A Hands-On Introduction To Two New Bicolor Omega Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch Models
Today, Omega is expanding its Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch collection with two new bicolor/two-tone models. It’s an exciting day for those who may have wanted the latest movement and updates but found the all-steel models too boring and all-gold versions too expensive. In other words, these two new Moonwatch variants could be the perfect middle ground.
For a long time, aside from special and limited editions, Omega’s Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch was only available in stainless steel with a black dial and either a Hesalite or sapphire crystal. After introducing the current Moonwatch with caliber 3861 in 2021, the brand added Sedna, Moonshine, and Canopus Gold models. A few months ago, Omega also added a white-dial option to the catalog, which seems to attract a new audience on top of the Speedmaster enthusiasts.
Not the first bicolor Speedmasters
The current collection was missing a two-tone variation of the Speedmaster Professional. However, from 1983 onward, Omega had several steel-and-gold variations of the Moonwatch. The last was a Speedmaster Professional Tokyo 2020 LE that came out in 2018. The two new Speedmaster Moonwatch models use Omega’s Moonshine (yellow) and Sedna (rose) Gold.
Getting the colors correct
According to Omega’s Vice President of Product Gregory Kissling, the recipe was easy, but the execution was not. Getting the same dial colors as the solid-gold links, bezel, pushers, and crown was challenging.
For example, the steel and Moonshine Gold version has a silvery base dial and sub-dials with a galvanic 18K Moonshine Gold treatment. It required quite some effort, extensive testing, and several prototypes to get the sub-dial colors to match the solid 18K Moonshine Gold.
Moonshine and Sedna Gold alloys
Moonshine Gold is an alloy Omega introduced five years ago for the Speedmaster Apollo 11 50th Anniversary limited editions. Since then, the brand has also used it on other models (even non-Speedmaster watches). This specific alloy of 18K yellow gold consists of 14% silver, 1% palladium, less than 9% copper, and 75% regular gold, resulting in a slightly paler yellow color.
Sedna Gold debuted in 2012 and is Omega’s proprietary rose gold alloy. It comprises more than 75% gold, over 20% copper, and more than 1% palladium. Due to wearing conditions, standard rose gold turns a bit yellowish after time. Omega’s Sedna Gold alloy will slow down this process.
Caliber 3861 Master Chronometer
All the dimensions and technical (movement) specifications are identical to the full-steel 42mm Moonwatch models. This means a 47.5mm case length, a 13.2mm thickness, and a 20mm lug spacing. Omega’s caliber 3861 with its Co-Axial escapement is first certified by COSC as a chronometer, and after casing, the entire watch receives its Master Chronometer certification from METAS.
This guarantees not only an accuracy of 0 to +5 seconds per day on average and protection against magnetic fields of up to 15,000 gauss but also water resistance to 50 meters. That last number means you can swim with the current (Master Chronometer-certified) Speedmaster Professional models as they’ve been tested and certified to do this.
Gold puts in the extra grams
In case you were wondering, these new watches weigh 161 grams (the Sedna Gold one is a little bit heavier at 161.7 grams) with the bracelet unsized.
The stainless steel model with sapphire weighs 140 grams (the Hesalite version weighs 134 grams), and the all-Moonshine Gold model weighs 224 grams. Although the difference between the full-steel and bicolor models doesn’t seem substantial, it is noticeable on the wrist.
Unlike existing Moonwatch variations, the gold bezel has a Ceragold tachymeter ring (instead of aluminum). Ceragold is Omega’s recipe for mixing ceramic with 18K gold seamlessly to make parts, such as bezel inserts.
The new two-tone Speedmaster Professional watches on the wrist
I have tried both bicolor Speedmaster watches over the past few days, and I slightly prefer the version in steel and Sedna Gold. Others in the Fratello office felt the steel and Moonshine model had the advantage. There’s no objectively good or bad choice here; it’s just a matter of personal preference.
Although I usually appreciate (Moonshine) yellow gold a bit more, the Sedna version does look nice on my wrist. This also heavily depends on your skin tone, of course. So the best advice I can give is to try both of them on and decide which one works better for you.
The steel and Moonshine version has a more 1980s vibe, which I greatly appreciate. It’s also a bit more toned down than the steel and Sedna one, and the more I look at it, the more I like it, so who knows?! Both versions would look terrific in a white Testarossa or 560SEC anyway.
A bicolor Nixon bracelet with an extendable clasp
The ”Nixon” bracelet is similar to those of the full-steel and full-gold models and tapers from 20mm to 15mm wide. Its clasp has a micro-adjustment mechanism, making it very easy to extend the bracelet an additional 2.5mm on hot summer days. The stainless steel outer links and (solid-)gold center links have a brushed satin finish, while the slimmer intermediate links have a polished finish.
On the inside of the bracelet, all links have a brushed finish. I wouldn’t have minded a bit of gold on the clasp as well, like the Omega logo or perhaps the engraved lines.
Prices and availability of the new bicolor Speedmaster Professional watches
Several people here at Fratello own some of the older two-tone Speedmaster models, and I have always enjoyed looking at them. It can be a nice change of pace if you’re usually into wearing full-steel watches. I own several bicolor watches from various brands but not the Speedmaster (in hindsight, I think I should have bought the steel and rose gold Tokyo 2020 model with the green bezel insert). This new Moonwatch will be in the regular collection, so there is no FOMO this time.
The new bicolor Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch models are available starting today at Omega boutiques and authorized dealers. The steel and Moonshine Gold Speedmaster Professional has reference 310.20.42.50.02.001, and the steel and Sedna Gold Speedmaster Professional has reference 310.20.42.50.99.001. You can find the full list of specifications below.
Both references have the same retail price of CHF 17,200 (including VAT) / €20,100 (including VAT) / US$18,100 (excluding local sales tax). For comparison, the stainless steel Speedmaster Professional starts at CHF 6,600 / €7,700 / US$7,000, and the full-gold, panda-dial Moonshine Speedmaster Professional has a retail price of CHF 42,500 / €49,700 / US$44,800.
For more information, visit the official Omega website.
