Style Edit: Omega adds Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon and Constellation Meteorite models to its galaxy of space-inspired watches dating back over the last 60 years

Feb 26 , 2024

The Omega Constellation Meteorite collection is one of two new space-inspired watches for 2024, with the other being the latest in the historic Speedmaster collection, worn by astronauts for decades. Photo: Handout

A Speedmaster model first went into space in 1962 and one was worn on the moon by Apollo 11’s Buzz Aldrin – now, 2018’s Dark Side of the Moon has been relaunched with a new movement

The dial of each Constellation Meteorite – there are 20 models across 4 sizes – is created from a slice of the 4.5 billion-year-old Muonionalusta meteorite

All watchmakers love to test their creations in the most challenging conditions, but none has had the opportunity to push their watches to the ultimate extremes quite like Omega has. That’s because the storied Swiss watchmaker enjoys a unique place in the history of space exploration, its timepieces having accompanied numerous astronauts on their journeys into the unknown.

Built for space exploration: Omega Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon

Omega’s much-loved Speedmaster collection of precision chronographs is particularly intertwined with this history. A Speedmaster was the first of the house’s watches to go into space, making the journey in 1962 on the wrist of astronaut Walter Schirra, just five years after the collection made its debut. In 1965 the collection was adopted by Nasa, after it beat watches from a range of prestigious brands all subjected to an unbelievably rigorous testing regime – repeated cycles of heating to 71 degrees Celsius and cooling to -18 degrees, exposure to shocks of 40Gs, plus tests involving extreme noise, pressure, humidity and more.

The movement of the Omega Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon, visible through the openworked dial, shows a detailed view of the moon’s surface

After that, it travelled on all six manned moon missions, including the momentous Apollo 11 trip in July 1969, when astronaut Buzz Aldrin wore his on the lunar surface; and the notorious Apollo 13 the following year, when astronaut Jack Swigert’s Speedmaster was crucial in timing the burn that thankfully allowed the crew to return to Earth safely.

The Moonwatch, named in honour of the Apollo 11 expedition, is just one of the many watches inspired by space flight with which Omega has dazzled the world since. Now two new pieces make their debut in 2024, representing the latest chapter in this shared journey of exploration.

The seconds hand on the Omega Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon commemorates the Saturn V rocket that took many of Nasa’s astronauts into space

One of the most epoch-making of Omega’s jaunts beyond the stratosphere was the Apollo 8 mission of 1968, the first manned flight to orbit the moon. Naturally, the astronauts on board wore Speedmasters and in 2018, half a century on, their epic achievement was marked with a new Omega collection. The Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon was a ceramic chronograph that recreated the moon’s surface, visible through its openworked dial.

Omega’s new Calibre 3869, used in the Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon

Now, for 2024, the Dark Side of the Moon has been equipped with a new movement and subtly updated throughout. The new Calibre 3869, certified as a Coaxial Master Chronometer, showcases the moon in dramatic relief on its main plate and bridges. Offering improved definition over the earlier model, it again recreates both sides of the moon: the usual view from Earth on the dial side, and the mysterious dark side that the Apollo 8 astronauts saw on the back.