In 1996, the first version of the featured watch Omega Speedmaster Schumacher in his Kerpen kart track in Germany revealed that Mr. Schumacher. It came with a red or yellow dial (celebrating the first year of Mr. Schumacher driving a Ferrari), and a red or yellow leather strap or steel bracelet choose choose. Production ran from 1996 in 1999, although the name of the case itself does not bear a “Schumacher,” There are some unique items including which marks it as something unique watches. Watch came packaged in a small rubber tire, can be opened, split in the middle to watch shows. Tire on the right is Mr. Schumacher’s signature, the left is the Omega brand logo. It includes a small stand, to prevent the entire GET- literally rolling away from the owner. It has a hesalite crystal unit back, and features automatic movement 1141. The case measuring 42 mm and 39 mm and crown no (This size remains consistent throughout the release). Interestingly, the movement of the serial number is printed on the outside of the back cover, rather than the movement itself.
Following the first Omega Speedmaster Schumacher came the Omega Speedmaster Racing Schumacher World Champion 2000 Limited Edition. This watch was numbered and limited to 10,000 pieces, of which 6,000 had a black dial and 4,000 had a white dial. The watch featured the word “Racing” above the sub-dial at the six o’clock position and had red and orange checkered markings around the outside of the dial. It too had a snapback case but, unlike the previous edition, did bear Mr. Schumacher’s name, which was engraved into the back of the case along with his signature and the production number. It came with an option of either a stainless steel bracelet or black leather strap and had an Omega 3220 movement.
The following year, the Omega Speedmaster World Champion 2001 Schumacher Limited Edition, was released and limited to only 11,111 pieces. It had a sapphire crystal and a carbon fiber dial and an Omega 1152 automatic movement. The hour marks, as is typical with the Speedmaster, were small bars, everywhere except at the one o’clock position, which has a large “1” proudly displayed.
Michael Schumacher Omega Speedmaster Vintage Watches: Racing Pedigree Available At Excellent Values Feature Articles
Omega Speedmaster World Champion 2001 Schumacher – Photos courtesy of John Spellman
At this point, you may have noticed a small trend in the naming of the Omega Speedmaster Schumacher watches, and the next edition lived up to expectations. Named the Omega Speedmaster World Champion 2002 Schumacher Limited Edition, this edition was numbered and limited to 5,555 pieces. It featured a sapphire crystal and a carbon fiber dial and the word “Racing” appears below Omega branding text at the three o’clock position on the dial. The watch had an Omega 1151 automatic movement and was most famous for its day wheel. Monday through Saturday were displayed on white backgrounds, but Sunday, aka race day, was red. A reminder for any forgetful fans that it was time to tune in to the day’s pageantry.
Michael Schumacher Omega Speedmaster Vintage Watches: Racing Pedigree Available At Excellent Values Feature Articles
In 2002, Mr. Schumacher won his fifth world championship, tying the record of Argentinian racing legend Juan-Manuel Fangio whose last world championship came in 1957, a full 46 years earlier. The Omega Speedmaster Broad Arrow Michael Schumacher, cased in 18kt rose gold with choice of matching bracelet or black leather strap, honored this achievement in 2003. Engraved into the case was “Michael Schumacher – Five-Times World Champion.” It had a black dial and sapphire crystal and featured the Omega 3303 automatic movement. This was the first watch to feature Mr. Schumacher’s name on the dial itself, a fitting rise for prominence on the watch that was mirrored by his racing career.
At the end of 2003, Mr. Schumacher did Juan-Manuel Fangio one better and claimed his sixth world championship, making him the most successful driver in the history of F1. This was commemorated in 2004 by the Omega Speedmaster Sixth World Title Schumacher Limited Edition, a series of 6,000 watches famous for their “panda” dials.
With Mr. Schumacher’s final title came the final Schumacher Speedmaster, the Omega Speedmaster Legend Limited Edition. This watch is easily distinguished from the rest with its first seven hour markers being replaced with numerals, counting up the number of titles won, all set on a subtly checkered carbon fiber dial. It is powered by an Omega 3313 movement and features a crystal display back, allowing easy viewing of the heartbeat inside. Around the bezel are listed all of Mr. Schumacher’s accomplishments: seven world titles, 250 F1 races, 68 pole positions, 91 victories, and 154 podiums. A well thought out and classic tribute to the legend.
No longer produced by Omega, buyers interested in picking up one of the watches in this series will have to turn to the second-hand market. Of all the various series of Omega Speedmaster watches available, the Michael Schumacher series watches are fairly available, ranking fourth in volume sold on online auction site eBay, though at number four, they still only make up 3.3% of Speedmasters purchased from December 2014 through March 2015 (the range of available data that was collected for this article). Four watches on average were sold per month, with an average of 14 bids per watch meaning that though they are only available in smaller quantities, there is demand, though it must be noted that 14 bids could mean there were two battling buyers or up to 14 battling buyers per watch.
Even if the volume available is low, one highlight in regards to buying these watches on the second-hand market is that compared to other series in the Omega Speedmaster line, the Michael Schumacher series sells on the low end. The average price from December 2014 through March 2015 was $1,495.11, with a high of $1,999.00, a low of $1,112.00, and a median of $1,635.00. This can be compared to the Omega Speedmaster Professional, which has an average total cost of $1,927.06 and the Omega Speedmaster Olympic series, which has an average total cost of $2,327.67. As far as country of origin, 57% of the Michael Schumacher series Omega Speedmasters were sold by sellers from the United States. Interestingly, the remaining 43% were sold from sellers based in Japan, a testament to the combined global reach of the Swiss giant and the racing legend.
Interestingly, as his career progressed and his fame expanded, the accessibility of a “Schumacher” watch decreased. Series were limited to fewer and fewer watches and, as was mentioned earlier, Mr. Schumacher’s final Omega watch was an 18kt rose gold option priced for an elite buyer. This continued with Mr. Schumacher’s move to Audemars Piguet as a brand ambassador in 2010, where he was commissioned to help design a watch specific to his racing needs. Earlier this year, that watch was released, the Royal Oak Concept Laptimer, priced at a cool $229,500 and limited to 221 pieces.
Twenty-four years after he first began racing in F1, Mr. Schumacher is still talked about as one of the greats, if not the greatest, but unfortunately, many conversations about the man have been.
