Omega Unveils its First 2016 Olympics Watch, the Speedmaster Mark II “Rio 2016”


Omega Speedmaster Mark II Rio 2016 - frontThe 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro are still two years away. However, Omega, which will be the Games’ official timekeeper for the 27th time, has already introduced its first limited-edition watch celebrating the Rio Games: the Omega Speedmaster Mark II “Rio 2016,” a chronograph watch with an in-house, co-axial movement.

This special edition of the Omega Speedmaster Mark II watch — released by Omega at this year’s Baselworld watch fair and inspired by a vintage Omega Speedmaster model from 1969 — has a distinctive barrel-shaped case made of polished and brushed stainless steel. The crown and chronograph pushers are polished, and the steel bracelet, which features Omega’s patented screw-and-pin design and a foldover rack-and-pusher clasp, has both polished and brushed surfaces. Wearers can adjust the bracelet’s length by releasing the outer clasp and sliding the inner clasp.

Beneath the flat, scratch-resistant crystal is a matte-black tricompax dial with subdials at 3, 6, and 9 o’clock to record 30 chronograph minutes, 12 chronograph hours, and running seconds, respectively. On this “Rio 2016” model, these subdials have an Olympics motif, ringed by bronze, yellow gold, and silver to represent the medals awarded to the champion athletes.

Omega Speedmaster Mark II Rio 2016 - side

Omega Speedmaster Mark II Rio 2016 - front

Like the standard Omega Speedmaster Mark II watches, the Olympic model has a tachymeter scale printed directly on the sapphire crystal and illuminated from underneath by an aluminum ring filled with Super-LumiNova. The varnished hour and minute hands, the hour markers, and the chronograph seconds hand are also coated with this luminous substance. This model is the first Omega watch that allows the wearer to read the tachymeter scale in the dark.

The movement in the Omega Speedmaster Mark II Rio 2016 is Omega’s Caliber 3330, which is equipped with a silicon balance spring and three-level co-axial escapement and boasts a column-wheel chronograph function. The watch’s case, which is water-resistant to 100 meters, has a screw-down caseback that is stamped with the logo of the 2016 Olympic Games (the first ever to be held in South America), and engraved with “Si14” “Column Wheel” and the limited-edition number of the watch (only 2,016 will be made, priced at $6,300). The Omega Speedmaster Mark II “Rio 2016” limited edition will be offered in a special presentation box with a certificate of authenticity and will come with a full two-year warranty.

To see how the Omega Speedmaster Mark II Rio looks on the wrist, click here for my blog post on the 2014 Omega watch collection.

Omega Speedmaster Mark II Rio 2016 - dial
Omega Speedmaster Mark II Rio 2016 - back
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  1. Mario da Silva

    I’m a recent watch ‘info’ fan. Thanks so much for your efforts to educate us users. Your articles are not just very complete information on each watch, but I enjoy reading the plentiful historical information that makes this site an educated reading. Keep up the good work, and thanks!
    As an aside, do you have any articles like how a Tachymeter watch can be used as a Telemeter or other reading? I notice that some watches have a few red markers on the internal bezel. For instance, some suggestions in a pocketable table form for setting the slide rule function of the pointer/multiplier to a number to convert this and that…?
    Also, I note that the Omega Speedmaster has offered interchangeable Bezels with different scales. Is that the only brand that offers this? Thanks again!

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