284 articles · 115 videos found · page 4 of 14
The Master Chronometer Co-Axial caliber inside the modern Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch (2021+). 15,000 gauss anti-magnetic, NASA re-qualified for spaceflight 2022.
Why the Omega Speedmaster is called Moonwatch. The 1965 NASA flight qualification, Buzz Aldrin on Apollo 11, the Apollo 13 engine burn timed by hand, the Silver Snoopy Award of 1970, and every Snoopy Speedmaster that followed.
The only watch certified by NASA for manned spaceflight. On the Moon in 1969.
Albert Piguet's 1942 column-wheel hand-wound chronograph caliber. Powered every Speedmaster through 1968, worn by Buzz Aldrin on the Moon, reborn from tomographic scans in 2019.
Hodinkee
Naysayers were adamant that Omega's blockbuster Swatch collaboration would devalue the Speedmaster. Now that the dust has settled, we checked to see if that's happened.
Hodinkee
We're looking at the latest chronograph of the stars.
Hodinkee
A look back at seventy years of precision, performance, and elegance.
Hodinkee
Watches we love, the second time around.
Hodinkee
Five video stories from HODINKEE readers.
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Hodinkee
Straight to the moon (with astronauts!).
Revolution
Revolution
Since Omega’s announcement of the remake of the cal 321, Speedmaster fans have been waiting for a 321-driven Speedy in steel. That wait is now over.
Revolution
Hodinkee
Fifty years after it went to the Moon, the engine inside the Apollo Moonwatches is once again powering a Speedmaster.
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Revolution
James Ragan, former NASA engineer and the man behind the watch that went to the moon, shares ten anecdotes on the 50th anniversary of the moon landing.
Revolution
Fratello
The current Omega Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch 310.30.42.50.01.001 debuted on January 8th, 2021. The Moonwatch received a ton of updates, making many Speedmaster enthusiasts very happy. Those who weren’t hardcore fans, though, mainly found the big price increase from just south of €5,000 to €6,100 surprising. Updates to the modern Moonwatch You can read a full […] Visit Long-Term Review: Omega Speedmaster Professional 310.30.42.50.01.001 to read the full article.
Teddy Baldassarre
The Omega Speedmaster is among the heavyweight champions of the watch world. For so many out there, it's the entryway into the enthusiast community, a jumping-off point before taking the plunge into watches as a hobby, and the Speedmaster continues to be one of the most recognizable names in the industry. Today, we’re going to get a little more granular on the subject and put two iterations of the icon, which have been the subject of much debate, head-to-head: the Speedmaster Reduced and the classic Speedmaster Moonwatch Professional. Down below, I’ll set up the scene with a little history lesson, and then break down the key similarities and differences between the two to keep in mind. [toc-section heading="History and Context"] As one of the legends of watchmaking, the story of the Speedmaster is one often told and retold, so I will keep things quick and to the point here. If you want to go more in-depth on its backstory, feel free to break away from this article and head to our complete guide to the Speedmaster here. A symbol of the Space Race era, the Omega Speedmaster is most well-known for its role on the Apollo 11 mission in 1969, which officially made it the first watch to ever be worn on the Moon. It’s the watch that’s been aboard all six of the moon landing missions, thus earning the “Moonwatch” title once and for all. Taking off from its original motorsport-oriented intent to be the chosen watch of space exploration, the key DNA of the Speedmast...
Worn & Wound
The Speedmaster family grows again today as Omega announces a pair of new Moonwatches to the stable. The new additions, which the brand refers to as the Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch Black and White, seem kind of obvious at first glance, but if you dig a little deeper (just a little) these watches actually say something interesting about what a Speedmaster Professional is, and it’s somewhat different than what that was only a few years ago. Broadly speaking, what we have here are a pair of manually wound Speedmasters with a classic reverse panda dial layout, one in steel and one in 18k Moonshine Gold. A reverse panda layout, with a black base dial and white subdials, is not in and of itself all that unusual, but in the world of Speedmaster Professionals it’s quite out of the ordinary. Apart from limited editions, which are really a separate category altogether, the Speedy Pro has always just been black, until it wasn’t. The introduction of the white dial Speedmaster a few years ago reoriented us to think differently about these watches, and this pair, in a small way, does it again. The execution of these Black and White editions appears to be top notch. The black dials are varnished and lacquered, which ought to give them a more luxurious orientation than the standard matte black Speedy. The subdial frames are rhodium plated, and the white subdials have been given a lacquer treatment as well. Specs match other Speedmaster Professionals exactly, as you’d ex...
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Monochrome
With companies like Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, space tourism is no longer the stuff of sci-fi novels. While Omega’s Speedmaster Moonwatch has dominated the space story, others, like Fortis, have produced robust tool watches for astronauts, cosmonauts and “novonauts” alike. Boasting space-tested calibres, Fortis releases a fresh batch of four Stratoliner […]
Teddy Baldassarre
When you think of the Omega Speedmaster, the first thing that comes to mind is likely the brand’s golden child, the Speedmaster Moonwatch Professional. It’s a modern grail with its NASA connection, and its intertwined history with the Moon landing and space exploration is its calling card. But today, we’re looking at a different Speedmaster that has been eschewed from Omega’s current lineup. One that’s a little more playful, a little more unconventional, than the brand’s well-established Moonwatch Professional formula: the Speedmaster Mk40. Down below, I’ll be breaking down the history, context, and all the aesthetic oddities of the watch, all of which work together to create one of the most compelling non-Moonwatch Speedmasters of all time, in my humble opinion. [toc-section heading="Some Speedmaster Context"] Image: S.Song From first glance, the Speedmaster Mk40 that made its debut in the ‘90s defies all the utilitarian, tool-watch-oriented austerity that is the key DNA of the Moonwatch Professional, from its functionality to its experimentation with color, shapes, and typography. But the Mk40 is part of a short-lived and often forgotten legacy of Omega’s experimentation with the Speedmaster formula, before things were so rigidly codified as they are today. It is also important to note that the moniker “Mk40” itself is a completely enthusiast-driven nickname, which Omega itself has never officially used (the brand denotes the different models wi...
Fratello
Are you looking to buy an Omega Speedmaster but don’t know where to start? We’re here to help! Over the past 65+ years, Omega has created many variations of one of the world’s most famous chronographs. The classic 42mm Moonwatch has been in the collection since 1965, and to the novice eye, little has changed […] Visit Fratello’s Omega Speedmaster Guide to read the full article.
Teddy Baldassarre
We asked you on social media if there was someone you know that deserves the watch of their dreams. We received dozens upon dozens of stories highlighting potential worth recipients, but one stood out the most. Learn more about Lucas and why we chose to gift him his grail watch: the Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch.Is there
Two Broke Watch Snobs
A long-term review of the Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch 3861, exploring how its subtle refinements turn a classic into a lasting companion.
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Teddy Baldassarre
What is a Co-Axial Movement? More specifically, what is the now-famous Co-Axial Escapement that has become a standard feature on most all Omega watches? In short, it's both a radical concept by one of the modern era's most revered watchmaking geniuses and the culmination of a Swiss watch brand's longtime dedication to improving watchmaking accuracy. Here is the story of Omega's co-axial movements. [toc-section heading="Early Omega Movements"] While it is best known these days for its signature watch models, like the Speedmaster “Moonwatch” and the James Bond-worn Seamaster, Omega has also been a pioneer in movement-making since nearly the beginning. The company was founded in 1848 by 23-year-old watchmaker Louis Brandt (with family, above) in the Swiss village of La Chaux-de-Fonds. Originally called La Genérale Watch Company, and eventually renamed Louis Brandt et Fils after Brandt’s sons joined the business, it originally produced key-wound pocket watches from parts supplied by local artisans, After the growing company moved from La Chaux-de-Fonds to the more bustling town of Bienne, in the Swiss Canton of Bern, it pioneered a series of industrial watchmaking techniques and also began making its own in-house movements. The first one, called the Labrador, launched in 1885 in a now-legendary series of pocket watches. Nearly a decade later, in 1894, came the company’s chef d’oeuvre, the 19-ligne Omega Caliber, which was notable at the time for its enviable acc...
SJX Watches
A hit when it was launched a dozen years ago – time does fly – the Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon was the first-ever Speedmaster in ceramic. Now Omega has refined and reworked the concept – the case is now almost 1 mm thinner – while retaining the all-ceramic construction and distinctive aesthetic. The new Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon (DSOTM) makes its debut in four variants. The first two stick closely to the original, right down to the same automatic cal. 9900 movement, but in a slimmer format. More notable is the manual-wind version containing the cal. 9908, the first DSOTM offering with this movement, making it even thinner. And it has no date to boot. Rounding out the quartet is the Speedmaster Grey Side of the Moon (GSOTM) that is also manual-wind but powered by the historically-based, Moonwatch-famous cal. 3861. This adopts the lunar-textured surface, front and back, first seen on the Apollo 8 edition. The first manual-wind DSOTM that has a black-and-red livery Initial thoughts Contemporary collectors are spoiled for choice when it comes to the Speedmaster, which is available in seemingly endless configurations. While that’s arguably a criticism, it demonstrates Omega’s industrial prowess, which enables the brand to deliver large volumes of watches that are objectively high quality and equipped with some of the industry’s best chronograph movements, without keeping customers waiting. Regardless of the shade of grey or black, the watches are ins...
Fratello
When many collectors think of the Speedmaster, they immediately imagine the classic Moonwatch with its Hesalite crystal, 42mm asymmetrical case, and hand-wound chronograph movement. But for those willing to cast their net wider, the Speedmaster family offers a surprising variety of curves, quirks, and historical detours. So, following the wonderful response to our original article […] Visit Five Further Non-Classic Omega Speedmasters Worthy Of Any Collection to read the full article.
Fratello
The Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch is truly one of the few iconic watch designs from the 20th century. Indeed, it may be one of the most recognizable designs in all of horology. Some of us, however, are fans from afar. We appreciate the Omega Speedmaster, but our eyes go elsewhere. For those enthusiasts after something with […] Visit Five Non-Classic Omega Speedmasters Worthy Of Any Collection to read the full article.
Fratello
Omega not only introduced the Speedmaster Apollo 11 50th Anniversary editions in 2019 but also brought back the legendary caliber 321. On July 21st of that year, precisely 50 years after the Speedmaster became the Moonwatch, the brand introduced that movement in a platinum Moonwatch, the Speedmaster Calibre 321 Platinum ref. 311.93.42.30.99.001. Omega Speedmaster Calibre […] Visit The Platinum 321 Is The Pinnacle Of Speedmaster Moonwatches to read the full article.
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