Flight School: Omega’s Speedmaster Pilot Gains Altitude

Long before Omega’s Speedmaster made its famous landing on the moon in 1969, the iconic chronograph, which debuted in 1957, was the go-to watch for race car drivers and pilots, especially those who flew in the US Air Force at the time.

Introduced last month, the Speedmaster Pilot ($9,500) takes inspiration from the original, which was regarded for its robustness, reliability, and legibility in the cockpit.

The 40.85mm stainless steel case has a matte finish to reduce light reflection. At the same time, the bezel is fitted with a matte aluminum ring that echoes the Speedy’s heritage with a “Dot Over Ninety” and “Diagonal to Seventy” mark on the tachymeter scale.

The Speedmaster Pilot’s distinguishing characteristic is the non-reflective, grained, matte black dial with its eye-catching twin sub-dials, which are opaline at the center and beveled around the perimeter for added depth and dimension.
 

Both sub-dials also include subtle nods to the cockpit. For example, at 3 o’clock, a 60-minute and 12-hour register is appointed with a triangular matte-orange hand and transferred white Arabic numerals. The design evokes the look of a “burn rate” indicator on a plane’s instrument panel.

Meanwhile, the small seconds display at 9 o’clock features a target/sight design in a nod to flight deck gauges with a varnished matte-yellow hand and artificial horizon in blue.
 

The hour and minute hands, along with the hour indicators, are appointed with chunky blocks of white Super-LumiNova that glow bright green in the dark, while the central chronograph hand is tipped with a varnished orange airplane as seen from a bird’s eye view.

The brand’s automatic Co-Axial Master Chronometer Calibre 9900 is behind a solid metal caseback emblazoned with Speedmaster’s traditional Seahorse medallion and engraved with “100m / 330ft,” referencing water resistance.

The column-wheel chronograph with a co-axial escapement is a certified master chronometer, meeting the heightened standards of METAS, which include resistance to magnetic fields reaching 15,000 gauss, and features include a silicon balance spring, two barrels mounted in series generating 60 hours of power reserve, and a time zone function. It’s finished with rhodium plating and Geneva waves in arabesque.

Finally, the Speedmaster Pilot ($9,500) comes on a stainless steel bracelet with the brand’s patented comfort release adjustment system, while an alternate gray NATO strap reinforced with KEVLAR threads lets you change up the look with a special tool.
 

The watch and accessories come packaged in a practical gray travel pouch that’s ready for takeoff. For more information about the Speedmaster Pilot, check out OMEGA’s website.