Did the MoonSwatch Influence Omega’s Latest Speedmaster?

The Speedmaster’s status as an iconic and legendary watch is unassailable. It was the first watch worn on the moon, it remains the only NASA-certified watch for Extravehicular Activity, yada yada yada.

The Speedy is beloved by practically everyone, which is why Omega today offers so many variations of the watch beyond the classic Moonwatch. There are vintage-inspired Speedys, pilot Speedys, racing Speedys, diamond-set Speedys, a chiming Speedy … you get the idea.

One of the more sensible of these Speedmaster extensions has always been the Speedmaster Moonphase. After all, adding a lunar complication to the watch most associated with the moon just makes sense.

Various Speedmasters with moonphase complications have existed for decades. Today, Omega launched two brand-new versions that do something no other watch from the brand has done before … but the MoonSwatch has.

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New Moons, Two Moons

There’s a lot that’s new about the latest Speedmaster Moonphase, but let me start with what I consider the most significant change, and that’s the moonphase complication itself.

For one, the moon display is now made of lunar meteorite rather than appearing as a photorealistic moon as on previous versions of the watch. In other words, this version of the Moonwatch has actual pieces of the moon on the dial. That is awesome.

Next, you’ll notice there are now two moons on the display: one for the northern hemisphere and one for the southern hemisphere.

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This type of complication isn’t new, but this is the first time Omega has produced a watch with such a complication. However, it’s not the first time we’ve seen a dual-moonphase watch with “Omega” on the dial.

Come again?

Just last year, Swatch introduced a moonphase complication to its Omega x Swatch MoonSwatch line in a quartet of watches released throughout 2024.

First came the two Mission to the Moonphase watches featuring Snoopy. Then there was the gorgeous Mission to the Super Blue Moonphase. And most recently, we had the Mission to Earthphase, which also introduced a first-of-its-kind Earthphase complication.

Swatch

All four of these MoonSwatches feature dual moonphases, which at the time of their respective launches distinguished them from their Omega moonphase counterparts. But now, Omega has followed Swatch by adding a dual moonphase display to the Speedmaster, making this perhaps the first time that a MoonSwatch has inspired a Speedmaster instead of the other way around.

What Else Is New

Now that the MoonSwatch inspiration is out of the way, let’s go over what else is new about Omega’s latest Speedmaster Moonphases. And don’t worry, it’s pretty much all good stuff.

First off, these new watches are a lot more wearable than before. Their stainless steel cases measure 43mm across, 13.6mm thick and 48.6mm lug-to-lug. That is still larger than a standard Moonwatch, but it’s considerably smaller than the previous-gen Speedy Moonphase, which is a beefy 44.25mm x 16.9mm x 50mm. The 3.3mm reduction in thickness alone will make an enormous difference in the comfort of the new watches.

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Most of that reduced heft is courtesy of a new movement. Whereas previous Speedy Moonphases were powered by the Cal. 9904 automatic, the new version gets a manually wound Cal. 9914. Another thinning factor: the water resistance has been halved from 100m to 50m, the latter being the same rating as the Moonwatch and perfectly acceptable for this type of watch.

The bracelet has been updated to the “Nixon” style giving it a greater taper, a retro striated clasp with toolless micro-adjustment, and five rows of links with the two narrow links sporting a mirror-polished finish.

There are sapphire crystals front and back, ceramic tachymeter bezels with enamel markings and 18K white gold hands and indices. But the most obvious change is the dials, which are now made of meteorite. This meteorite plate is PVD-coated on the black version of the watch and galvanic-coated on the gray version. Unlike the meteorite of the moonphase display, the dial meteorite did not originate on the moon, but it still looks tremendous.

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Pricing and Availability

These new Speedmaster Moonphase watches are undeniably cool. The more compact size, upgraded bracelets and hand-wound movements are all welcome upgrades in my book, and as I’ve said before, I love the use of meteorite — especially lunar meteorite — on a Speedmaster, as it directly connects the ultimate space watch to the final frontier.

Regarding the addition of the dual moonphase, I’m not so sure I’m in favor of it. It’s an interesting complication, and it looks especially unique with the lunar meteorite moons, but I also think it looks a bit out of balance.

The traditional Speedmaster layout is perfectly symmetrical, and the older Speedy Moonphase maintained this symmetry with a smaller moonphase display. On the new version, with the entire moonphase disc exposed, the six o’clock subdial looks too large and throws off the dial’s symmetry.

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Regardless, that’s a minor nitpick. The main thing people are going to complain about here is the price. At $17,100, it’s a considerable jump over the older non-meteorite Speedmaster Moonphase on a bracelet, which goes for $11,500.

I think the price makes sense given the added high-cost materials, the notable improvements and Omega’s place in the market. But there is always chatter online among enthusiasts that Omega has lost the plot and is pricing its watches too high. However, Omega is a luxury brand that sees Rolex as its main rival. As long as The Crown keeps raising prices, we should expect Omega to do the same.

The Speedmaster Moonphase Meteorite is available now in Omega boutiques.

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Omega Speedmaster Moonphase Meteorite

This take on the iconic Moonwatch features a meteorite dial adorned with a dual-moonphase complication featuring actual pieces of lunar meteorite representing the moon.

• $17,100 at Omega

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