A week on the wrist with the Omega Speedmaster

The watch for this review was provided for a trial period by Swatch Group Canada.

Iconic: a word so overused it’s almost meaningless. But it is hard to talk about the Omega Speedmaster without that word. The Speedmaster is, after all, one of the first watches worn in space, the first to travel to the moon and the only watch qualified by NASA for spacewalks. It is virtually unchanged in its nearly sixty year history. Originally developed for car racing, it is now worn by people all over the world, no matter what speed they are travelling. Wearing a Speedmaster is wearing a piece of modern history.

All of this is why, for my first “week on the wrist” review, I wanted to feature one of the world’s most iconic watches. So I happily took temporary stewardship of the Moonwatch Professional Chronograph 42mm, a “standard” Speedmaster for want of a better term. (I will not overwhelm you with the many, many, many versions and special editions of the Speedmaster – there are other web sites for that). I will admit, however, that before this review I had mostly just seen pictures of the watch. I had never worn a Speedmaster and only briefly seen a couple in person. In that sense, my time with the watch was relatively untainted. I came with some preconceived ideas but those were quickly brushed aside by actual lived experience.

My first concern was size. I feared that the 42mm case would feel too big after years of wearing a much smaller vintage watch. But I quickly adjusted. The compact design of the face, with its three sub dials, all surrounded by a thin black bezel, makes the watch seem smaller than it actually is. It doesn’t feel or look like a large watch. That said, my vintage watch now seems awfully small in comparison. One issue I did run into, though, is that with some of my custom shirts, which were measured to my smaller watch, the Speedmaster could barely make it inside the cuff.

What I found most satisfying about wearing the Speedmaster was how easy it is to read. Thanks to the almost flat super-clear sapphire crystal and the stunning sharpness of the dials and markers, I could read this watch at a quick glance and from an acute angle, without any distortion. The crispness of its features, in fact, made it feel like my vision was improved, sharper than normal. The contrast of the white markers and dials on the dark matte black background is lovely from a design point of view and greatly helps the legibility. That said, I do like how older Speedmasters, which used a different kind of luminescent paint, would eventually develop a yellowish patina on their hour markers. This messes with the black/white minimalism but gives the watch a lovely depth of colour.

There were a few features I didn’t completely like about the watch, however. I’m not a big fan of the stainless steel bracelet which feels bulky and not quite right for every situation or my entire wardrobe. If I owned a Speedmaster, I would swap out the band for a leather one in mid to dark brown as well as a dark striped nato strap, both of which make the watch look more sporty, vintage and casual. The watch also features a see-through backing that allows you to look at the movement. This movement, the 1863, is specifically made to be seen, with more detail and effort put into the finishing, although it is fundamentally the same, functionally speaking, as the less expensive 1861 movement found in other Speedmasters. I love the look of the movement, don’t get me wrong, but I’m not sure I need to be able to see it; I just like knowing it’s there.

I will admit a newbie concern that had me questioning whether a chronograph is right for me. After the first few days I found the chronograph hand, perpetually at 12 o’clock, distracting. Sometimes a quick glance at the watch made me think it had stopped, because the hand looks like a seconds hand. Also, it obscures the Omega logo and watch name. I did a bit of research and found a number of Speedmaster owners with the same concern. This, no doubt, comes from the fact that most people do not wear this watch for its intended purpose: as a stopwatch (and more specifically, a way to measure speed/distance with the Tachymetre scale). We might like the look of the extra complications but are also bothered by them. After a few more days, however, I got used to the look of the watch- specifically the stopped hand – and embraced it. This is a “tool” watch after all; it’s meant to look this way.

In fact, I can safely say that after having this watch on my wrist for a week, I have decided to (eventually) get a Speedmaster for myself. However, this is not the model I would prefer. I got a chance to try on another version which was much more my style. Released a few years ago to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the watch’s first voyage into space, I really like the simpler, more vintage features of the “First Omega in Space” Speedmaster. It comes on a leather band which makes it feel lighter and look more casual. There is no crown guard, so the case is slightly thinner. The chronograph hand does not have the now standard wedge-shaped pointer which means it doesn’t stand out as much. The hour hands are silver and leaf shaped instead of straight white batons, as is the small seconds hand, which also gives the watch a lovely vintage look. And, since this is a throwback to the pre-NASA certification days of the Speedmaster, the word “Professional” does not appear on the face, leaving the watch looking cleaner.

But in the end, owning and loving a watch is not about technical features or historical artefacts, at least not for me. It’s about the feeling you get when you glance at your wrist to check the time. And there is something deeply satisfying and comforting about the familiar face of a Speedmaster. Like a blue blazer and grey trousers or a pair of leather brogues, it’s good to know that some things are so well made, so well designed, they can survive the changing tides of fashion and endure. Icons of permanent style, if you will.

The Speedmaster Moonwatch is available directly from Omega.