The passion for Omega Speedmasters has infected enthusiasts all over the world, but only one, Andrea Foffi, has made it a mission for years, collecting the rarest and most interesting models in a collection that will now be visible in an upcoming volume. these days, entitled "Magister". "Twenty years of work, - says Foffi, collector and enthusiast, owner of Vintage Watches and Cars - research around the world, flights by plane, travel to distant countries: the results of these efforts are over 70 unique and extraordinary watches. Some of them, kept away from prying eyes for decades, are shown to the general public for the first time ”.



But why so much attention to the Speedmaster? Aurel Bacs, Phillips senior consultant and one of the most influential men in the world of collectible watchmaking, explains it well: "For me, the Speedmaster is the most iconic chronograph of the 1900s, together with the Rolex Daytona. Historically speaking, I consider it even more important than the Daytona. In fact, as early as the 1950s, the Speedmaster was the sports watch with a screw back and tachymeter bezel engraved on the outside. (...) We can compare the Speedmaster's landing on the moon to a memorable conquest, like when Christopher Columbus discovered America ".
The volume also contains interventions by other experts such as Petros Protopapas, Heritage Manager Ome¬ga; today's Speedmaster designer; Robert-Jan Broer, founder of Fratello Watches; a NASA astronaut; in addition to the texts of the journalist Paolo Gobbi and the historical and present-day images of the production in Biel. But more than anything else there are seventy rare and particular chronographs, photographed by Fabio Santinelli.
Among the many models present, for example, the rare Speed ​​¬master Ref. 145.022-69 ST Meister "Gray Orange" Racing Type 3, a watch probably on sale for only three months, from April to June 1970, and exclusively in Switzerland. , like what appears in the book, sold by Meister on April 30th. Or the Speedmaster Professional Ref. 145.022 Oman, an iconic timepiece coveted by all collectors as it bears the Khanjar logo on the caseback, the national emblem of Oman, whose sultan, Qaboos bin Said al Said was a well-known collector and passionate about watchmaking. But also the Omega Ref. 3578.51.00 Snoopy Award realized in 2003 in 5,441 pieces to remember the Snoopy Award received by NASA on 5 October 1970 for the services rendered during the Apollo 13 mission which ended in April of that one. year.



Magister - A unique Andrea Foffi Speedmaster Selection, in advance on the website www.magister-shop.com.

Note: This is the text of the article published in the magazine L'Orologio and that we have kindly been allowed to publish.