Omega has just announced a revamped Speedmaster 38 mm, bringing this smaller model into closer alignment with the traditional Speedmaster design.
There are seven variants in the first offering, ranging in style from a classic, utilitarian black model that forgoes a date window and recalls the original Speedmasters that went to the Moon, to a model with diamonds framing a mother-of-pearl dial.
The new Speedmaster 38 should delight enthusiasts who have longed for a smaller version of the standard Moon watch. For fans of the long-discontinued 39 mm cult classic known as the Speedmaster Reduced, the black version may be seen as a revival of sorts.
The legacy of the Speedmaster 38
First released in 1957 as a lap-timer intended for auto racing, the Speedmaster’s ascent into orbit in 1962 earned Omega’s chronograph global recognition. By the time NASA astronauts were walking on the Moon with 42 mm Speedmasters on their wrists, the newly dubbed “Moon watch” had become a must-have for the aspirational mid-century man.
In the decades that followed, Omega prolifically riffed on the original Speedmaster design, including a number of models intended for women. The first Speedmaster 38, released in 2017, was clearly one of these.
The original 38 featured ovalized sub-dials, which gave the chronograph a soft – some would say feminine – face, while a complex two-piece bezel and prominent date window were overt deviations from the standard Speedmaster design code. Colorful dials, alligator straps and abundant diamonds pulled the first-generation Speedmaster 38 even further out of the Moon watch’s orbit.
Despite a couple hard-to-get references with black dials, the Speedmaster 38 didn’t offer a faithful recreation of the standard Moon watch. Until now.
The second-generation Speedmaster 38
Most prominently, the newly designed Speedmaster 38 reverts to the standard round sub-dials found on the original Speedmasters. Also in alignment with the original design, single-piece bezel inserts bear clear tachymeter scales, the dial sports a minimalist printing scheme, and all references come mounted on a five-link bracelet.
For the nerdier Speedmaster fans, the 38’s tachymeter scale now features a ‘Dot-Over-90’, a forensic detail known to drive otherwise reasonable adults green with envy and red with rage. One thing is certain: the original Moon watches had a tiny dot over the 90, and when Omega produced recreations without that dot, Speedmaster obsessives protested. Omega has obviously listened.
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Returning to the macro scale, the five-link bracelet should look familiar with its alternately brushed and polished surfaces.
Two-tone models feature either Omega’s proprietary Moonshine gold (the green reference with silvery opaline dial) or Sedna gold (the cappuccino-brown reference with an ivory-colored dial). The two diamond-set models forgo the tachymeter scale and sport either a radially brushed ice-blue dial or one made from genuine mother-of-pearl.
Finally, there are three relatively standard Moon watch tributes. One features a white lacquered dial and blue ceramic bezel, while another warmer variant dons a silvery opaline dial with Sedna gold hands and markers set inside a tasteful gray aluminum bezel insert.
All except one of the new Speedmaster 38s are powered by Omega’s venerable Co-Axial Calibre 3330, which features a date complication. The all-important black variant uses the dateless Calibre 3320.
The return of a cult classic
At 42 mm, the original Moon watches were big for their time. So, in 1988 – when men’s watches were still relatively diminutive – Omega brought out a more affordable 39 mm version with a rather unromantic name: the Speedmaster Reduced. “The Reduced,” as enthusiasts call it, became something of a cult classic.
The Reduced was seen by the watch fraternity as a great value proposition, not least by those who were after something easily wearable as a ‘daily driver’ that had class and style but was easily affordable. Consequently, the Speedmaster Reduced became a sign of evolved taste among a certain ilk of style-conscious watch nerds.
Then, in 2009, just as word about the Reduced was moving beyond that ilk into the mainstream, Omega ceased production. Prices for pre-owned Reduced shot up, then doubled, then kept rising.
Omega Speedmaster 38
There are seven variants of the Omega Speedmaster 38, including a no-date black model.
There are two diamond-set models, one with an ice-blue dial and another made from genuine mother-of-pearl.
The diamond-set models forgo the tachymeter scale.
A further two options in a two-tone model, including the cappuccino-brown Sedna gold.
And a green reference with silvery opaline dial features Omega’s proprietary Moonshine gold.
The Speedmaster 38 with a white lacquered dial and blue ceramic bezel.
A warmer variant dons a silvery opaline dial with Sedna gold hands.
With the no-date black version of the revised Speedmaster 38, we might argue that – minus the unromantic moniker – the Reduced is back.
For a previously feminine-leaning collection to receive a straightforward Moon watch tribute at 38 mm is big news for Speedmaster fans. This is likely going to be the reference that sells out quickly, making it obvious that Omega is very much in tune with street-level concerns – right down to the tiniest dot.
