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Six Decades of Omega Speedmaster, Part 6: 2011-2017


In the final chapter in our series of features articles on the 60th anniversary of the iconic Omega Speedmaster, going decade by decade, we present the thirteen most noteworthy Speedmasters from 2010 to today, including the recently launched special edition for #SpeedyTuesday, the Speedmaster 38mm, and the Speedmaster Racing.

2011: Apollo XV 40th Anniversary

Omega Speedmaster Apollo 15 (2011)
Omega Speedmaster Apollo 15 (2011)

This watch celebrates the 40th anniversary of the Apollo XV moon landing and is included in a numbered series of 1,971 pieces. The red, white, and blue colors on the dial were inspired by the colors on the mission patch and the caseback features an engraving of the Lunar Roving Vehicle, which was used on the moon for the first time during the mission.

2012: Apollo XVII 40th Anniversary

Omega Speedmaster Apollo 17 (2012)
Omega Speedmaster Apollo 17 (2012)

This limited-edition Speedmaster commemorates the 40th anniversary of the final lunar landing in December 1972. It features an unusual dial, made of 925 silver, which is embossed with the iconic images from the Apollo XVII patch representing mankind and the future, along with the images of the Greek god Apollo and the United States flag. This watch (you can read more about it here) was limited to just 1,972 pieces.

2013: Dark Side of the Moon: the First Speedmaster in Ceramic

Omega Speedmaster Dark side of the Moon (2013)
Omega Speedmaster Dark side of the Moon (2013)

This groundbreaking Speedmaster, famously nicknamed “Dark Side of the Moon,” brought the so-called Omega Moonwatch to a new generation. Crafted from a single block of black ceramic, the watch also features a black ceramic dial, with 18K white gold hands, and a nylon fabric strap. Omega used a host of innovative production techniques to create this watch; click here for details on the process.

2014: Apollo 11 45th Anniversary Edition

Omega Speedmaster Apollo 11 (2014)
Omega Speedmaster Apollo 11 (2014)

On a brown “NATO” strap, this watch commemorates the 45th anniversary of Apollo 11. It incorporates the colors of the moon, as well as those of the lunar and command modules, and features a brushed, grade 2 titanium case with several gold elements. The dial is in black PVD; the case material was inspired by the titanium ore that covers the moon’s surface. Click here for more details on the watch.

2014: Speedmaster Skywalker X-33

Omega Speedmaster Skywalker X33 (2014)
Omega Speedmaster Skywalker X33 (2014)

Designed especially for space explorers, the Speedmaster Skywalker is an innovative upgrade of the Speedmaster Professional X-33, released in 1998. The 2014 model, powered by an advanced quartz caliber, was thoroughly tested and approved by the European Space Agency for inclusion in all of its missions. Its titanium case features a ceramic bezel with a chromium nitride scale and an LCD display with an electroluminescent backlight.

2015: Apollo XIII Silver Snoopy Award

Omega Speedmaster Silver Snoopy Award (2015)
Omega Speedmaster Silver Snoopy Award (2015)

A tribute to the 45th anniversary of the Apollo XIII mission, and the Silver Snoopy Award that Omega subsequently received from NASA, this watch features a white dial with special comic-strip inscriptions and a small Snoopy illustration decorating the 9 o’clock subdial. On the caseback, a Snoopy medallion in 925 silver is surrounded by dark blue enamel. More details on the watch can be found here.

2015: A New Approach to the Solar Impulse

Omega Speedmaster X33 Si2 (2015)
Omega Speedmaster X33 Si2 (2015)

The Speedmaster Skywalker X-33 Solar Impulse Limited Edition celebrates OMEGA’s partnership with Solar Impulse, whose team succeeded in circling the globe in a solar-powered airplane in 2016. The lightweight titanium case is mounted on a NATO strap and contains a quartz movement. Its ceramic bezel features a chromium nitride scale. The ana-digi dial has skeletonized, black-and-white hour and minute hands and a central seconds hand distinguished by green and black coloring.

2015: George Clooney’s Choice: Speedmaster ’57

Omega Speedmaster Speedmaster'57 (2015)
Omega Speedmaster Speedmaster’57 (2015)

The Omega Speedmaster ’57 — worn proudly by Hollywood actor George Clooney in the watch’s international ad campaign in 2015 — is a salute to the original 1957 Speedmaster, with a number of details that recall its famous ancestor. These include the black dial with beige indications, straight lugs, and brushed metallic bezel with tachymeter scale.

2016: Speedmaster CK2998 Limited Edition

Omega Speedmaster CK2998 (2016)
Omega Speedmaster CK2998 (2016)

The original Omega Speedmaster Ref. CK2998 was released in 1959 and has become one of the world’s most sought-after vintage Speedmaster watches. This watch (which we cover in detail here) used that classic model as inspiration, with the dial’s hallmark Alpha and lollipop hands, a symmetrical steel case, and three subdials in blue. This blue color theme continues on the bezel, minutes track, and leather strap.

2016: First Speedmaster Master Chronometer

Omega Speedmaster Moonphase (2016)
Omega Speedmaster Moonphase (2016)

The first Speedmaster created to meet Omega’s Master Chronometer criteria, this blue-on-blue moon-phase timepiece meets the watch industry’s highest standards of precision and performance as approved by METAS, the Swiss Federal Institute of Metrology. The dial detail most worthy of note: the image of the moon in the moon-phase display is as detailed as a NASA photograph. Zoom in close and you’ll see an astronaut’s footprint. (To see it up close, check out the photos in our article from Baselworld 2016.)

2017: #SpeedyTuesday Limited Edition

Omega Speedmaster #SpeedyTuesday (2017)
Omega Speedmaster #SpeedyTuesday (2017)

In 2012, thanks to the weekly series of “Speedy Tuesday” posts on our sister blog, FratelloWatches, an online community of Omega Speedmaster fans began to grow around the world, sharing pictures and comments every week. In tribute to these Speedmaster devotees, Omega produced this limited-edition model to celebrate the series’ fifth anniversary. Selling out rapidly, it became the first Omega watch marketed purely through social media and sold exclusively online, and the design was based on several vintage models from the past, including the “Alaska III.”

2017: Speedmaster 38 mm “Cappuccino”

Omega Speedmaster Speedmaster 38mm (2017)
Omega Speedmaster Speedmaster 38mm (2017)

Introduced at Baselworld 2017, the refined, 38-mm ladies’ collection retains the distinctive look and 60-year heritage of the Speedmaster, but also updates it, with a diamond-paved bezel and a tachymeter scale on a brown aluminum ring. The model is nicknamed “Cappuccino” for its taupe-brown subdials, tachymeter ring and leather strap.

2017: Return of the Racing Dial

Omega Speedmaster Speedmaster Racing (2017)
Omega Speedmaster Speedmaster Racing (2017)

The distinctive minute-track style on this stainless-steel watch first appeared on a 1968 Speedmaster model. Linked to the Speedmaster’s motor racing heritage, it returns on this 2017 model’s matt-black dial, whose other features include the orange markings and beveled, 18K white-gold arrowhead indexes. The perforated rubber strap is another nod to the world of auto racing. (Click here for our Baselworld report on both the Cappuccino and Speedmaster Racing models.)

Click here to read other chapters from our Omega Speedmaster 60th anniversary series:

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  1. Nice to see my watch – Apollo 15 40th Anniversary – at the very top of this list of great watches. Don’t tell me it’s just chronological order. It’s a beautiful watch with some understated flash, and is the watch I wear most frequently.

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