Rolex 14060m vs Omega Speedmaster MOTM

[BrummyJames]

For me this is the ultimate stand off, both pieces should be cornerstones of any collection.

If I had to pick one I might go with the Sub, however it really is tricky.

Both are so iconic and functional.

Would love to know what you guys and girls think?

[Sam Crow]

Minor disclaimer, these are actually a '68 pre-Moon Speedy Pro and a 14060. If I had to pick one, it would be the Sub because you can swim with it. As well for casual sports watches, the Sub looks better in a suit in a pinch than the Speedy, IMHO.

[Macjockey]

Both cornerstone pieces, complete with nice historical backgrounds. I'd say it would come down to if you already own a diver or a chronograph. Also, the Speedy will require manual daily winding if that's an issue. Also, they make two versions of the speedy, one with Sapphire glass and one with Hexalite (original moon watch was Hexalite.)

If you don't already own something from Rolex, the 14060 is an awesome place to start.


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[OrangeSport]

I started a thread on this very subject some time ago on an Omega themed forum; https://omegaforums.net/threads/spee...mparison.7552/

Both are great watches as far as I'm concerned, really timesless classics.

Originally Posted by OrangeSport, post: 89238, member: 4477

I posted this over at Watchuseek a little while ago, and thought it might be of interest here too. Nothing too serious, just a light-hearted comparison of two iconic pieces. Enjoy:

Thought it might be fun to compare two of my watches which at first glance are very different, but in some ways are very similar. Say hello to the Rolex Submariner 14060M and the Omega Speedmaster Professional 3570.50.00. Yeah, I know, they're nothing like each other are they? An automatic diver and a manual wind chronograph. But, there are also some big similarities. Both are stainless steel luxury sports watches, both are on a bracelet, neither has a date, both have clear and easy to read faces, both are very balanced in appearance and both can be traced back to original models from the fifties. More importantly, in real and honest modern day usage, these are just nice, sporty everyday watches with a degree of versatility to them. So, perhaps not that different after all?





Quality and Finish
These are both very well finished watches, with a mixture of polished and brushed services. There some key differences here. The Rolex has a highly scratch resistant sapphire crystal, and the Omega uses hesalite. We don't want those astronauts breathing in broken glass, do we? The Submariner has white gold hands and applied markers, the Speedmaster makes do without such luxuries.

The Omega has a better bracelet and clasp. Especially the clasp. There's nothing wrong with the Rolex's, and the design has been shown to be reliable, but the Omega's just feels more substantial. The whole watch also feels a little heavier.





I prefer the feel of the Omega's mechanism when winding the watches, and the hands have less bounce in them when adjusting the time.

Looks and Style

I like pretty plain, clear and well balanced faces on my watches, and both of these oblige. They both look classy and classic. Neither watch is remotely dressy, but both are versatile. The Speedmaster is probably a little more casual, but there is really very little in it. It also has a nicely finished case back.



Functionality and Performance

Plus points for both watches here.

Submariner: Waterproof to 300 meters, unidirectional rotating bezel, automatic movement, hacking seconds hands, screw down crown and COSC certification.

Speedmaster: Chronograph, tachymeter and a 52 hour power reserve (Omega quotes 40).

OK, so a few more points to the Rolex!

Costs

There is a big price difference between these two. The 14060M is now discontinued, but retailed at £4100 in its last days. The Speedmaster is now £2880. However, in my experience, larger discounts are available on the Omega (approaching 20%, against 5% on the Rolex - both based on what I paid) which increases the price difference.

The Omega is cheaper to service too.

Conclusion

A tough, tough call. I really like both watches (no surprises there, as I went out and bought them). Both have prestigious names, impeccable pedigrees, fascinating histories (especially the Speedmaster) and classic good looks. They are well built, reliable timepieces. I am a sucker for the Rolex brand, but the Omega is better value in my opinion. But when has this ever been about value?

The Rolex probably just edges it for me because of the automatic movement, better water resistance and (in the case of my two examples) better accuracy. Neither are far out though, and I am sure they could be adjusted to be more accurate. The Submariner averages + 2 or 3 seconds per day, the Speedmaster runs at about + 6. Generally the Rolex is my regular watch on Monday to Friday, then on Saturday morning I pop on the slightly more relaxed Speedmaster for the weekend. Obviously my watch choice varies as specific events dictate, but that's my standard approach and it means I get to enjoy them both regularly.

As I often do, I asked my six year old daughter which she preferred. As kids often do, she cut through all the BS and answered very confidently that the Rolex is better. Why? "Because not that many people go to the moon these days, but lots of people dive!" Genius!

Thanks for reading. Hopefully it was interesting.

[ncstate1201]

Rolex hands down and if you can buy the 114060 love the bezel and glidelock

[HogwldFLTR]

Originally Posted by ncstate1201

Rolex hands down and if you can buy the 114060 love the bezel and glidelock

And tolerate its weight, proportions, and cog. For me I prefer the 14060 and it takes effort for me to enjoy the 114060.

[NeedlessKane]

I was battling the same situation - 14060 or the speedy?

I went with the Submariner because I found exactly what I wanted - early '90s Tritium dial with the box, papers, etc. Speedys are quite plentiful and easier to find (in my opinion).

A Speedy may be my next purchase if I can shake the 5513 and 1675 bug that has hit me over the last few weeks!

Obligatory wristshot of my 14060

[SLS]

IMHO, no Collection is complete w/o a Sub and a Speedy Pro.

[beshannon]

Originally Posted by BrummyJames

For me this is the ultimate stand off, both pieces should be cornerstones of any collection.

If I had to pick one I might go with the Sub, however it really is tricky.

Both are so iconic and functional.

Would love to know what you guys and girls think?

What do I think?

I have both.

[1995akcoop]

sub all day!


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[9*9*3]

You have to own both eventually but the Sub would be first because it's so versatile especially swim, snorkel, and dive, However, I love my speedy. It is my nato strap watch. Have several nato's based on season. Here's the Oct Halloween look.


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[WJGESQ]

Originally Posted by BrummyJames

For me this is the ultimate stand off, both pieces should be cornerstones of any collection.

If I had to pick one I might go with the Sub, however it really is tricky.

Both are so iconic and functional.

Would love to know what you guys and girls think?

Omega wins.

[AF_Rob]

I own and love both. IMO, the Sub edges out the Speedy in usability.

[chillwill120]

Both are pretty much equally iconic and beautiful imo. The sub is more useable and makes a better everyday watch with the automatic movement, sapphire, and water resistance. However, the Speedy has two major advantages. The first is the price, a good pre-owned speedy can be purchased for about $2,500 to $3000. A pre-owned no date sub will be more in the range of $5,000 to $6,000. Second, the sub is just so ubiquitous. The speedy is popular with watch fanatics but the sub is popular with EVERYONE. If they were the same price, I'd go with the sub. But for half the price, I'd go with the Speedy.

[Evo6]

Good friends these two...

I have an 114060 and love that too, the 14060 is great but the innovations in the 6 digits are worth it. Still, the speedy seems to work on any strap and IMHO can more easily go from sporty to dress casual...

[jrs146]

There's just something about a Speedy Pro... Maybe the only Omega I would own. There are many great Rolex models out there. I say go with the Speedy




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[bdex75]

Have not owned a sub yet. Have these two.


Like them both for different reasons. Will probably end up flipping the dssd for a sd4k


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[kdhope1]

I have a 71 speedy and a 81 Sub w/date,so i have to agree!..kelly

[HogwldFLTR]

I also think that both are great to have although for the Speedy I switched things up a bit to a '69 Mark II.

[eightbore]

Subs are nice, don't get me wrong, but I think in the "value for money" sphere, the Speedy takes the cake. $3500 on the grey market all day long and brand spanking new. That's a small price to pay for something so iconic and it's less than HALF what a sub costs. I also think that there are plenty of great iconic dive watches out there, as there have always been, and more so than there are great iconic chronographs. I can make a case for the Ploprof or the seamaster 300 or the 50 fathoms or even the Seiko Tuna as being "iconic". How many truly iconic (and serious) chronos are there? Working chronos...not some PP or AP dressed up model. Maybe the Monaco (maybe) and maybe the Daytona (thought the icon looks not a whole lot like the current iteration) and perhaps a simpler Zenith model. The speedmaster's response to all challengers in that realm however is simply, "Ya, well I went to the moon M*#(*ER F(#*)ER!" Argument over. :) I love the Speedy, can you tell?

[Gerry62]

Two cult but My choice is SUBMARINER

without hesitation

[CRM114]

Originally Posted by BrummyJames

For me this is the ultimate stand off, both pieces should be cornerstones of any collection.

If I had to pick one I might go with the Sub, however it really is tricky.

Both are so iconic and functional.

Would love to know what you guys and girls think?

2 Speedmasters in my collection (a 321 and an 861), zero Submariners, so I guess I already voted with my wallet. In terms of historical icons and significance, the Speedmaster Pro is literally in a class by itself. Not so the Submariner. Although much-loved and copied the Sub wasn't the first, let alone only, dive watch. The GMT Master, however, being the first watch capable of displaying 2 different time zones easily replaces the Sub if one must have a Rolex icon in a collection, and in the ensuing 50 years since the GMT and Sub both hit the market, the 24 hour hand function has been as much-copied by others as the "dive watch" niche. The rotating bezel for dive watches was something already being used on pilot watches and aircraft instruments for timing.

It could be said that "The ultimate stand off" occurred in actuality during the NASA toughness testing where Rolex's offering wasn't a Sub, but the Cosmograph. After losing the bid to become THE space watch, Rolex found it a home in car racing, re-dubbing it the Daytona.

Speedy, for sure. The ultimate tool watch.

[kbutler1]

Wear a Speedmaster Pro. Love it. Rotate it with my Polar EXP II.
Love the Submariner too and will look to add at some point.

To me these really are 2 different iconic watches with fantastic history. Both deserve to be in a collection.

[arguetaoscar]

Originally Posted by CRM114

2 Speedmasters in my collection (a 321 and an 861), zero Submariners, so I guess I already voted with my wallet. In terms of historical icons and significance, the Speedmaster Pro is literally in a class by itself. Not so the Submariner. Although much-loved and copied the Sub wasn't the first, let alone only, dive watch. The GMT Master, however, being the first watch capable of displaying 2 different time zones easily replaces the Sub if one must have a Rolex icon in a collection, and in the ensuing 50 years since the GMT and Sub both hit the market, the 24 hour hand function has been as much-copied by others as the "dive watch" niche.

It could be said that "The ultimate stand off" occurred in actuality during the NASA toughness testing where Rolex's offering wasn't a Sub, but the Cosmograph. After losing the bid to become THE space watch, Rolex found it a home in car racing, re-dubbing it the Daytona.

Just my take on it anyway. Speedy, for sure.

I agree with you.The Sub is extremely popular and a great watch, I own a 114060 and love it. However, I am more of a GMT fan, and the Speedy is THE Omega to have. Regarding the stand off between the Rolex and Omega, was the Rolex Cosmograph tested by NASA a manual wind movement? Curious to know. Going back to the topic, for me is a tough choice, I am more inclined to prefer Rolex over Omega as a brand, but with this specific watches I couldn't decide and had to get all 3 (Sub, GMT and Speedy)




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[CRM114]

Originally Posted by arguetaoscar

I agree with you.The Sub is extremely popular and a great watch, I own a 114060 and love it. However, I am more of a GMT fan, and the Speedy is THE Omega to have. Regarding the stand off between the Rolex and Omega Cosmograph with NASA, was the Rolex competing a manual wind movement? Curious to know.

Yes the Rolex was manual wind like the Speedmaster. The automatic chrono didn't appear until 1969, and not from Rolex or Omega. The 3 contenders for being the first are Zenith, Seiko, and Heuer. It was this Zenith El Primero (hence the name) 36,000 bph movement that was later adopted and de-tuned to 28,800 bph by Rolex to drive the automatic Daytona. The Zenith El Primero is rightfully another historic icon for WIS-types.

[Random]

Hi,
owned both of those exact models. Both superb pieces. On three criteria that are important to me.
Legibility - Speedmaster edges the win but only just.
Everyday wear - both great but Submariner edges the win (always plunging my hands into water).
Comfort on wrist - Submariner by a very long way for me (Seems to have been designed for my 6.75 wrist and shape).
Good luck with your choice...

[arguetaoscar]

Originally Posted by CRM114

Yes the Rolex was manual wind like the Speedmaster. The automatic chrono didn't appear until 1969. The 3 contenders for being the first are Zenith, Seiko, and Heuer. It was this Zenith El Primero (hence the name) 36,000 bph movement that was later adopted and de-tuned by Rolex to drive the automatic Daytona.

Thanks for the info!


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[hofstbr]

I debated between these exact two watches earlier this year. I even went back and forth inside the AD from the Rolex area to the Omega area on the day of purchase. Ultimately I decided on the SubC (114060) because it was the first nice watch that I ever really wanted over 20 years ago. I was drawn by the history of the Speedy and love the looks as well but the Rolex edged it out. I haven't regretted my purchase once. Having said that, guess what my next watch will be.

[jaymyms]

Speedmaster Professional

[cervantes]

Both for sure!