2018 marks the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 8 mission, NASA’s first manned mission to leave earth’s orbit, enter the moon’s orbit, and return safely to the earth. This monumental accomplishment played an instrumental role in sending men to land on the moon’s surface the following year as part of the Apollo 11 mission. It should come as no surprise then, that Omega would capitalize on the anniversary with a special Speedmaster, the Dark Side of the Moon Apollo 8.
Omega first introduced the Dark Side of the Moon collection of Speedmasters back in 2013, adding new colorways and materials in the subsequent years. For Baselworld 2018, Omega took things a step further with the DSOTM Apollo 8, a watch that features bespoke dial and movement elements meant to mimic the surface of the moon. It’s a unique take that could easily come off as more gimmick than sincere, but Omega has managed to find just the right amount of balance between the two.
The dial of the Apollo 8 is partially skeletonized, with the top plate of the movement visible under the chapter ring and floating subdials. This plate is emblazoned with the likeness of the near side of the moon, while the bridges visible through the exhibition caseback represent the far side of the moon, in honor of the Apollo 8 mission. It’s a very cool effect on its own, and it’s been done in a way that doesn’t detract too much from the rest of the watch.
The 44.25mm case is constructed of black ceramic, with white markers and yellow accents across the dial. At a glance, it could be mistaken for the limited edition Speedmaster made for the Porsche Club of America, a watch which features a similar color scheme.
What we love most about this watch is the use of the manually winding caliber 1869, which is, of course, a return to original form in the realm of Speedmasters. Better yet, it shaves a few millimeters off of the overall case thickness.
The Omega Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon Apollo 8 will be available later this year and is priced at $9,750.
