The Best Speedmasters Of The Last Five Years

An overview of all releases and my top five

April 02, 2024

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Five years ago, Omega introduced the last limited-edition Speedmaster models. Who would have thought? After a good ~25 years of introducing many different Speedmaster limited editions, sometimes even more than one per year, the brand just stopped. Well, not entirely, of course, because although the Speedmaster Calibre 321 and Speedmaster Silver Snoopy Award 50th Anniversary are technically regular-collection models, they are still challenging to obtain due to limited production.

Speedmasters from 2019 to 2024

However, Omega has introduced several Speedmasters in the past five years. Let’s have a quick rundown of the Speedmaster models Omega has introduced since 2019.

Multiple variations for some models

Did I forget any? Some of the models above are also available in different combinations, like the Moonwatch, which is available with a Hesalite and a sapphire crystal, or the models that can have different strap and bracelet combinations. The 2022 caliber-9906-powered Speedmaster ’57 is available with four different dial colors and matching straps or a bracelet. I also haven’t listed the gem-set variations of the Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch in Canopus and Sedna Gold. These models are not in the regular catalog but are available to order on request.

Speedmaster Chrono Chime

The most complicated Speedmaster is, without a doubt, the Chrono Chime that debuted in late 2022 in Los Angeles. This is also a model you probably won’t find in the displays of an Omega boutique and will only be available on special request. The price of approximately half a million shouldn’t hold you back, of course. The movement of this Chrono Chime is the result of close collaboration with Blancpain, and it can strike the elapsed time of the chronograph function. This patented complication found its way into this Speedmaster Chrono Chime and the Olympic Chrono Chime.

Speedmaster X-33 Marstimer

It took a while for people to understand that the 2022 X-33 Marstimer is an incredibly niche watch. The backstory, however, is real and exciting. It’s not a watch made for use on Mars, as some of you thought. Rather, it’s a watch used by those (at the European Space Agency, for example) who work on Mars missions and need to track the time on Mars and the difference between our time and Mars time. For those not in that field, it’s just an excellent-looking watch with the typical X-33 functionality on top of some Mars-specific functions you’ll probably never use. A couple of ESA engineers did the groundwork for the functionality of this X-33 Marstimer watch, and Omega (and ETA) helped develop the digital movement for it.

Speedmaster Calibre 321

Talking about movements, the most remarkable introduction — or reintroduction — was that of the famous caliber 321. Omega had not used this hand-wound Lemania 2310-based column-wheel chronograph movement since 1968. It did find its way into high-end chronographs from the likes of Patek Philippe, Breguet, Vacheron Constantin, and Roger Dubuis. That changed in January 2019 when Omega announced that the caliber 321 (the license was with Breguet until then) would power a Speedmaster again. A few months later, the Speedmaster Professional in platinum came out, featuring an onyx dial with sub-dials made of meteorite and the 321 movement inside.

One year later, on the first (Speedy) Tuesday of 2020, Omega introduced the steel Speedmaster Calibre 321 based on the reference 105.003 that Gene Cernan wore on the Moon during Apollo 17. Omega used his watch, which is in the brand’s museum, as a blueprint for the recreation of the caliber 321. Furthermore, Omega also decided to use a straight-lug case for this version in stainless steel. This new model is very accurate to the reference 105.003 from the 1960s, but it now uses a sapphire crystal and a ceramic bezel insert.

Speedmaster Snoopy

Omega announced the Speedmaster Silver Snoopy Award 50th Anniversary the same year. It’s the third Speedmaster to bear NASA’s “watchdog” on the dial and case back. Unlike the previous two Snoopy Award models, it is not a limited edition. Instead, it is produced in a (s)low-production run.

The Speedmaster Moonwatch update(s)

More big news came in 2021 when Omega revamped the standard Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch. As expected, Omega started using the caliber 3861 chronograph in the standard Moonwatch. This movement debuted in 2019 for the Apollo 11 limited editions and again in 2020 for the Silver Snoopy Award. Developing a new movement for just those pieces would be a very costly exercise, and it was clear from the start that the standard Moonwatch would also receive an upgrade sometime. But there was more than just the movement update. The case, dial, hands, and bracelet also received one.

The watch also now has the Master Chronometer certification, meaning it’s much more accurate than its predecessors (with caliber 1861 and 1863) and is antimagnetic and guaranteed water resistant to 50 meters (+10% margin). Since 2012, the Speedmaster Professional was only available in steel, but the new Speedmaster Professional is now also in the standard catalog in white (Canopus) and rose (Sedna) gold.

In 2022, two versions in yellow (Moonshine) gold followed. There’s one with a green dial and one with a gold panda dial. Recently, Omega (finally) added a white-dial variation to the Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch collection, with a sapphire crystal on both sides of the watch. The interesting bit is that it now seems to attract watch enthusiasts who never cared for the Speedmaster before. It also seems to please many existing Speedmaster enthusiasts out there.

Speedmaster Broad Arrow in Canopus Gold

A watch that’s worth mentioning but almost went immediately under the radar is the Speedmaster Broad Arrow in Canopus Gold to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the Speedmaster. Due to its price point (currently €101,000), it is probably not on the horizon for most Speedmaster enthusiasts. Nevertheless, I found this heavy chunk of white gold incredibly impressive. The dial consists of several layers of onyx to provide the look of a stepped dial. The white gold (Broad Arrow) hands contrast nicely against this deep black background. The watch respects the 38.6mm diameter and shape of the original Speedmaster CK2915 from 1957. Inside is, again, the column-wheel chronograph caliber 321.

Speedmaster Chronoscope

Another model that is not on everyone’s horizon is the Speedmaster Chronoscope. It’s a watch that references the chronographs with different scales on the dials from the (distant) past and has little to do with the Speedmaster history tied to the space program(s). Instead, it’s a dressy chronograph that shares the name and case shape of the famous Omega icon.

Speedmaster Super Racing with Spirate technology

In early 2023, Omega introduced the Speedmaster Super Racing model. This watch shares similarities with the Dark Side of the Moon Apollo 8 version but has a technical enhancement that results in an even more accurate movement. It’s called Spirate, and it allows Omega’s watchmakers to regulate it to an average deviation of 0 to +2 seconds per day instead of the already impressive 0 to +5 seconds per day. According to Omega, it’s only a matter of time until this technology finds its way into other watches from its collections.

My top five Speedmasters of the last five years

There’s enough to choose from when it comes to modern Speedmaster models. My top five are the Speedmaster Calibre 321 in steel, the modern Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch, the Speedmaster Apollo 11 in Moonshine Gold, the Moonwatch in Canopus Gold, and the latest addition with the white lacquered dial. What are your favorites? Let us know in the comments.