New Speedmaster ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ Collection

Omega has launched four new versions of its ‘Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon’ collection, all showcasing the strides the brand has made with ceramic engineering and precision finishing over the last decade. As any watch aficionado would know, the first watch on the moon was Buzz Aldrin’s Speedmaster – but, as testified to by these new iterations of Omega’s ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ range, Omega’s relationship to the NASA Space Program actually started a little earlier.

It was in 1968, the year before mankind’s “One Giant Leap”, that Apollo 8 became the first human flight ever to orbit the Moon, with each astronaut onboard carrying chronographs made by Omega. The maker celebrated this with a special ‘Dark Side of a Moon’ edition of the Speedmaster in 2013 – a 44.25mm interpretation whose movement was powered by the Co-Axial Calibre.

Now, the La Chaux-de-Fonds-founded manufacture has seriously upped the ante with the new releases. A newly-refined method for bevelling and polishing ceramic enhances precision and plays a significant role in the new models’ slimmer case profiles (the 44.25mm diameter from 2013 remains). Elsewhere, enhanced Liquidmetal™ technology ensures improved durability and scratch resistance across bezels and crowns, whilst a two-layer ceramic dial construction, with laser-brushed finishes, ensures a mischievous interplay between surfaces and light.

Twin moons in motion: the Omega Speedmaster Dark Red exposes a shadowed, blackened heart,
while the Dark White iteration reflects the light in swirling arabesque waves beneath its sapphire back.

There’s a reworked, slimmer (15.09 mm) version of the original, with upgraded movement, more eye-catching finishes and revised dial layering (£13,100); a thinner (13.02 mm), manual winding version with red chronograph seconds hand (£13,500); and there’s a stealthy all‑black dial variation (£13,500) that Star Wars geeks might describe as “Sith Lord chic”.

The biggest talking point, though, is the piece which offers a nod to a quote by astronaut Jim Lovell as he became one of the first humans ever to gaze at the far side of Earth’s celestial neighbour: “The Moon is essentially grey” (was he expecting lush prairies and gushing waterfalls, one wonders?). The timepiece in question – ‘Grey Side of the Moon’ – has the Moon’s actual topography recreated using laser-ablation (£13,800).

Inspired by the lunar surface itself, the ‘Grey Side of the Moon’ reveals a dial etched with cratered textures — mirrored on the reverse by a sapphire caseback displaying the Co-Axial Master Chronometer calibre, a movement as precise and enduring as the Moon’s orbit.

“The Dark Side of the Moon collection embodies Omega’s pioneering spirit that has guided us to the Moon,” says Raynald Aeschlimann, President and CEO of Omega. “These new models champion that extraordinary legacy while introducing innovations that will define chronographs for generations to come.”

All are available on newly designed rubber or nylon straps.

Author: Nick Scott.

Picture of the Moon courtesy of Gregory. H. Revera. All other images, courtesy of Omega.

If you are fond of watches inspired by the Moon, you may enjoy reading our review of the recently launched Tudor 1926 Luna and the MoonSwatch 1965, release last spring.