In the third chapter in our series of features articles on the 60th anniversary of the iconic Omega Speedmaster, going decade by decade, we present the five most noteworthy Speedmasters from the 1980s, including such Reagan-era milestone pieces as the first Omega watch with an exhibition caseback and the first Speedy with a moon-phase.
1980: Omega Speedmaster Apollo 11, Omega?s first sapphire crystal caseback
Omega Speedmaster Apollo 11 (1980)
Launched to celebrate the 1969 Apollo 11 mission ? in which the Omega Speedmaster became the first watch worn on the moon ? this yellow-gold model was the first to be outfitted with the 861L caliber. It was also the first Omega timepiece to put its caliber on display, through a glazed sapphire caseback window. The watch was produced in a very small, numbered series of around 300 pieces; the “L” suffix at the end of the Caliber number “861” indicated that it was the ?Luxury? version of that movement, with a higher level of decoration than was normally afforded. 1983: The first bi-color Speedmaster
Omega Speedmaster Bicolor (1983)
The first Speedmaster model with a two-tone design, this 1983 model combined a steel case with a golden dial, silvered chronograph subdials, and a bracelet made from steel and 14K gold. It is unknown exactly how many of this reference that Omega produced, but very few are known to still exist.
1985: The first Speedmaster moon-phase model
Omega Speedmaster “Speedymoon&#...