Omega Speedmaster returns to Dark Side of the Moon

Omega unveiled its first Dark Side of the Moon Speedmaster in 2018 to mark the 50^th anniversary of the Apollo 8 mission in 1968; a key step towards the lunar landing the following year.

Apollo 8 was the first manned flight to fully orbit the moon and experience life in its shadow.

The first Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon had a flat black dial but this has been replaced with a semi-skeletonized face with a laser-created representation of the lunar surface, as seen from Earth, in anodized aluminium.

On the underside of the watch, the manual-winding Calibre 3869 has also had parts of its main plate and bridges lasered into the relief of the dark side of the moon that we do not see from earth.

The back of the case is also engraved with the message “WE’LL SEE YOU ON THE OTHER SIDE” – the final words spoken to ground control by Command Module Pilot Jim Lovell, just before the Apollo 8 mission disappeared to the far side of the Moon, and out of radio contact, for the very first time.

Omega used black ceramic for the case of the 2018 anniversary model.

This year’s watch also uses ceramic for parts of the case and the polished tachmeter bezel.

Yellow has long been an important colour in the Speedmaster story, and it makes a welcome return in the new Dark Side of the Moon in the form of a varnished central chronograph hand and other accents such as markers on the seconds track and stitching on a perforated rubber strap.

A lovely detail is in the small seconds subdial at 9 o’clock, which has its hand made from titanium in the shape of NASA’s Saturn V rocket, which was used in a manned flight for the first time with the Apollo 8 mission.

The 44.25mm watch is on sale today for £13,500.