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Oct 15, 2024

Review: Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Professional

On April 8th, 1993 (1:29 am EDT), NASA launched Space Shuttle Discovery Flight 54 (Mission STS-56) from Kennedy Space Center. Underscored by the darkness of night, the Space Shuttle’s rocket boosters

On April 8th, 1993 (1:29 am EDT), NASA launched Space Shuttle Discovery Flight 54 (Mission STS-56) from Kennedy Space Center.

Underscored by the darkness of night, the Space Shuttle’s rocket boosters lit the sky for miles in every direction (video) — one of the most surreal things I’ve ever witnessed. I wore a Timex Ironman that night and three decades later that original fascination with space and watches has come full circle as I review the best-known space watch of all time — the Speedmaster Moonwatch Professional.

Space and time are inextricably connected. While Omega’s Moonwatch is not the only watch to go to outer space — G-Shock, Rolex, Breitling, Bulova, Seiko, Timex, Hamilton, Yema, Fortis, TAG Heuer, and other brands have been there too — the Speedmaster however, is most synonymous with space exploration and famously, was worn on the first moon landing in 1969.

In 1962 Wally Schirra wore his personal Speedmaster on the Mercury-Atlas-8 mission, making it the first Omega in space (FOIS). In 1964 NASA requested quotes for wrist chronographs and Omega was one of four companies that submitted watches for testing. Omega won and NASA declared the Speedmaster “Flight Qualified For All Manned Space Missions” in 1965. Later the same year, Ed White wore his Speedmaster on America’s first spacewalk during his Gemini 4 mission. By this point, the Speedmaster was already part of space history. It was not until 1969, however, during the Apollo XI moon landing, that the Speedmaster’s legendary “Moonwatch” status was officially confirmed when Buzz Aldrin wore a NASA-approved Speedmaster Professional Ref. 105.012 on the moon. This status was further solidified in 1970 during Apollo XIII when the Speedmaster was used to manually time critical engine burns needed for re-entry after the ship’s onboard systems malfunctioned — ultimately saving the crew’s life.

The Moonwatch has a distinctive provenance that’s practically untouchable on the watch market. Whether the space association appeals to you or not, the Speedmaster Moonwatch is a fantastic timepiece on its own merits. The classic aesthetics, universally appealing case size, distinctive asymmetrical case flanks, “twisted” lugs, sleek Lemania-derived manual wind movement, reasonable price, excellent value retention, and respected brand name all make a compelling argument for owning one.

An ideally sized 42 mm x 13 mm stainless steel case (48 mm lug-to-lug), with a fixed bezel and black aluminum tachymeter bezel-insert with a dot next to ninety, and mirror polishing on the top of the twisted lugs and case flanks with contrasting vertically brushed asymmetrical flanks, give the watch its sporty, sexy, and elegant appearance — it’s unmistakably a Speedmaster.

A perfect 20 mm lug width allows for a broad variety of straps. The Speedmaster Ref. 311.30.42.30.01.005 is shown with a black textile strap that’s 20 mm at the case and tapers to 18 mm at the lugs. The weight as shown is 81.7 grams. Expect a weight of 130 grams+ with a bracelet, depending on which type of bracelet and how many links you have.

The screw-in caseback is engraved with “FLIGHT-QUALIFIED BY NASA FOR ALL MANNED SPACE MISSIONS” and “THE FIRST WATCH WORN ON THE MOON.” The Moonwatch is water-resistant to 50 meters, which should be enough in most situations — including space — but the Speedmaster does not have a screw-down crown or the extra gaskets found in dive watches that offer deeper depth ratings.

The matte black stepped Speedmaster dial with triple counters, no date, and stark white markings and hands — looks classic. The lume shown is at least seven years old and the glow is still excellent. The chrono display would be slightly easier to read if the minutes counter went to 60 minutes (like with Omega’s Chronoscope) instead of displaying 30-minute increments. Nevertheless, it was more than sufficient to time engine burns in 1970 when the crew of Apollo XIII relied on it when reentering Earth’s atmosphere.

Making a mechanical chronograph movement in-house is amongst the most costly things to do commercially in watchmaking, although Omega technically acquired the intellectual property from Lemania, it’s still considered an Omega in-house movement. The lineage of the Moonwatch movements is calibers 321, 861, 1861, and 3861. The pre-owned model featured is a Ref. 311.30.42.30.01.005 and has the Omega caliber 1861, which is a fantastic manual wind chronograph derived from the Lemania 1873 architecture obtained by Swatch Group when they acquired the now nonexistent brand.

Omega’s current Speedmaster movement is caliber 3861 which comes from the same lineage as the 1861 and has been significantly enhanced with Omega’s Co-Axial escapement, a free-sprung balance, anti-magnetic components, higher-end finishing, and is a METAS COSC-certified Master Chronometer. However, the chronograph has a basic cam and lever chronograph design, not a premium column wheel and vertical clutch, as was found in the Lemania 2310-derived caliber 321 that powered the first Speedmasters, including Speedmaster Professional Ref. 105.012 that Buzz Aldrin wore on the moon in 1969.

All the Moonwatch calibers mentioned are manually wound, meaning you have to wind it yourself, unlike a Rolex Daytona which is automatically wound. That’s part of the charm for certain collectors, myself included. Not to mention, manual wind designs almost always allow for a thinner movement.

Whether you go vintage, pre-owned, or new, I recommend always going with an (OEM) bracelet, hopefully, Omega will add a quick-release system to this model in the future. As far as straps, the best options are textile (OEM or third party – shown), NATO-style nylon (OEM or third party), NASA velcro (OEM), rubber strap (OEM), premium FKM rubber molded to the case (third party), and leather (OEM or third-party). The OEM nylon-coated black textile is good but you can find many alternatives that are of comparable quality to the factory black textile strap (such as the strap shown), which tapers to 18 mm (versus tapering to 16 mm at the buckle with the factory strap), which has a pin buckle versus a deployant — they’re both of the similar quality. For larger wrists, mine is 7″ in circumference in these shots, the 18 mm taper looks better, but if my wrist were thinner I think a 16 mm taper would work.

You can’t go wrong with either the standard (original) plexiglass Hesalite or premium sapphire crystal options, but note that while the sapphire sandwich affords a view of the movement, it carries an approximate premium of $1,000 (for two sapphire crystals versus a single plexiglass crystal), and sits slightly higher on your wrist than the Hesalite. Also, the Hesalite can scratch (though it can be buffed), whereas the sapphire is nearly scratchproof. Perhaps most importantly, Hesalite (plexiglass) is the true original equipment of the Moonwatch.

The original Moonwatches have a black stepped dial, black aluminum bezel insert, a solid caseback, and Hesalite glass. There are also many cool new and pre-owned Speedmaster variations available that are worth your consideration, such as the Tintin, Ultraman, Snoopy Generations 1-3 (2003 – LE, 2015 – LE, 2020 – non-LE), Apollo XIII Anniversary Editions, Tokyo Olympics 202o, Titanium, Ceramic, the “Sapphire Sandwich” that first came out in 2021, and the new for 2024 white dial “Daniel Craig model.” There are also two-tone (gold-steel), precious metal (gold, platinum), moonphase, and GMT models.

The Chronoscope is a great modern alternative to the Moonwatch, which has a similar design but is slightly larger, has symmetrical versus asymmetrical twisted lugs, a two-register dial, features a more advanced 9300 series movement, and comes in slightly larger 43 mm diameter case. Straight lug models, such as 2915 and 2998 Speedmasters, the limited edition Ed White, and other modern variations are good alternatives and are available in slightly smaller 39.7 mm cases. If you want the most affordable Speedmaster, the bioceramic quartz-powered MoonSwatch is an option for about $300.

As far as iconic, mainstream Swiss chronographs, the Omega Speedmaster has four key rivals — the Breitling Navitimer, TAG Heuer Carrera, Zenith El Primero, and Rolex Daytona. With respect to price, only the Carrera comes close, yet the famous Speedmaster formidably competes with all of them.

Omega’s Speedmaster Moonwatch Professional is one of the best Swiss mechanical chronographs for the money, starting pre-owned at approximately $4,000 in stainless steel to above $15,000 for editions such as the Snoopy Editions.

For a brand new (Ref. 310) Moonwatch Professional with a Master Chronometer movement in stainless steel, the retail is $6,600 with a Hesalite on a textile strap, $7,000 with a Hesalite on a bracelet, and $7,600 for the sapphire model on a leather strap, $8,000 for the sapphire model on a bracelet.

The Moonwatch Professional, with its gorgeous twisted lyre lugs, is an attractive, well-proportioned timepiece that’s highly versatile and looks great in both formal and casual settings. If you want the best collectible mechanical chronograph for the money, the Speedmaster in stainless steel, with a Hesalite crystal, on a strap (or bracelet) — is hard to beat. And like a Porsche 911 or Rolex Submariner, Omega has carefully evolved the design of the Speedmaster so that no matter the year, the design remains timeless.

SPECIFICATIONS:

Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Professional

Reference: 311.30.42.30.01.005

Year: 2014-2021 (circa 2017)

Total Weight: 81.7 grams

Case Material: stainless steel

Case Diameter: 42 mm

Case Thickness: 13 mm (14 mm including the Seahorse medallion)

Lug-to-lug: 48 mm

Crown Diameter: push-in crown

Glass: domed Heslaite (plexiglass)

Movement: Omega caliber 1861

Depth Rating: 50 meters

Strap: Black nylon textile strap 20 mm/ 18 m, suede backing, pin buckle

Presented by The 1916 Company.