Review Omega Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch „White”

Łukasz Doskocz19.10.202419.10.20248 min. of reading

The classic Omega Speedmaster is one of watchmaking’s undisputed canons, but with a white lacquered dial it gains a completely new, quite surprising character and feel.

According to the definition, a “stylistic canon” is a set of certain strictly defined principles, rules and patterns that allow to create a specific style in design. In watches, which, as we know all too well, love canons and all kinds of conservatisms, the canon is the basis for achieving success, measured by the creation of an iconic model that will provide the brand with timeless recognition. If you take a look at our “TOP 10 ranking: Iconic watches” (in Polish only), you will find pieces that, despite often long decades of existence, are still the most frequently chosen by customers and collectors. And they look identical or almost the same from the day of their creation to the current versions, maintaining proportions, colors and general character.

One of the most hardened standards created by watchmaking is the Omega Speedmaster. Although it was born in the sixth decade of the last century, in its most canonical version it has remained practically unchanged up to this day.

Ask the average collector and he will tell you that the Speedmaster is a steel watch on a bracelet, equipped with a chronograph, a bezel with a tachymeter scale and a matte black dial with white applications. Although Omega does not shy away from experimenting with the Speedmaster, it is the basic, black version of the Professional Moonwatch that continues to be a sales hit and a watch that forms the core of many serious collections. Like the perfectly rounded lines of the Porsche 911 bodywork, the harmonious combination of wood and leather of the Eames armchair or the little black dress by Channel, the Speedmaster has created an almost sacred pattern from Sevres. Omega often tries to break with it, and although sometimes these attempts are quite successful (e.g. the platinum version with onyx and meteorite dial or the gold Apollo 11 50th Anniversary with Moonshine gold), none has come as close to be successful as this year’s Speedmaster Professional “White”. Perhaps – although this is my subjective opinion – this is the most interesting Speedy next to the legendary original.

Speedmaster all dressed in „white”

You don’t have to be a particularly seasoned fan of the lunar Omega to be perfectly aware that this is not the first version of the watch with a white dial. The two most recognizable versions are certainly the Alaska presented in the year 1969 and the Silver Snoopy Award model from 2015, initially received rather skeptically by fans. The former, with its emblematic red aluminum cover, today is a true collector’s rarity.

Initially, even seasoned collectors did not want to order the Snoopy, only for it to reach crazy prices on the secondary market a few years later. Whether these watches owe their success to the color of the dial is a matter of debate, but neither they nor any other white (or silver) model conquered the market, at least measured with collectors’ undying sympathy.

The hero of this review saw the light of day in a rather original and unexpected way, back in November of last year. The experienced eyes of watch spotters noticed a previously unknown reference on the wrist of Daniel Craig (i.e. the former James Bond) during the Planet Ocean event in New York. Initially, the watch was considered a variant in Canopus Gold (Omega’s own white gold alloy), but this opinion was quickly verified. The brand itself dispelled all doubts – and very high expectations – in March of this year, officially presenting the reference 310.30.42.50.04.001. Some even nicknamed it the “Daniel Craig” Speedmaster.

It’s all about the dial

Forgive me a rather cheese tagline here, but it perfectly amplifies what is the key new thing in the new Speedmaster. Although it’s usually believed that a new dial does not make a new watch, in this particular case, this is exactly the case. And it is the dial that we will focus on almost exclusively.

Under the convex, profiled sapphire glass, the Biel-based manufacturer has placed a snow-white dial. That particular shade of white is intense, clean, and shiny. This is all due to the lacquered surface finish, which, in contrast to the matte of the black versions, gives a much more lively, decidedly elegant effect.

The white of the dial is perfectly matched by black accents in the form of simple, applied hour indices, brand’s logo and the hands. There are 6 of them in total, of which the hour and minute hands – pencil-shaped and simple – are filled with a small amount of Super-LumiNova.

Three traditional Speedmaster sub-dials are slightly recessed, but not surrounded by metallic frames or decorated with any artisanal cut – and this stylistic asceticism should be appreciated, because it perfectly emphasizes the intense white of the whole thing. However, for it not to be too monochromatic, Omega added two vivid red accents to the design: the “Speedmaster” inscription at 12 o’clock and the tip of the stopwatch seconds hand.

Technically unchanged

Apart from the dial – phenomenal, as you have probably already deduced – the rest of the watch’s details remain unchanged, identical to the latest version of the classic Speedmaster Pro from 2021.

The steel, polished and satin-finished case is 42 mm in diameter, just over 13 mm thick and with lug-to-lug measuring 47.5 mm. From the top, the case is closed by a bezel with an aluminum black insert with a tachymeter scale. On the bottom, Omega proposes a sapphire-glass caseback with a view of the mechanism. The front glass is also sapphire, convex like the classic hesalite version and covered with an anti-reflective coating on the inside.

In the lugs, traditionally spaced at 20 mm, Omega attached a steel bracelet. In the new version, presented together with the latest version of the Professional, the bracelet has links composed of larger satin-finished and smaller, polished elements. The whole construction narrows to 15 mm at the fold-over clasp with a pair of oval, security push-buttons. The clasp is decorated from the top with vertical engraved lines and the polished brand’s logo – the Greek letter “Ω”.

Master Chronometer Coaxial

Behind the sapphire window in the back of the case, Omega mounts its in-house caliber 3861 Master Chronometer. The movement was proudly presented at the aforementioned launch of the new Moonwatch, as a modern yet true-to-roots version of the hand-wound movements that powered the original Speedmasters.

3861 comes with a Co-Axial escapement. It also has the METAS – Master Chronometer certificate – which guarantees high antimagnetic resistance (up to 15 000 Gauss), among others thanks to the silicon balance hair. The balance itself ticks at 3 Hz, and fully winding the mainspring (conveniently, with an unscrewed crown) will allow the watch to measure time without interruption for full 50 hours.

The movement, due to its manual nature, presents itself quite nicely from the aesthetic side. Although Omega is not a manufacture focusing on an excessively lavish level of decoration, the mixture of levers, gears, wheels and a large balance makes a very pleasant visual impression, delicately emphasized by Geneva stripes and some polishing.

Impressions… and admirations

One of the most valuable principles of a wise progress, which could also be attributed to sensible design, is the one that says, “if something is good and works, why change it?” Another speaks of the proverbial “reinventing the wheel”, and Omega could easily, constantly apply both to its flagship model, with guaranteed success.

The classic Speemaster Professional is a complete watch in many ways, and its canon has become so deeply embedded in the watchmaking landscape that Omega could easily not mingle with it and continue producing the watch for decades – and it would still sell very well. This is probably also what will happen, because the Speedmaster with classic, black dial, will probably never disappear from the portfolio.

The white version Speedmaster, on the other hand, is a completely different watch. Whether you perceive it as a civilian version of the Moonwatch, or as a slightly more luxurious version, or as an interesting counter-proposal to tradition, Omega has managed to do something, that is in a way incredible. In my eyes (and not only mine, because similar opinions could be heard in the industry), this is not only the most interesting, new Omega in a long time, but also a watch that is simply beautiful. You say that beauty lies in the eye of the beholder, but I find it hard to believe that anyone sensitive to classic (watch) beauty would pass by this watch indifferently. The lacquered dial does the job so well that it is hard to take your eyes off it. And at the same time, the piece has all the advantages of the Speedmaster in its most pure-bred version. 42 mm wears great on the wrist, the bracelet and its micro-adjustment (only 2 mm, but still) increase comfort, and you have to remember that this is one of the most gratefully strap-friendly watches on the market.

Omega also provides with a very good quality of finishing details and an equally solid mechanism with solid specs. For all this, asking price is 9 000 EUR, which is only a few hundred euros more than the black option. You just have to decide whether you prefer something more faithful to history and still scented with the Lunar episode, or whether a bit of varnished luxury speaks more to your sense of aesthetics. I am surprised, but I am leaning towards the second option. It came out beautifully.