Something we’ve learned about the Speedmaster over the years is that it can be, quite literally, anything. The Speedy is effectively a brand unto itself, with watches in the collection that strike just about every note possible in watchmaking. There are traditional vintage inspired Speedmasters, modern and tactical Speedmasters, Speedmasters with a jewelry focus, Speedmasters that exist to display Omega’s prowess in chronometry, and Speedmasters that are overtly obsessed with NASA and space exploration. There are even plastic Speedmasters and Speedmasters with Snoopy on the dial (which of those Speedys is made for children is an open question). Speedys come in all sizes, are made in every metal imaginable (plus some not-metals), and, even though Speedmasters are, if nothing else, chronographs, they’ve been made with a whole bunch of other complications as well. This is all just to say that in the world of Speedmasters, it’s hard to be surprised in 2025. So when Omega began teasing a new Speedy on social media recently and the guessing game began, every suggestion seemed possible.
Today, Omega announced the new Speedmaster Moonphase Meteorite, a 43mm stainless steel Speedy with a meteorite dial (in two finishes) and double moonphase display at 6:00. It also features a new caliber capable of displaying the correct moonphase for both the northern and southern hemispheres.
This isn’t the first time Omega has incorporated meteorite into a Speedmaster. My personal favorite Speedy that makes use of meteorite is the platinum Moonwatch that finally saw the reintroduction of the 321 caliber back in 2019. For that reference, meteorite was used in the subdials and the effect was subtle to say the least – just a hint of meteorite. These watches take a very different approach, with the main dial of each made from iron meteorite. Because meteorite is a natural material, no two examples will be exactly alike – the patterns and inclusions in the stone will vary from dial to dial. The Speedmaster Moonphase Meteorite can be had in either black PVD or galvanic gray coated execution.
Beyond the inherent drama of the meteorite dials, the main draw of these watches would appear to be the novel moonphase display, with moons crafted from what Omega describes as “moon meteorite.” The background of the subdial features a star filled background, and Omega says the stars are positioned just as they were on the night Apollo 11 landed on the moon in 1969, as seen from Omega’s headquarters in Bienne.
The chronograph can time events up to 12 hours via the 3:00 subdial, which uses two hands to record both minutes and hours simultaneously. The 9:00 subdial features running seconds along with a date display. It’s all powered by the Co-Axial Master Chronometer Calibre 9914, a manually wound movement that can be observed through the display caseback. It is, like all modern Omega movements, METAS certified, making it anti-magnetic up to 15,000 gauss in addition to being a certified chronometer. Other details include 18K gold hands and hour markers on each watch (they’ve been blue PVD coated on the gray meteorite dial) and matching stainless steel bracelet with Omega’s comfort release adjustment system. These watches are 13.6mm thick, 48.6mm from lug to lug, and, with apologies to your strap collection, have a lug width of 21mm.
The Speemdaster Moonphase Meteorite arrives at a time when stone dials, meteorite dials, mother-of-pearl dials, etc. have reached a boiling point in popularity. You can hear the backlash against these dial treatments forming in the comments of many an Instagram post, and this release has a whiff of that Steve Buscemi “How do you do, fellow kids?” meme. This feels like a big brand – one of the biggest brands – trying to get in on a trend that started with obscure vintage “geezer” watches, moved to micros and indies, and, perhaps, ends here.
I have a real fondness for meteorite and stone dials, but they have to be used in an authentic way that makes sense for the watch, and for the brand. Again, I really love the subtle use of meteorite as an accent in that Platinum 321 Speedy – you could say this watch is using meteorite in the opposite way in how it literally doubles down on the material. More meteorite does not equal better meteorite, though, and as the material and others like it continue to be used more widely, I hope that brands will experiment and find new and interesting ways to use it.
The retail price for the new Speedmaster Moonphase Meteorite is $17,100. Omega