It’s a no-brainer that at the House of Omega, this year is largely going to be about the Apollo 11 mission and the landmark landing on the Moon. A couple of months ago, we saw a golden tribute to the ‘Man on the Moon’ anniversary with the announcement of a new Limited Edition Speedmaster of 1,014 pieces crafted in 18K Moonshine gold (an alloy whose color is inspired by the shining moonlight in a dark blue sky) – Apollo 11 50th Anniversary Moonshine. This propriety alloy is slightly lighter than the traditional yellow gold color and is highly resistant to fading. Today we are going to look at the Speedmaster Apollo 11 50th Anniversary Limited Edition in Stainless Steel and with a grey dial.
Etched in our memory (thanks to Omega), is 21st of July 1969, the day when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to step on the moon. And you will shortly see how the phrase “One small step for man …” is beautifully captured for posterity, in this watch. If you ask me, from the perspective of design and building in a story – this and one of subdials are my favorite aspects of this watch that are inspired by the Apollo 11 mission. I also like the way the 11 o’clock index pays tribute to Apollo 11’s iconic mission number.
To keep the technological aspect thriving, Omega has crafted the 42mm case in Stainless Steel and complemented it with polished black ceramic bezel ring and an OMEGA Ceragold tachymeter scale. Under the hood is the new OMEGA Master Co-Axial Calibre 3861 – made with Co-Axial and anti-magnetic technology, the watch now touches a new level of Master Chronometer standard of precision, chronometric performance and magnetic resistance.
Under the hood is the new OMEGA Master Co-Axial Calibre 3861 – made with Co-Axial and anti-magnetic technology, the watch now touches a new level of Master Chronometer standard of precision, chronometric performance and magnetic resistance.
The cal. 3861 is the fruit of a laborious 4-year research and it replaces the cal. 1861. Both the movements are the same in dimension and the difference comes from the addition of the co-axial escapement, which is resulting in improved accuracy of 0+5 seconds per day. The use of silicon components adds resistance to magnetic fields of up to 15,000 gauss, and thus we see an overall rise in accuracy.
The dial is very classy and the grey background with black sub-dials (chronograph minutes, the 12-hour counter, and the running seconds), look very impactful, especially the laser-engraved image of Astronaut Buzz climbing down the space shuttle and onto the surface of the moon. The detailing is captured so precisely and is the focal point of the watch. Both the bezel and this engraving are done in 18-karat Moonshine Gold, and stand out against the dark hue of the dial.
Now to my favorite part of the watch – flip it over and you will not see a view of the movement, but will be greeted with a tribute to the mission – a laser engraved moon-crater texture with the footprint of an astronaut, framed with Neil Armstrong’s quote, “THAT’S ONE SMALL STEP FOR A MAN – ONE GIANT LEAP FOR MANKIND.” The quote is offset in 18-karat Moonshine Gold against the dark caseback.
Limited to only 6,969 pieces, the watch comes with a Steel bracelet with vintage Omega logo. The Omega Master Chronometer cal. 3861 provides 48 hours of power reserve and is Master Chronometer Certified.
