anniversary Limited Edition. As it was the watch that spurred fashiontourbillon.com's creation, and when thinking about how to commemorate our 10th anniversary, there was really no question about what we should do.
This particular OMEGA Speedmaster MK40 is in overall excellent pre-owned condition, which indicates that there are signs of very light wear, possibly some small scratches on the case or bracelet. The case has been professionally refinished. The fitted end-link strap in correct for the reference and believe to be original, it shows light wear and has plenty of life left in it for its age. During our quality control check, any necessary adjustments are made to ensure the watch is functioning as intended. The dial is in excellent condition. The caseback is marked with the serial number "56483XXX."
In 1894, La Generale Watch Company developed a system for interchangeable movement parts, which it marketed as the OMEGA brand from La Generale Watch Company. This brand proved to be very successful, and in 1903, OMEGA was spun off into its own company. In the following decades, OMEGA went on to become not only one of Switzerland’s largest and best-known watchmakers but also one of the world's most recognizable global brands. The most pivotal period for OMEGA came in the 1960s when America's National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) chose the OMEGA Speedmaster for the Apollo 11 mission to the Moon. This achievement, paired with its regular timing of both the summer and winter Olympic Games, has bestowed upon OMEGA a global reputation as a maker of precision timekeepers trusted to perform when performance matters most.
