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In any discussion of the world’s most famous—and most coveted—watches, you won’t get far without mention of the Omega Speedmaster. Born in 1957, a full five years before the Rolex Daytona, the Speedmaster established the look of chronographs as we know them today. Oh, and, as you might have heard, it was also the first watch worn on the moon. From the Speedmaster’s supporting role in the Apollo missions (it was worn by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on Apollo 11, but it’s also credited with literally saving the lives of the Apollo 13 crew) to its modern spinoff as the Swatch x Omega Moonswatch, few timepieces can compete with the Speedmaster on historical significance or cultural caché.
“When I think of a classic, iconic chronograph, the Speedmaster is the first watch that comes to mind,” says Kathleen McGivney, the CEO of watch enthusiast group RedBar. “There are lots of other awesome chronographs on the market, of course, but the Speedy always felt to me like something that must be in my collection at some point.” The moon landing history is a big part of the appeal, McGivney adds, but thanks to the huge variety of Speedmasters available, it offers something for everyone. “Nice design, great chronograph function, workhorse movements used in space missions. There's a lot to love for a wide variety of collectors.”
One of the first things to know about the Speedmaster (or “Speedy”, in collector parlance) is that it was designed for timing car races, not piloting spacecraft. The Speedmaster was to precision timing what the Rolex Submariner was to waterproofness—and its clean, ultra-legible design established the look of chronographs for decades to come.
“When it launched in 1957, the Omega Speedmaster was the first chronograph wristwatch with a tachymeter scale on its bezel— and the more you think about that sentence, the more it may sink in how incredibly important that is,” says Geneva-based vintage watch dealer (and lifelong Speedmaster fan) Sacha Davidoff. “It’s the father of all 'sports' chronographs on metal bracelets and it paved the way for every other manufacturer to catch up. I think that this single attribute makes it the most important watch, regardless of its NASA association.”
Since its introduction more than six decades ago, the Speedmaster has been produced in hundreds of variants, from the seminal (and ultra-rare) 1957 CK2915 to the quirky 1969 Alaska 1 Prototype to modern riffs like the ana-digi Speedmaster X-33 Marstimer. While the sheer variety of Speedmaster models on the market provides plenty to keep collectors busy, most connoisseurs tend to focus on the Speedmaster Moonwatch Professional—and the so-called “pre-professional” models of the late 1950s and early 1960s that preceded it. For these purists, a Speedy is defined by a few essential features: a stainless steel case (usually 42mm), a black dial, a hand-wound chronograph movement, and a crystal made of hesalite (a.k.a. plexiglass) instead of sapphire.
If you’re looking to add a Speedmaster to your collection, it pays to do some research. As with other historic watch grails, there’s a whole galaxy’s worth of Speedmaster history, lore, and detail to obsess over, and plenty of pitfalls to avoid—particularly if you’re looking for a model from the 1950s or 1960s. “If you can afford it, buy a copy of Moonwatch Only,” advises Davidoff. “The day you're buying a vintage Speedmaster and trying to piece together if everything is correct, a few hundred bucks will save you from making a much costlier mistake.”
Whatever stage of the process you’re at, these are some of the most interesting and significant Moonwatch models on the market—along with a few places we trust where you can reliably find 'em.
Looking for an approachable ticker to tide you over while you ogle the Speedies below? Start here.
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The Omega Speedmaster CK2915
The first Speedy from 1957 featured a black dial said to be inspired by the dashboards of Italian sports cars, “broad arrow” hands, a 38mm steel case, a screw-down caseback, and an engraved tachymeter bezel. It was powered by the now-beloved 321 manually-wound chronograph movement, which would remain a feature of the Speedmaster until it was replaced by the (decidedly less beloved) calibre 861 in 1968. Needless to say, original CK2915s are some of the rarest and most expensive vintage Speedies out there.
The Omega Speedmaster CK2998
The Speedmaster came of age in 1959 with this model, which would be made in a bunch of subtly different variants, including an ultra-rare version with a “lollipop” seconds hand. In addition to a new anodized aluminum bezel and tweaks to the typography, the biggest change was the retirement of the broad arrow hands and arrow-shaped sub-register hands in favor of spear-shaped “alpha” hands and stick hands, respectively.
The Omega Speedmaster 105.003 “Ed White”
This early pre-Professional model was worn by Gemini astronaut Ed White on the very first NASA spacewalk in 1965, a tie to spacefaring history that makes it a favorite among collectors.
The Omega Speedmaster 105.012 “Professional”
The Speedmaster was approved by NASA as standard-issue for Apollo astronauts in 1965, and this 42mm version (produced from about 1964 to 1968) was the one worn by Neil Armstrong when he became the first human to set foot on the moon in 1969. It updated the design with crown guards, beefier pushers and—notably—the word “Professional” stamped on the dial.
The Omega Speedmaster 145.022
This model debuted in 1968 and remained in production until the late 1980s, making it one of the most accessible (relatively speaking, of course) vintage Speedy models out there. It marks the introduction of the caliber 861 movement, and was available in a bunch of slightly different versions, including a highly limited-edition yellow gold version with a burgundy bezel that was gifted to the Apollo astronauts in 1969. If you’re in the market for a vintage Speedmaster for under $10k, a 145.022 is a good place to start.
The Omega Speedmaster 3570.50
This neo-vintage model introduced in 1996 stays true to the original Moonwatch formula with a few discreet upgrades. It replaced the tritium lume with brighter Luminova, and instead of the workhorse 861 movement, it debuted the new (and rhodium-plated) 1861, which would power the Moonwatch until 2020.
The Omega Speedmaster 311.30.40.30.01.001 “Ed White”
In 2020, Omega sent Moonwatch fans into a frenzy by announcing a new version of the 3rd generation Speedmaster famously worn by astronaut Ed White in 1965, complete with a 39.7 mm case, a vintage logo and—most importantly—the beloved cal. 321 movement visible through the “sapphire sandwich” caseback.
The Omega Speedmaster 310.30.42.50.01.001
If you’re looking for a modern-era Moonwatch with all of the charm of its 1960s forebears, Omega’s current-catalog model introduced in 2021 ticks all of the right boxes. With a 42mm stainless steel case, a vintage-style hesalite crystal, and a manually-wound (and now Master Chronometer-certified) movement, it’s truly the best of both worlds.
