Omega?s association with the lunar landings (and the space program in general) have taken the brand far since the late 1960s, and while the manufacture has produced countless innovative and beautiful watches over the years, perhaps none is as well known and revered as the Speedmaster.
New for 2018 is the latest edition to the Dark Side Of The Moon series, the Apollo 8. Launched to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 8 mission in 1968, the ref. 311.92.44.30.01.001 Speedmaster (say that three times fast) is a tribute to that daring feat of space exploration, and it even features Command Module Pilot Jim Lovell?s famous words??WE’LL SEE YOU ON THE OTHER SIDE??before breaking radio contact with Earth for 34 minutes on his way to the dark side of the moon, here inscribed on the back of the case.  

The watch features a specially decorated version of the 1861 movement, dubbed the 1869, which has been etched via laser ablation to produce a facsimile of the lunar surface on the bridges and main plate (a skeletonized dial and sapphire case back allow for clear viewing of the movement). For an added touch of elegance, the dial side of the movement has been given a light appearance to mirror the view of the moon from Earth, and the back side has been given a dark appearance in imitation of the view of the dark side of the moon that only an astronaut would be able to see.
For those unfamiliar with the 1869/1861 caliber, it is a hand-wound, 18-jewel calib...