Lorraine Kelly
OMEGA has never been shy about staring down the impossible, and its latest announcement proves the brand is still very much in orbit. The Swiss watchmaker has revealed seven new Speedmaster models that push ceramic engineering to the edge of what’s humanly – or perhaps cosmically – possible.
This next evolution of the Speedmaster Dark and Grey Side of the Moon range marks a new era for OMEGA, blending aerospace legacy with outrageous precision and a touch of swagger.
In case anyone forgot, OMEGA didn’t just show up to the space race – it rode shotgun. Back in 1968, as Apollo 8 blasted into lunar history, each astronaut wore an OMEGA Speedmaster. When command module pilot Jim Lovell uttered the immortal line, “we’ll see you on the other side”, he had a Speedmaster strapped to his wrist as he disappeared beyond radio contact and around the far side of the Moon. Some moments don’t need marketing spin—they just become legend.
More than half a century later, OMEGA is still milking rocket fuel as inspiration. “The Dark Side of the Moon collection embodies OMEGA’s pioneering spirit that has guided us to the Moon,” said 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.” Hard to argue with him.
Ceramic That Would Make a Shuttle Engineer Blush
If these watches had egos, they’d need their own launch pad. Built using a refined ceramic construction perfected over four years, the cases retain their badass 44.25mm presence but now sit slimmer on the wrist thanks to re-engineered architecture and advanced Co-Axial calibres.
OMEGA’s ceramic game has gone from strong to savage. The newly bevelled polished surfaces bounce light like lunar ice, and the brand’s upgraded Liquidmetal™ bezels add scratch resistance tough enough to handle re-entry. Two-layer ceramic dials offer real visual depth, finished with laser brushing that gives each model that moody, space-age sheen.
Seven Expressions of Precision (and a Bit of Attitude)
The lineup blends new models with reimagined spacecraft classics:
- Black Edition Manual-Winding 9908 – A slimmer, stripped-back beast featuring a matte black dial splashed with grey and red. Red central chrono hand. Manual winding. Pure attitude.
- Reworked Original Dark Side – The icon returns with Master Chronometer 9900, Liquidmetal™ tachymeter scale and refined dial plates—leaner, sharper, better-looking than ever.
- All-Black Calibre 9900 – Coated movement, enamel tachymeter, laser-sandblasted ceramic dial—think stealth bomber for the wrist, with Super-LumiNova that glows like rocket plasma.
- Apollo 8 Tribute – Calibre 3869 – The emotional flagship. Laser-ablated lunar surface visible through the movement. Near side of the Moon on the dial. Far side visible through the caseback. An actual piece of horological poetry inspired by Jim Lovell’s observation that “the Moon is essentially grey”.
Even Buzz Aldrin would nod in approval.
Straps With Space Under Their Fingernails
OMEGA isn’t mailing in the straps either. The rubber and nylon options aren’t afterthoughts—they’re engineered. The nylon versions now come with rubber lining for durability, while the rubber straps feature lunar surface textures pressed into the inner lining. Most brands throw in a leather strap and call it a day—OMEGA cracks open a telescope and asks how to strap the Sea of Tranquility to your wrist.
Evolution That Earns the Badge
It’s been 12 years since the first Dark Side of the Moon made collectors weak at the knees. This 2025 chapter? It’s the most significant leap the collection has seen—better proportions, better calibres, better ceramic, better story. And if you’ve got a pulse, you’ll want one.
OMEGA isn’t just making watches. It’s still making history—one ceramic spacecraft at a time.
