Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Professional In Moonshine Gold
March 24, 2022Yesterday, Omega announced a wave of new models in Miami, including the new Ultra Deep, two new color-packed Aqua Terra ranges, and a brand new generation of the Speedmaster ’57. We have hands-on stories coming for all of that (and more) but I’d like to start with my favorite of the new releases: The Speedmaster Moonwatch Moonshine Gold.
The last time I was in Miami, back in the spring of 2019, Omega showed off the first Speedmaster made with its proprietary 18k yellow gold alloy, Moonshine Gold. It was a jaw-droppingly cool tribute to the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11. And, as Speedy fans will note, since then Omega has updated its core steel Moonwatch line with the caliber 3861 Speedmaster Professional.
The watch you see here essentially combines both of the aforementioned steps of the Speedmaster lineage. The result is a fully Moonshined 3861 Speedmaster that joins the current ranks alongside the Sedna and Canopus Gold Speedies. It’s easily my fave of the precious metal Speedmaster trio.
For those you not up to date on your proprietary brand alloys, Omega Moonshine Gold was developed by Omega and launched in 2019 as a higher-performance alternative to traditional 18k yellow gold. Using a mix of gold, silver, copper, and palladium, Moonshine Gold has a somewhat cooler and distinctive coloring than that of more common alloys and its composition is meant to prevent the color and shine of the metal from fading over time.
Offered in two dial variations and with either a matched gold bracelet or a lovely rubber strap, the new Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Moonshine Gold (I’m going to go with Moonshine Speedmaster, as I don’t get paid by the word) comes in either a Moonshine gold dial with black subdials and accents and a black ceramic bezel, or a PVD green dial with gold accents and a green ceramic bezel.
When it comes to precious metal sports watches, I am simply a sucker for yellow gold, and, though I’m on record as not being a huge Speedmaster guy, it’s a whole different conversation if we’re talking gold. A steel Speedmaster is undoubtedly an incredible watch with an amazing lineage, but for me, the gold makes it so much more special, uncommon, and fun to wear.
Just as with the established 3861 models, the Omega Moonshine Speedmasters are 42mm wide, 13.18mm thick, 47.5mm lug to lug. The 3861 is a hand-wound Co-Axial Master Chronometer that has been certified by METAS and runs at 3 Hz, offers 50 hours of power reserve, and features the same technical specifications as we’ve seen with past iterations of the 3861 Speedmaster. As is common to most Speedmaster models, the Moonshine Speedmasters have sapphire crystals up front and a sapphire display caseback. Of these two new models, I still have no idea which one I would pick if I ever found myself in such a wonderful predicament. The panda version, with its black-on-gold coloring, feels deeply classic to me and it works just as well on the rubber strap as it does on the bracelet. But the green is so dark and rich that it’s hard for me to not think of it as the more special and distinctive of the two. If you have a clear pick between the two, please hit the comments and let me know why you prefer one over the other. Speaking of the bracelet and the rubber strap, if you have the means to own one of these gold Speedies, I’d suggest getting both. The bracelet is simply excellent. Mostly brushed, it’s thin with rounded links and it tapers from 20mm at the lugs to 15mm at the clasp. The clasp is not especially bulky but thankfully Omega has managed to integrate their push-button two-position (2.3mm) extension. The rubber is thin and soft, with minimal shape-molding it tapers to 16mm where it flows nicely into a Moonshine Gold foldover clasp. The tail runs underneath and the rubber feels very comfortable. As an added Moonwatch treat, the inside of the strap is decorated to look like the surface of the Moon surrounding the lunar landing site. What else is there to say? I’ll leave the rest to these photos. Because the truth is that this Moonshine Gold is an aesthetic treatment with no practical benefit over steel– it’s all about the look and how it makes you feel. And for a piece of a collection launched alongside the boldly colorful backdrop of Miami, the Moonshine Speedy feels pretty dang great.