No, you don’t have to own the traditional black & white Moonwatch version of the Omega Speedmaster.
Yes, it is a design classic, but like the Rolex Milgauss, the idea of buying something that looks exactly the same as it did 20 years ago, isn’t the best watch collecting strategy these days.
No, we watch fans crave novelty, the shock of the new. And why not? If ever a watch deserved a splash of colour it is that stark, monochrome Moonwatch, which comes straight from the era of black & white TV, circa 1969, when Neil Armstrong took his giant step forward. (Are we really any further ahead, for all our tech progress, than the way we were in `69? Let’s leave it there, back to the watch.)
OK, this 2022 Omega Speedmaster `57 comes in a beautiful damask red dial, dark green, a subtle grey with yellow markers, or a sort of washed out, denim blue. That red is like an old Chesterfield leather settee red, so we pick that as the winner. But you may differ.
The main thing is you have the choice of four dial colours this year, you can pass on that monochrome Moonwatch – or buy a classic example for 2K and save a bundle on the new price.
Here’s the word from Omega;
The OMEGA Speedmaster is one of OMEGA’s most iconic timepieces. Having been a part of all six lunar missions, the legendary Speedmaster is an impressive representation of the brand’s adventurous pioneering spirit.
This model features a PVD blue dial with a seconds sub-dial at 9 o’clock and a 12-hour and 60-minute chronograph recorder on the sub-dial at 3 o’clock. There is a central chronograph seconds hand and a date window at the 6 o’clock position. A scratch-resistant sapphire crystal protects this bold dial.
The brushed bezel, with its tachymeter scale, is mounted on a 41.50 mm stainless steel case and presented on a brown leather strap.
At the heart of this timepiece is the OMEGA Co-Axial calibre 9300, the first chronograph in the brand’s family of in-house Co-Axial mechanical movements.
It’s on a waiting list right now, more info here if you want to register.