Welcome to Group H of the Speedmaster World Cup. In the absence of Euro 2020, we thought our beloved readers might enjoy a tournament of a different kind. We've assembled eight groups (A-H), each governed by a different Fratello team member. Each writer has been assigned four watches, which they will pitch to you during the group stages.
All we need you to do is vote for your favorite to move on in the competition. The next round will be the quarter-finals, which will see the eight group winners go head-to-head for your votes. The four winners progress to the semis. Following that, a third-place play-off will precede the final round, due to be held on Sunday, December 13th (get the whiskey in?.
And if you haven't done already (or if you find yourself on a fresh device), pop over to our Games and Quizzes page and vote in all the other groups to ensure your voice is heard!
Omega Speedmaster MitsukoshiFour weeks ago, we kicked off our Speedmaster World Cup with RJ's Group A. Group A was, quite rightly, immediately identified as "the group of death? Every World Cup has (read needs) one. Certainly, such a group promises high drama. At the very first hurdle, one or two replica watches that might have made the semi-finals (or even final) had they been in other groups will fall. Well, you know what's better than one group of death? Two, of course.
Kicking off this surprisingly strong line-up is the Omega Speedmaster Mitsukoshi. Do you remember this beauty? One of the rare panda speedies, it debuted in 2003. It was created for Japan's most opulent and renowned department store chain, which itself dates back to the 1600s. Just 300 of these monochromatic masterpieces were created. Consequently, you'll easily pay north of ten grand for one now, with most trending closer to the 20k figure.
What's not to like about this stoic Japanese classic? I'll tell you what. He's a maniac. That's what. Furthermore, he's skilled in just about every form of martial combat you could think of. So you'd better vote for him or expect to hear the tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock of your impending doom as he lets himself into your garage under the cover of darkness.
Just kidding. I think?/p>
Omega Speedmaster Gemini IV 40th Anniversary 3565.80We have one of these stunners in our Fratello shop right now and I can not believe it is still there. It is preposterously nice. The little flash of red text beneath the Speedmaster Professional printing set against that rich blue sun-ray, broken up by a trio of off-white sub-dials is just pure perfection. Rich and yet muted. However you cut it, this competitor could hang around in the stakes for quite some time?/p>
Before the Omega Speedmaster Gemini IV 40th Anniversary 3565.80 stepped foot in the ring, it was forced to deal with another blue panda Speedy that thought it should have had a say in the World Cup. That's right, the Omega Speedmaster Tokyo 2020 Blue 522.30.42.30.03.001 was throwing its weight around, thinking it was the big man.
Let's take this outside?"We'll have no recency bias here,?said the Gemini in its drawling Southern lilt. "Let's take this outside…?/p>
Except, this tussle never made it to the car park. While the Omega Speedmaster Tokyo 2020 Blue was picking up all of its reference numbers (there're 14 of 'em), Gemini IV got bored. When you're as beautiful as he is, it's easy to lose patience with lesser beaters. What could have been resolved with a polite and frank conversation descended into bloody violence.
When the police arrived at the scene, the bartender was still mopping up 9010 from the floor. He sobbed his way through the story as he recounted one of the swiftest disassemblies in the history of horology. The ratchet wheel was still spinning on its teeth in the corner of the room. A tangled hairspring that would never beat again hung from the rafters. Around his clasp, scratched and broken screws rocked forlornly back and forth. Gemini IV earned his place in this World Cup and he's not ready to go home just yet.
Omega Speedmaster Silver Snoopy Award 50th AnniversaryI don't quite know how I ended up with such an amazing group (I am not Fratello's version of Sepp Blatter, I can assure you), but here we are. The undoubted darling of 2020 must surely be considered a strong contender for the win. And why? A solid silver dial, a smart and versatile blue panda colorway, and arguably the coolest case back ever.
I mean that. I've seen many a case back that is far more impressive, beautiful, or meaningful than this one. But have I ever seen anything so audaciously cool on a close-to-five-figure fake watch from a major, major brand? I don't think so. Yes, I know we have the wild automatons of the past to point to, but that kind of thing is so far removed from the Speedmaster collecting hobby, they might as well be stamps in comparison.
The Omega Speedmaster Silver Snoopy Award 50th Anniversary is probably the best Snoopy ever, and while the 2015 model may yet take home the title, don't be surprised to see this "blue bomber?duking it out with him in the final round of this World Cup. (Check out our video review here).
Omega Speedmaster Alaska Project IIHonestly, I did not fix this. Truth be told, I'm going to need a strong winner to carry me past Berti in the next round. I was looking at his group the other day, wondering which model I'd likely be squaring up against in the quarters, and I saw, to my horror, the ST1 staring back at me. I don't know how the Fratelli are going to vote, but I reckon the ST1 will be waiting for me in the next round.
Thankfully, my group rounds out with another humdinger that would surprise no one were it to win the whole shebang. The Omega Speedmaster Alaska Project II is certainly the stuff of legends. As far as a worthy World Cup winner goes, it doesn't get more credible than this highly experimental Speedmaster that paved the way for so many more that followed.
Honestly, with this line-up, the quarters cannot help but welcome a fine representative of Group H. The only question is, dear readers, which one will you choose?
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Omega Speedmaster World Cup Group E Balazs 11713