The perfect watch doesn’t exist, but I feel the OMEGA Speedmaster Professional does make a strong argument for one.
It’s the first watch on the moon, looks great, has a robust movement, and helped save the Apollo 13 space mission. Alongside the Seamaster Professional, the Speedmaster Professional is another iconic watch from OMEGA.
It won’t come as a big surprise that my interest in the Speedmaster Moonwatch sprung from the OMEGA x Swatch MoonSwatch. While I think I’ve always had a passing interest in Omega’s main chronograph, getting a MoonSwatch last December supercharged it in my mind’s eye.
I’m a big fan of MoonSwatch even with its questionable durability and arguable value, but pretty soon after getting it, I knew I wanted a real Moonwatch. Yet they are far from cheap, with the entry-level Speedmaster Professional starting at £6,200.
So I resigned myself to save for one, maybe in a couple of year’s time as a 40th birthday gift to myself. But at the same time I’d discovered the eBay app, having gone years without plumbing the depths of the site/service, and with that came a treasure trove of used watches at attractive prices for modes that look rather unworn.
So I found myself bidding on a Speedmaster Professional reference 311.30.42.30.01.006, which is an older Speedy but has a sapphire crystal and caseback. This isn’t a Speedmaster that’s truly authentic to the watch that was worn on the moon, as that model had a Hesalite crystal which won’t shatter under pressure and damage sensitive instruments. But my astronaut ambitions are well behind me and I do like to peek at movements.
Of course, the idea of bidding several thousand pounds on an eBay listing is enough to make one’s stomach quiver. But eBay recently introduced an ‘Authenticity Guarantee’ service, which acts as an intermediary between the seller and buyer to make sure the item being sold isn’t a fake.
With that peace of mind I decided to bid on my selected Speedy. I had no real intention of winning, as really I had what little money left from a year of splurging on watches earmarked for the new monochrome Tudor Black Bay 41.
Well given I’m writing this article, it naturally won the auction at the last minute, meaning I needed to part with around £3,800 – a good used price for such a Speedmaster in good condition but it torpedoed my Black Bay ambitions.
However, as soon as I got the Speedmaster, complete with its ‘Big Box’, which includes a bracket and two straps along with other bits, and papers, I was hooked; any shred of regret over my eBay splurge was gone.
OMEGA Speedmaster Professional: The Specs
As always, let’s talk specs. Like all Speedmaster Professional models, my watch sports a diameter of 42mm, with a lug to lug measurement of 48.2mm and a lug width of 20mm – the latter makes it great for strap options.
At the heart of the watch is the calibre 1863 – this is a discontinued manual-wind movement, with Omega having moved on to the excellent Co-Axial movement for all its Speedmasters. Based on the 1851 movement, itself an evolution of the old 321 movement that was at the heart of the watches Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin wore on Earth’s nearest celestial body on the 20th July 1969.
In order to showcase the movement, my Speedy’s calibre loses an inner soft iron plate that the close caseback models use for anti-magnetism via a form of Faraday cage. But so far I’ve not found the movement to get upset if it’s too close to a laptop or smartphone.
The accuracy of the calibre 1853 is some plus 10 seconds to minus one second a day, which pales in comparison to the Master Chronometer specification of my OMEGA Seamaster Aqua Terra or more modern Speedmasters. But in practice, I found it keeps time very well.
The movement isn’t as well finished as the Co-Axial variants but it’s still a nice thing to peer at, with the ability to see levers snap into place when the chronograph pushers are engaged.
All this is encased in a steel chassis with some tasteful polishing and sandwiched in scratch-resistant sapphire. Given how easily my MoonSwatch’s crystal scratches, I’m glad I have a sapphire on here. This gives it a thickness of 13.5mm, but the low dome on the crystal doesn't make the Speedy feel thick.
Encircling the dial is a black aluminium tachymeter bezel with white text and markers, while the right-hand side of the watch holds two chronograph pushers and an OMEGA embossed crown used for winding the watch on roughly a daily basis and setting the time, naturally.
The downside to the Speedmaster and its crown and pushers is none of them are screw-down, meaning the watch only has a 50 metre water resistance rating. This means it’ll survive a quick rinse under a tap, for example, but won’t thank you for going swimming in it. To me this is fine, as if I want to swim in a watch or go diving, there are plenty of options, both budget and luxury.
Another minor issue for me, and one you can see in some of the photos, is the Speedmaster’s crystal can suck up reflections in some light, despite having anti-reflective coating on the inside. All in all, I feel even this older Speedmaster is well-specced and reliable, really leaning into its tool-like nature.
What’s the OMEGA Speedmaster Professional like to wear?
In short, it’s fantastic. While people with super-slim wrists might struggle with the 42mm diameter, I find the Speedmaster’s dimensions are ideal for a chronograph.
There’s room to see the subdials, which I think are perfectly proportioned for the dial, making the Speedy feel exactly like the type of watch one might use to time retro rocket burns. Yet the lug length and shape of the crystal make the watch wear a little smaller than 42mm in my opinion.
At first, I did think the Speedmaster looked a little dull and potentially old-fashioned compared to the laser-etched dial and polished indexes of my Aqua Terra and even the Baltic HMS 003. But looking closer, I started to appreciate the subtle details.
I love the different fonts on the dial and the bezel, the stack contrast of the white indices, minute and second markers, along with the clarity of the subdials. The seconds hand sweeps across these when the chronograph is active, its slim arrow-like pointer looking like something a navigator would use to perfect an orbit, while the baton hands, filled with Super-LumiNova, are unfussy and precise.
There’s a wonderful purposefulness to the Speedmaster. It’s a proper tool watch, with no unnecessary frills, yet the way it wears and its monochrome colour also make it feel smarter than other chronographs.
Now I don't hugely advocate wearing tool-like or particularly sporty watches at formal occasions, but I think I’m willing to make an exception for the Speedmaster Professional, at least in its Moonwatch guise.
And I’m speaking from experience, as recently at a friend’s wedding, the groom managed to forget the watch he brought for the special day. Given I was on groomsman duties, I handed him my Aqua Terra as it was dressed up on a neat leather strap. I had my Speedmaster with me so popped that on, initially concerned it would clash a bit with my dark blue suit.
Yet it simply worked. It slipped under the cuff, looking sharp despite its tool-esque design; I think having it on a leather strap helps dress the Speedy up. In everyday wearing, the Speedmaster Professional is equally brilliant. It just works with any outfit, has a wrist presence without being too bling-y and is handy if I want to time something and don’t want to reach for my phone.
The Speedmaster may lack the hype of the Rolex Daytona – which is an admittedly impressive chronograph and an icon in its own right – but I love it for that reason. I don’t feel I have to baby the Speedy or worry too much about being cracked over the head by a watch pilferer.
The only minor niggle is the aforementioned lack of robust water resistance, meaning I’d be wary wearing the Speedmaster in a torrential downpour. Otherwise, it’s simply great.
Is the OMEGA Speedmaster Professional worth the money?
The Speedmaster range has climbed in price over recent years, likely in no small part with OMEGA's move to the Co-Axial escapement. As such, if you were to get an equivalent ‘sapphire sandwich’ Speedy, you’d be looking at £7,200. That’s a lot of money when a Seamaster comes in at around £5,000.
Having tried on the new white dial Speedmaster a few months ago, I am still a huge advocate for the Speedys. I think a new model is still just about palatable at its high price, though personally I avoid any precious metal ones – there’s a dizzying array of these – as I just can’t square the circle of tool watches swaddled with diamonds or clad in gold.
Equally, with the Authenticity Guarantee, going the eBay route feels reasonably safe. And the amount I paid for my Speedmaster feels correct for the value of the watch. I also think there’s a fun experience to be had hunting down a used Speedy in good condition. Plus you’re getting an iconic chronograph without the eye-watering prices a Daytona commands on the used market.
Whichever way you go, I suspect you’ll not be disappointed with the OMEGA Speedmaster Professional, as it’s as close to perfect as I think a watch can get.