Łukasz Doskocz Shares His Love for the Omega Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday Ultraman

I’ve known Łukasz (@lukaszdoskocz on Instagram) for many years, and he is what you can call a friend. He’s also a true watch buddy, passionate, opinionated too, and a very cool man with whom I have shared a beer (or more) on many occasions after a long, exhausting day running around Baselworld (writing this makes me think how much I miss those days…) Aged 37, Łukasz is Editor in Chief at CH24.PL in Warsaw, Poland, and he knows his watches. Today, following a look at his Tudor Heritage Chrono some years ago, he’s adding his Omega Speedmaster “Speedy Tuesday Ultraman” to our ever-growing collection of personal reports in this instalment of the Collector’s Series.

Frank Geelen, MONOCHROME – Do you remember your first encounter with Omega? 

Łukasz Doskocz: It must have been a long time ago, quite some time before I got into watches. And it was due to my great love for all things James Bond. I’m a big fan of the series, so of course, I knew about Omega ever since Pierce Brosnan wore it in “Goldeneye” (and seduced beautiful Bond-girl played by Polish actress Izabella Scorupco). The movie screened in 1995, so it might well have been some 26 years ago when I noticed a brand called Omega. I admire it playing an important part in history, for sure in both watchmaking history and our lives in general. The taken-to-the-Moon story, you can’t beat that. Or Bond – I mean, how cool is that, to be Mr Bond’s watch of choice?

It wasn’t Bond’s original choice, though. Do you have a thing for Rolex too?  

By all means… for Rolex and everything Bond. They say “boys never grow up”. Guess it might be true.

Why did this particular watch stand out to you?

Funnily enough, it was a spur of the moment decision. Of course, being familiar with the rich Moonwatch story, I always kinda felt like it would be nice to own one, even though I never was a fan of the design. I didn’t get the simplicity of the design and the overall feel. However, I bought it specifically because of Fratello, of the personal value of that project and that specific watch. #SpeedyTuesday is a phenomenon, a union of passionate people around one story and one watch that is only seemingly a watch. That is quite addictive. But the Speedmaster is quite a simple watch, with a rather unimpressive manual movement and very traditional design cues. But maybe it is in that simplicity where the true beauty lies. Oh, and I do appreciate a touch of orange.

When did you buy it?
Both #SpeedyTuesday editions were sold online, and to say it was a quick buy is an understatement. I guess the Ultraman sold out in under two hours, all 2,012 watches. I was lucky enough to grab one and even treat myself to a number with a certain meaning… perks of being a watch journalist! It’s a reference to my 35th Birthday, corresponding with the exact same number of the piece I got. How cool is that? Watches are all about emotions and memories. Like that catchy quote, “collect memories, not things”. Technically a watch is a thing, an object – but rather a special object with a lot of additional value and meaning behind it. I guess it is the main reason we collect watches.  

Do you wear your watch a lot?

Of course, every other Tuesday! Like all the Speedmaster owners/fans, I do celebrate the day with my watch strapped on. Feels kind of special to be part of the community that Robert-Jan and Fratello created out of pure passion, to take it out of the box every Tuesday morning, wind it and set the time.   

Does it attract attention?

All my friends and family know my crazy watch sickness, so now they tolerate it patiently. Having said that, the Moon story always grabs attention, and that truly fascinating Apollo 13 episode, with an Omega Speedmaster actually participating in saving human lives… It speaks to many. Watches are conversation starters, be it with geeks like us or strangers that can just admire someone with true passion. I don’t recall who said that, but “a man without passion is a boring man”. So true.

Do you have other passions besides watches?

Plenty, my greatest probably being food, cooking and everything related. You can call me a #foodie, and I’d be proud. I also dig good cinema and was always quite passionate about architecture. I wanted to study it back in the day; however, my drawing skills weren’t nearly good enough. Funnily enough, recently, I am starting to develop another passion – photography. Let’s see where that goes. 

 

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Une publication partagée par Lukasz Doskocz (@lukaszdoskocz)

Would you ever sell this Speedy Tuesday if you got a decent price? 

I don’t really care about that when buying a watch, nor did I when I bought the Ultraman. Like most Limited Edition Speedmasters, it gained a lot of value, but I am not planning to sell it any time soon. It means too much to me. Talking about money, getting the watch was a challenge: the watch had to be picked up in Omega’s Geneva boutique. As I wasn’t planning to go there, a great friend of mine offered to help. The only problem – I’d somehow neglected to pay for it beforehand. So… it was either me teleporting to Geneva or my friend paying for my watch. Which he did, also being the first one to wear it. Paid him back, of course, and then some beers… or ten. 

Are there any more watches you would like to buy?

Being a watch journalist, I get to play with a lot of different watches. I don’t have the nature of a collector, so I do not need to have dozens of watches in my possession, just the ones I actually wear daily. There are, of course, some that make my heart skip a bit, especially that crazy cool A. Lange & Söhne Zeitwerk (white gold, black dial), that I will own… one day. A good friend of mine has one, and every time I see it… it’s hard to describe.  

Can you try?

Pure emotion, excitement, faster heartbeat. You know, the usual stuff, when you’re in love with something. 

Have you ever visited the Omega workshops? 

Yes, I did. Luckily, my job allows me to travel and visit watch manufactures, so over the years, I have probably visited most of them, at least all the top ones. It’s always fun, and even though most CNC machines and development departments look the same, you can always find something unique. And try the amazingly hard craft of making even the biggest component of a mechanical watch. Seems easy at first, but when you try it… forget it. The work of skilled human hands and eyes is beyond belief; to see it for yourself makes you appreciate the watchmaking craft even more. 

Do you have any tips for people who’d like a Speedy Tuesday Ultraman, too?

All the 2,012 pieces were gone in the blink of an eye, so the secondary market is where you have to look. There are some pieces coming up here and there, with different price tags… usually quite high though. Luckily there are plenty, or as my friend says, “plethora” of different Speedmaster references out there, something good for every taste.

What makes a good collector? 

One piece of advice I can give to anyone who wants to buy a watch – that one or any for that matter – is always to buy what you truly like! Cliché as it may sound, it is the first, fundamental thing you should consider when buying a timepiece that you plan to wear on your wrist. It just has to look great, please your eye, wear great, too. A bit of knowledge never hurts, so do your research, go online and ask. Knowing what you actually spend your hard-earned money on is a sign of respect for the product and yourself. But then again, it’s all about the looks – gotta love it to wear it proudly!

Doesn’t it ever bore you to write about watches? Why not?

Sometimes it does; we started around May 2009, so it is almost 12 years now. Crazy! What started as a passion project for fun turned out to be a huge chunk of our lives and a full-time job. But it is my greatest passion, watches, so I can always find something interesting and engaging. When you do something you really like, it does not get very boring. I hope for many more years to come as I believe people will not stop wearing watches. After all, time is like breathing and taxes: inevitable.