When Omega sent the Speedmaster to the moon in 1969 it featured a monochrome black dial that has since become legendary in the watch collecting world. They’ve experimented with colours many times over the years but one of the most talked about was 2024’s full white edition. Now you can get the best of both worlds with the new Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Professional Black and White, or to give it the name it will surely be known by in collector circles, the Speedmaster Reverse Panda.
The new watch is available in two versions, stainless steel and Moonshine gold (Omega’s proprietary long lasting gold designed to be more durable and tarnish resistant). Both measure 42mm with sapphire box crystals, as opposed to the heritage inspired hesalite you find on some models. They also feature modern ceramic bezels with enamel tachymeter scales. However, while the design of the case is legendary in its own right, the dial is very much the focus here.
As already mentioned, it features a fresh Reverse Panda display. That means it has black base with white chronograph subdials, which is the inverse of a standard Panda display with a white base and black subdials that looks like the face of the titular bear. It’s a stepped dial as well, which means the white subdials are recessed below the black base, giving a three-dimensional quality to the dial. Both colours have an intense clarity to them that’s achieved with a varnished lacquer.
For the movement, it’s the Master Chronometer, Co-Axial calibre 3861. It’s manual winding with a 50-hour power reserve. Being manual means there’s no bulky rotor so you can view the inner workings of the calibre unobstructed with its Côtes de Genève finishing. Around the edge of the exhibition window is also the inscription “The First Watch Worn on the Moon” in case you ever forget why you bought it in the first place.
In terms of price, the use of multiple pieces of lacquer instead of a monolithic dial does mean it’s slightly higher than either of the monochrome versions. Specifically, the steel edition is £8,700, rather than £7,500 / £7,600, on bracelet. The gold is substantially more (unsurprising given the current price of gold and the fact it has a full gold bracelet) at £41,300. It’s easy to dismiss this launch as ‘just another dial variant of the Speedy’, but let’s be honest, if there’s one fan base that loves nothing more than combing over every tiny detail of a watch to identify obscure references, it’s the Speedmaster fans – so a Reverse Panda is a significant launch.
Price and Specs:
More details at Omega.
