Closer to the Moon: Omega’s New Speedmaster 38mm Models

From accompanying astronaut Wally Schirra into space on the 1962 Mercury Sigma 7 mission and, after rigorous testing, being the only chronograph left standing to be officially qualified by NASA for all space flights in 1965, to eventually landing on the moon in 1969 as part of the Apollo 11 mission, it’s little wonder it earned its ‘Moonwatch’ moniker. 

Those unforgettable moments, burned into the memories of a generation, assured a place for the ‘Speedy’ in horological legend.  But outside its historical significance, the Speedmaster’s inherent style is what’s ensured its true longevity – and in a drop of seven new 38mm references from Omega, we’re brought ever closer to a modern version of the classic Moonwatch look in a comfortably manageable diameter.

First up, the closest in at-a-glance value to the original Moonwatch, is the ‘steel on steel’ with a lacquered black dial. Its black aluminium bezel, white Super-LumiNova-filled hands and indexes and all-steel bracelet make for a crisp, monochromatic take on the spacefaring icon. Crucially, the bezel has returned to a thicker profile and features the Moonwatch’s distinctive Dot-Over-Ninety detail, while the bracelet takes its five-link cues directly from the larger legend.

The same steel case-and-bracelet configuration is offered with a lacquered white dial and blue ceramic bezel, its tachymeter picked out in white enamel and blue CVD-coated details, while a silvery version introduces a warmer palette of grey, brown and ‘Sedna Gold’ PVD.

Then comes the two-tone contingent. One combines a silvery opaline dial with a polished 18 carat ‘Moonshine Gold’ bezel, green aluminium bezel ring and yellow-gold tachymeter scale; another channels the collection’s signature ‘cappuccino’ aesthetic with an ivory dial, brown subdials and a ‘Sedna Gold’ bezel. Both bring their respective gold alloys into the bracelet’s smaller links for an understated flash of precious metal.

For those who prefer their Moonwatch cues with a little more sparkle, two diamond-set versions complete the line-up. Each carries 52 diamonds, totalling 1.53 carats, with the choice of an ice-blue PVD dial or white mother-of-pearl, paired with rhodium-plated hands and luminous baton indexes.

Underneath the aesthetic advancements, Omega has kept things decidedly mechanical: six of the seven references are powered by the self-winding Co-Axial Calibre 3330 with date functions, while the black-dial ‘steel on steel’ model alone receives the no-date Calibre 3332. The result is a Speedmaster 38mm that’s undeniably a lovingly reconsidered Moonwatch interpretation. While retaining the codes that made the Speedmaster famous, there’s still been room made for evolution – an exploration very much in step with the original’s adventurous spirit. One small step for Omega? Maybe. But in the context of the Speedmaster’s history, it might just be one giant leap for Moonwatch-kind.