Omega Speedmaster Pilot Flight Qualified New Release

Key Points from the Discussion

• The publicly available 'Pilot Flight Qualified' Speedmaster is perceived as less desirable than the 'issued' military version, which features a superior caseback, a grey attitude indicator subdial instead of blue, and is unobtainable for the general public, thus retaining its special status.
• The new Speedmaster's design, particularly the horizon line for running seconds, is criticized for being overly literal and 'cosplay' in its attempt to appear as a pilot's watch, lacking the abstract and functional justification of earlier pilot-themed Omega models like the Flightmaster.
• A collector reflects on the original Flightmaster as the greatest tool watch they've owned, expressing regret over selling it and highlighting its practical wearability, suggesting a high bar for any new pilot-themed Speedmaster.
• The dial finish of the public and military versions of the 'Pilot Flight Qualified' Speedmaster is identical, with the primary difference being the nine o'clock subdial's attitude horizon color (grey for military, blue for public) and customized caseback engravings on the military variant.
• The blue attitude indicator on the public version is sometimes preferred over the grey, referencing the pilot's adage 'keep the blue side up,' suggesting a subjective element to design preference.