Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Officially Discontinued!
The news is out! The Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch has been discontinued!
There has been a lot of speculation in recent years about the discontinuation of the iconic Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch. But now, the time has come! The Speedmaster Moonwatch professional hesalite reference 311.30.42.30.01.005 and Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch professional Sapphire sandwich reference 311.30.42.30.01.006 have both been discontinued.
This is a big deal for Omega considering the fact that it is an upgrade to its most iconic watch ever made.
Unsurprisingly, the new models are powered by the caliber 3861. This is not a huge surprise as Omega has presented a number of models with this new caliber in recent years, including the Speedmaster Snoopy and Speedmaster Apollo 11 50th anniversary.
Why change a winning concept?
Why would you change a winning concept? Fortunately, Omega doesn’t. Overall, the watch looks very similar to the previous models. In fact, the untrained eye would probably struggle to see the difference.
The bezel remains mostly the same, but a small visual difference is the moving of the dot at the 90-marker, to now, where the bezel has a “dot over ninety” design, which is a nod to a vintage Speedmaster detail that is extremely attractive to collectors.
Strap and bracelet
The new Speedmaster hesalite and sapphire are available with two different strap options. The sapphire version is available with a stainless steel bracelet or a black leather strap with stainless steel deployment buckle
With that said, the leather strap version for the hesalite Speedmaster which was previously available has now been removed. The leather strap option is, however, available for the sapphire Speedmaster. The hesalite version is available either with a stainless steel bracelet or a black Nylon Fabric strap with stainless steel deployment buckle.
Omega has changed and upgraded the stainless steel bracelet slightly in its design, but most importantly also in its build quality. The visual difference of the bracelet is that the center links are now broader than the outer links, whereas, on the predecessor, it was the opposite. At the same time, it retains much of its original look. The end link design has also been made shorter so that the end links do not protrude as much from the case, allowing a better fit on the wrist.
New Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Hesalite 2020
The new Omega Speedmaster moonwatch hesalite replaces the previous reference 311.30.42.30.01.005 on steel bracelet and the reference 311.33.42.30.01.001 on the leather strap. The new references are 310.30.42.50.01.001 (bracelet version) and 310.32.42.50.01.001 (strap version).
Update January 2021
It’s official! January 5th, 2021 was the day that Omega would officially announce the new Speedmaster models and discontinue the old. Omega has presented a total of 8 different new Speedmasters with different bracelet options as well as gold and white gold versions.
Specifications
- Movement: Caliber 3861, co-Axial Master Chronometer, officially certified by METAS, manual winding chronograph
- Jewels: 26
- Frequency: 21600 BPH/3 Hz
- Power reserve: 50 hours
- Magnetic resistance: 15,000 Gauss
- Diameter: 42mm
- Thickness: 13.58mm
- Water-resistance: 50 meters/167 feet
- Lug width: 20mm
- Technical movement features: Silicon “Si14” hairspring, free sprung-balance, Nivachoc, Co-axial escapement
- Case: “polished-brushed; geometry inspired by the Speedmaster 4th generation (first watch worn on the moon)”
- Bezel: Polished stainless steel bezel with an aluminum insert with a tachymeter scale. Dot over ninety “DON” design
- Crystal: Hesalite with Omega logo embossed on the center
New Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Sapphire Sandwich 2020
The new Omega Speedmaster moonwatch “sapphire sandwich” replaces the previous reference 311.30.42.30.01.006 on steel bracelet and the reference 311.30.42.30.01.001 on leather strap. The new references are 310.30.42.50.01.002 (bracelet version) and 310.32.42.50.01.002 (leather strap version).
Specifications
- Movement: Caliber 3861 co-axial manual-winding
- Jewels: 26
- Frequency: 21600 BPH/3hz
- Power reserve: 50 hours
- Magnetic resistance: 15,000 gauss
- Technical movement features: Silicon “Si14” hairspring, free sprung-balance, Nivachoc, Co-axial escapement
- Diameter: 42mm
- Thickness: 13.18mm
- Water resistance: 50m/167 feet
- Lug width: 20mm
- Crystal: Box-form sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment on one side
Pricing
As you know, the recommended retail price of Omega watches can vary depending on which country it is sold and which currency that country uses.
-
- The recommended retail price for the new Speedmaster sapphire on bracelet 310.30.42.50.01.002 is 6’600 CHF
- The recommended retail price for the new Speedmaster hesalite 310.30.42.50.01.001 on bracelet is 5’800 CHF
- The recommended retail price for the new Speedmaster sapphire on leather strap 310.30.42.50.01.002 is 6’600 CHF
- The recommended retail price for the new Speedmaster hesalite on fabric strap 310.32.42.50.01.001 is 5’500 CHF
Note that this is the Recommended retail price in Switzerland. The prices will vary depending on the currency and the country.
Hi,
I have been searching, but cannot find anything about the new co-axial movement being certified by NASA for space missions. The 861/1861 is, but what about the 3861?
Hi Jakub,
The only specifications Omega provides about the new caliber for the new Speedmaster is the following:
” OMEGA Co-Axial Master Chronometer Calibre 3861 – Watch officially certified by METAS
– Manual-winding chronograph
– Jewels : 26
– Frequency: 21,600 A/h (3 Hz) – Power reserve : 50 hours
– Exclusive features with :
• Magnetic resistant 15,000 Gauss • Silicon “Si14” balance spring
• OMEGA free sprung-balance”
and
“Caseback : brushed – polished caseback with double bevels “THE FIRST WATCH WORN ON THE MOON”, “FLIGHT
QUALIFIED BY NASA FOR ALL HUMAN SPACE MISSIONS” and “CO-AXIAL MASTER CHRONOMETER” engraved and in black. Embossed seahorse at the center”
With that said, no mention of the movement being NASA certified.
Kind regards,
Millenary Watches
NASA never “certified” any caliber for “space missions” but only qualified certain calibers either for on board or EVA use. Only the 321 was qualified to be worn on the moon, i.e. EVA, 861 and 1861 never were. The 861 got qualified in 1977 or 1978 for Skylab on board missions but never for EVAs.
In speaking with an Omega contact via their website chat, the rep confirmed the discontinuation of the current FIOS and Speedmaster, then went on to say the Speedmaster movement would be replaced by the 3861 AND the 321. The 321 caught me by surprise because there was no mention of this being a special edition. Has anyone heard about this or can confirm? I know there’s a 321/Ed White version but that wasn’t referenced in our conversation.
Hi Jeff,
The 321 will be reserved for special editions/the more premium timepieces.
You can read about the new Speedmaster moonwatch here:
https://millenarywatches.com/omega-speedmaster-moonwatch-discontinued/
Kind regards,
Millenary Watches
This may be bad news for me, the Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch is my favorite watch.
It is a great watch! Yes, availability will likely become poorer.
Kind regards,
Millenary Watches
Over six thousand pounds for a watch with only 50 meters of water resistance !!! I know it’s a pilots watch, but still you thought Omega would have taken this opportunity to upgrade the water resistance making it an even more attractive option !!! Probably realised it would effect their sales of all there other dive/sports watches.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, James!
Kind regards,
Millenary Watches
I’m in a position where I’m considering buying an Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch (311.30.42.30.01.005/6). Considering the discontinuation of these models, do you think that the value will increase over the next years (5-10 years)?
Hi Fred,
This is one of the most iconic watch models, and certainly Omega’s most iconic model. With that said, it is highly likely (almost certain) that these will continue to increase in value in the coming 5-10 years and become even more collectible than they already are.
We currently have one available here!
https://millenarywatches.com/watches/omega-speedmaster-professional-moonwatch-311-30-42-30-01-006-42mm-2019/
Kind regards,
Millenary Watches
This article is very poorly written. I mean come on. “Not unsurprisingly, the new models are powered by the caliber 3861. This is not a huge surprise either…” “Not unsurprisingly” means the same thing as “surprisingly” so why does the writer then say it’s not a huge surprise??. Also: “… the leather strap version for the hesalite Speedmaster which was previously available has now been removed. The leather strap option is, however, available for the hesalite Speedmaster.” So in one sentence the writer says the leather strap for the hesalite Speedmaster has been removed and in the very next sentence says it is available for the hesalite Speedmaster. Who writes this stuff?? It’s very hard to follow when you are consistently contradicting yourself.
Hi,
Thank you very much for your feedback. The article has been revised and updated.
Kind regards,
Millenary Watches