Not ready or willing to shell out €7,700 for the Moonwatch? Here are some other options!
Current Moonwatch prices
It has not escaped your attention that the retail price of a new Omega Speedmaster Professional has recently increased. Omega has drastically modified many elements, not only under the hood (caliber 3861) but also with different exterior parts. A new case, dial, hands and bracelet have been designed for the Moonwatch, making it aesthetically more faithful to models from the 1960s. Additionally, the Speedmaster Professional is METAS certified as a Master Chronometer, ensuring that the watch is precise, anti-magnetic and waterproof.
However, that doesn't take away the fact that the new Omega Speedmaster Professional might now be further out of your reach than ever before. The retail price of the new Speedmaster Professional with a Hesalite crystal on a bracelet is €7,700, while the sapphire version retails for €8,900. The two-tone model reaches €20,100, while an all-gold model starts at €47,300.
Second-hand market
The second-hand market, however, still offers plenty of value when looking for a Moonwatch. Looking at the cheapest offers on Chrono24, all from Japan, prices even drop below €3,000 for a Speedmaster Professional 3570.50 (produced between 1996 and 2014). Pay attention to VAT and customs fees when importing the watch into your country. Plus, if the condition of the watch is important to you (and it should be), you'll have to pay a little more to get one of these 3570.50 references in good condition.
If you want something different from the regular Moonwatch, the retail price of a new watch also opens the door to special or limited editions from the past. Let's take a look at some available options.
Speedmaster Professional “Hesalite Sandwich” 3592.50
The Moonwatch ref. 345.0808 was the first steel Speedmaster to have a sapphire crystal caseback to display the caliber 863 inside. The dial was still protected by the classic Hesalite crystal (Plexiglas). This first Speedmaster Professional in steel with a transparent back was produced in 1,000 numbered copies between 1985 and 1988. In 1988, Omega changed its reference numbering system and began using the xxxx.xx coding for its watches. From this point on, longer reference numbers were only used to indicate a watch's case.
In 1988, Omega produced another series of 1000 Speedmaster Professionals with transparent casebacks. This time, they did not contain the copper-colored caliber 863, but its golden successor. At the same time, Omega began producing the “Hesalite Sandwich” model, reference 3592.50, in an unnumbered series. This model was equipped with the reference 1479 bracelet. It is available for sale for €5,650. The seller has reversed the case reference and watch reference number, which is common, but it is actually reference 3592.50, not 345.0808.
Speedmaster Apollo 8
This Speedmaster celebrates the mission that gave us this magnificent image of Earth, the first time astronauts saw the dark side of the Moon. Apollo 8 astronauts Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders are mentioned in the mission badge on the dial. Anders was the one who took the Earthrise image, which Omega also used on some Speedmaster instruction manuals in the 1980s and early 1990s.
This Apollo 8 watch debuted in the 1997 Special Mission Box Sets, which contained 22 mission watches and a '57 Speedmaster. Then, a year later, these watches became available separately, limited to 100-150 pieces each (with the exception of the 999-piece Apollo 13 model, already released in 1995). The Speedmaster Apollo 8 comes in a special box and, apart from the mission badge at 9 o'clock, it is the same watch as a standard Moonwatch (3570.50) of the period. A copy is available for €7,500.
Speedmaster FOIS
This model inspired by the second generation Speedmaster (CK2998) was discontinued in 2020 and suddenly gained hero status. This is not without reason, as it is a modestly sized alternative to the Moonwatch and much cheaper than the 39.7mm Speedmaster Caliber 321 in the current catalog. This watch was introduced in 2012 as a tribute to the “First OMEGA in Space” that astronaut Wally Schirra wore during the Mercury-Atlas 8 mission in 1962.
It is a numbered series with a total production of approximately 15,000 pieces in eight years of production. This reference 311.32.40.30.01.001 contains the Omega caliber 1861 and was only available with a leather strap. It uses a sapphire crystal and the case back features an embossed seahorse in the center. A copy is available with all accessories for £4,750.
Speedmaster Professional 3590.50
The classic Moonwatch was almost abandoned at one point. This is unthinkable today, but it shows how different the market was a few decades ago. In the 1990s, Omega was not the company it is today, and the best-selling pieces at the time were the Seamaster Professional 300M (1993) and Constellation '95 (1995). However, enthusiasts opted for the Moonwatch, which bore the reference number 3590.50 from 1988 to 1996.
This Moonwatch housed the same movement (861) that NASA had qualified in 1978 for the Space Shuttle program, but it was equipped with a new type of bracelet. The dial and hands were still made of tritium, something that only changed in 1996/1997. A 1991 example is available with the full set of original gray leather box, papers etc, for £3,950.
Speedmaster Professional DD145.022
Two weeks ago we showed you the new two-tone models from the Moonwatch collection. I also wrote that the first two-tone Speedmaster Professional was introduced in 1983. It shared all technical specifications with the Speedmaster Professional 145.022 of the time, but with 14K yellow gold elements. The reference 1171 bracelet had yellow gold center links, and the bezel was also 14K gold (with an aluminum insert). The dial had a “reverse panda in gold” color scheme, unlike the current model.
This model was produced between 1983 and 1986, and we suspect Omega didn't make many of them. Inside was the Omega caliber 861, like the normal 145.022. A copy is available for sale for €6,050. The bezel insert is not in perfect condition, and finding a replacement won't be easy, but it's not incredibly disturbing for a 40 year old watch.
The current Moonwatch is the best option
If you like vintage watches, some of the watches mentioned above might be ideal for you. However, I believe that none of them can surpass the current Speedmaster Professional in terms of quality. Speedmaster production is very different today than it was a decade (or more) ago, and the modern Moonwatch has a different feel as well. As I collect Speedmaster watches spanning the spectrum from the 1960s to today, I wear the modern models more than the vintage models. I love them all, though.
Vintage designs have a certain charm, and you'll notice that they can age very differently from each other. Modern models will probably all age the same, and I understand that vintage models have more character. This makes collecting fun, and if you already have the regular Moonwatch models, a special or limited model like the FOiS or Apollo 8 could be a welcome addition to your collection.
What is your favorite used or vintage Speedmaster? Or would you rather own a modern Speedmaster Professional for everyday use? Let me know in the comments below.
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