Omega’s main focus at this year’s Baselworld was on its Seamaster and Seamaster Diver collections, both of which marked major anniversaries. Not to be overlooked, however, is the latest addition to the brand’s popular Dark Side of the Moon series commemorating NASA’s historic Apollo 8 mission. The new Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon Apollo 8 is the first in the collection to feature a specially decorated, skeletonized movement.
The Omega Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon Apollo 8 celebrates the 50th anniversary of the first manned spacecraft to orbit the Moon.
The Apollo 8 mission, which took place in 1968 and thus reaches its semi-centennial in 2018 (yes, yet another anniversary invoked among this year’s luxury watch crop), was the second manned spaceflight launched by the United States and the first to leave Earth’s orbit, reach and orbit the Moon, and return safely to Earth. The mission paved the way for the more famous Apollo 11 mission in 1969, which first landed men on the Moon and during which the Omega Speedmaster famously became the first watch worn on the lunar surface, earning the model its enduring “Moonwatch” nickname. The new timepiece is notable for its exquisitely skeletonized movement, upon which laser ablation has been employed to decorate both sides of the blackened mainplate and bridges with realistic depictions of the moon’s surface. From the dial side, the effect is executed in a lighter shade ...