The Omega Speedmaster Moonphase Master Chronometer Chronograph will be joining the collection in October 2016 when it reaches the boutiques, and it’s a welcome addition, with a beautiful moonphase display and an attractive subdial combining continuous seconds and date. The previous version of the Speedmaster Moonwatch Professional Chronograph is still in the collection, at a much lower price (€5,100), but a comparison between the two underlines the notable differences. The new Speedmaster Moonphase has METAS certification, the new co-axial 9904 movement with column-wheel and 54 jewels, and in my opinion the dial is now much better. Below, the Speedmaster Moonwatch reference 3576.50.00.
Case and dial
The watch has a case 44.25 mm in diameter and 16.85 mm in thickness, water resistant to 10 bars, 100 metres. The stainless steel has alternating brushed and polished finish, and the ceramic bezel has a tachymeter scale in Liquidmetal in the stainless steel version. In the piece shown here, the dial is in dark blue with sunburst finish: other versions have dial in black, brown or grey. Hour indices, with two dots at the 12 o’clock position, and hands have white SuperLuminova glowing green in the dark.
The highlight of the dial is the moonphase, which has a high-resolution image of the moon that looks very realistic against the dark background. It is made from a microstructured metallic crystal disc. The display is more accurate than the standard 29.5-day lunar month approximation, and Omega say that it needs correction only after ten years. The subdial at 3 o’clock combines chronograph minutes and hours into a conventional 12-hour face, the most intuitive and legible type of display. As the chronograph functions are controlled by a column wheel, the chronograph can be left running to enable the 3 o’clock subdial to be used for a different timezone. The subdial on the left has one hand with a red crescent extremity indicating the date, and another hand for continuous seconds. Date and moonphase are adjusted from the crown.
The watch has a leather strap, with a steel bracelet also available.
The new 9904 calibre
The watch is powered by the new 9904 co-axial movement, with 368 components. It runs at 28,800 vibrations per hour (4 Hertz), and has a power reserve of 60 hours. Its anti-magnetic components give it a resistance to magnetic fields of up to 15,000 gauss, one of the eight parameters of the METAS certification protocol that includes a precision of 0/+5 seconds per day maximum deviation.
Price and reference
The Omega Speedmaster Moonphase Master Chronometer Chronograph, reference 304.33.44.52.03.001, costs €9,300. It will be available in boutiques from October 2016.
