Omega launched its first Darkish Aspect of the Moon Speedmaster in 2018 to mark its fiftieth anniversaryTh Anniversary of the Apollo 8 mission in 1968; an necessary step on the way in which to the moon touchdown the next 12 months.
Apollo 8 was the primary manned flight to fully orbit the moon and expertise life in its shadow.
The primary Speedmaster Darkish Aspect of the Moon had a flat black dial, however this was changed by a semi-skeletonized dial with a laser-created, anodized aluminum depiction of the lunar floor as seen from Earth.
On the underside of the hand-wound caliber 3869, elements of the principle plate and bridges had been additionally laser-etched into the reduction of the darkish facet of the moon, which we can’t see from Earth.
Additionally engraved on the again of the case is the message “WE’LL SEE YOU ON THE OTHER SIDE” – the final phrases that command module pilot Jim Lovell spoke to floor management shortly earlier than the Apollo 8 mission on the On the opposite facet of the airplane the moon disappeared and for the primary time there was no radio contact.
Omega used black ceramic for the case of the 2018 anniversary mannequin.
This 12 months’s watch additionally makes use of ceramic for elements of the case and the polished speedometer bezel.
Yellow has lengthy been an necessary shade in Speedmaster’s historical past and makes a welcome return within the new Darkish Aspect of the Moon within the type of a painted central chronograph hand and different accents similar to markers on the seconds show and stitching on a perforated rubber band dial.
A pleasant element is the small seconds subdial at 9 o’clock, the hand of which is fabricated from titanium within the form of NASA’s Saturn V rocket, which was used for the primary time in a manned flight in the course of the Apollo 8 mission.
The 44.25mm watch is on sale right this moment for £13,500.
