Fly Me To The Moon: Haute Time’s Favorite Omega Speedmasters
The history of the Omega Speedmaster is like a treasure trove for watch enthusiasts. The brand has created a wide range of watches that made a significant contribution to the exploration of space. While we haven’t visited the moon for quite some time now, the Speedmaster hasn’t lost any of its relevance or appeal. Over the last few years, Omega has done a great job nurturing their legacy in space and introduced us to incredible limited editions highlighting some of the most exciting moments in history. These are Haute Time’s favorite Omega Speedmasters from the last couple of years:
Omega Speedmaster Apollo XVII 45th Anniversary
1972 was the year in which humans last set foot on the moon. Omega commemorated this event with the Apollo XVII 45th Anniversary-edition in which they gave the Speedmaster a deep blue dial and bezel made from ceramic. It was available in an all-gold version on a leather strap, but also in stainless steel with a bracelet as pictured above. A nice detail is the mission medallion in the subdial at nine o’clock, one of many in this watch that reference to the flight of the Apollo XVII. It can hardly come as a surprise that Omega limited the production of this model to only 1972 pieces.
Omega Speedmaster’ Dark Side Of The Moon’ Apollo 8
The Omega Speedmaster “Dark Side Of The Moon’ Apollo 8 impresses not only by its black ceramic case and yellow details but more so by its extraordinary dial. The subdials seem to float in mid-air, showing underneath them the dark side of the moon. It was the crew of the Apollo 8 that where the very first to see this side of the moon in 1968. The way that Omega incorporated this theme into not only the front but also the back of the Speedmaster is extraordinary. To achieve this, they partially skeletonized caliber 1861 and gave its bridges a decoration that resembles that of the moon surface.
Omega Speedmaster Apollo 13 ‘Snoopy’
Apollo 13 has to be the most well-known space mission ever. While it was intended to land on the lunar surface, an explosion of an oxygen tank prevented it from ever getting that far. The crew had only 14 seconds to adjust their course for re-entry. It used their Omega Speedmasters to time this critical maneuver, which eventually resulted in the safe return of the entire crew to earth. Omega was awarded the Silver Snoopy Award, a special honor that NASA gives to employees and contractors for outstanding achievements related to human flight safety or mission success, for this contribution. On the Speedmaster, this popular comic character can not only be seen on the subdial at nine o’clock but also on the case back in Sterling silver. Omega made 1970 of these Speedmasters, and today it counts as one of the most popular limited editions that the brand has ever made.
Omega Speedmaster Apollo 11 50th anniversary
With the Apollo 11 mission in 1969, the Omega Speedmaster became officially the very first watch to be worn on the surface of the moon. To celebrate this, the brand made an exceptional all-gold version of their famed chronograph, which they presented to NASA’s astronauts during an “Astronaut Appreciation Dinner” held later that year. Fifty years later, Omega remade the watch for a limited edition, crafting it now from a brand new alloy, which they appropriately called Moonshine gold. It has a slightly lighter color than yellow gold and goes perfect with the ceramic bezel in burgundy and black hour markers made from onyx. A see-through caseback reveals caliber 3861, a new movement that is awarded the METAS Master Chronometer certificate and features a co-axial escapement with a silicon hairspring. An exceptional chronograph movement that feels right at home in one of the most stunning limited editions Speedmasters to date.
