It really should come as no surprise, but once again Omega released a limited edition Speedmaster, and it?s pretty damn cool. In the last few years, Omega seems to have really gotten a grip on who is buying their limited editions, catering more and more to the enthusiast crowd rather than the general consumer. This year?s CK2998 Pulsometer Speedmaster feels not just like it was designed for the enthusiasts, but frankly like it was designed by them, too.

The CK2998 Pulsometer LE, like its too-similarly named older blue brother (CK2998 LE) is based on the straight lugged ?First Omega in Space? reissue from a few years back that is, in turn, based on the original CK2998 from 1959 (which was worn into space by Wally Schirra in 1962). Well, sort of. When that watch was released, alongside of it was a Sedna Gold version, which featured a brown panda dial that visually referred to a very rare and much sought after Japanese LE from 1997, dubbed the Golden Panda, which featured a solid gold case and a black and white panda dial. With the pedigree out of the way, the new CK2998 Pulsometer is a fun iteration on the format that frankly I?m surprised hasn?t gotten more fanfare at this year?s Baselworld.

The design should be pretty self-evident at this point. You have the 39.7mm, straight-lug case featuring the manual-wound caliber 1861, a sapphire crystal, a deeply stamped case back and a black and white true panda dial. One unexpected detail is the use of a red seconds hand...