Worn & Wound
Review: Is the New Omega Speedmaster 38 the Modern Speedmaster Reduced?
The name “Speedmaster Reduced” is a blanket term for the Speedmaster Automatics with cases smaller than the iconic 42mm Omega Speedmaster Professional. First launched in the late ’80s, there is a dizzying number of references included in the “Reduced” family, some being more well-known than others, such as the ref. 3510.50 and ref. 3520.50.00. Always popular among the enthusiast community, they offered Speedy looks at sub-Speedy prices and, simply, a smaller option. Now considered “neo-vintage,” the Reduced models were discontinued around 2010. Something that is cool about the Speedmaster is that while it’s a singular watch, it’s also a design language. It’s the typography, marker style, hands, bezel, etc. As such, it can be molded to different formats and the end result still reads “Speedmaster.” This is perhaps best seen in the Mark series, but is also quite true of the Reduced models and, beginning in 2017, the Speedmaster 38. I might be in the minority here, but I like that Omega will go in weird directions with the non-Professional Speedmasters. Maybe they work, maybe they don’t, but I’m sure all will find an audience somewhere, or at some time. Even models like the Speedmaster Chronoscope, which makes no sense to me, have the potential to be future cult hits. And for a while, Omega went a bit weird with its smaller option. With a gap in the catalog left by the discontinuation of the Reduced references, Omega released the Speedmaster 38 lin...
