Tim Mosso knows that all luxury watches have flaws, and this includes many of the most popular luxury watch models from Omega, Patek Philippe, Tudor, IWC, and A. Lange & Sohne. Tonight, Tim examines the flaws in many of the most famous and popular watches available today. All of these are great options to purchase, so take "fatal flaw" with a grain of salt. This is a critical look at our favorite watches.

The Omega Speedmaster Professonal Moonwatch is, after the Rolex Submariner, the most famous watch in the world. Say "Omega Moonwatch," and even non-collectors often recognize the timepiece being referenced. Since the Apollo XI moon landing of 1969, Omega has proudly marketed the famous Speedmaster Professional Chronograph as a piece of NASA equipment any normal person can purchase. Moreover, the watch, which is still used by astronauts, can be bought in exactly the same specifications used by spacefarers.

However, the Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch isn't a perfect timepiece. The latest variant, which debuted in 2021, costs $6,600 to $7,000 depending on whether a bracelet is specified. However, simply adding a display caseback and sapphire crystal adds an improbably $1,000 to the price.

Not only is this nowhere near the manufacturer's actual cost of the upgrade, but it undermines the otherwise good value of the Moonwatch. And even with the "sapphire sandwich" configuration, the new Master Chronometer caliber 3861 is finished exactly the same regardless of which caseback is fitted. The previous generation Speedmaster "sapphire sandwich" used a uniquely finished and upgraded caliber 1863.

The 42mm stainless steel Speedmaster Professional is anything but rare. In addition to decades worth of prior production, the current model is designed for mass production. At least tens of thousands are sold each year. As a result, the pleasure of exclusivity is one that a Speedmaster owner will never know. Even limited edition models seem to debut on an unlimited basis, further diluting the appeal. In fact, the Omega Speedmaster Professional is so common that even everyone in space has one!

Water resistance is another area where the Speedmaster Professional falls short. Although Omega privately advises that the latest 50-meter water resistant Moonwatch is safe for surface swimming, most watch collectors would not test such a claim given the lack of a screw-down crown on the watch.

If you want to know how to evaluate popular watches from a critical perspective, tonight's show is for you!

All of this plus live discussion and watch collector wrist shots appears tonight on "Watches Tonight!"

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