Omega Refreshes the Speedmaster ’57 with a New Movement and Dial Colors, Plus Two New Moonshine Gold Speedies

It’s New Omega Day, and if you thought we’d escape with only the ultra capable Ultra Deep that Blake wrote about earlier today and not hit on what is arguably the brand’s most important product line, the Speedmaster, well, there was absolutely zero chance. After last year’s introduction of an all new Moonwatch with a METAS certified caliber and January’s launch of what is probably the most opulent Speedy ever, Omega has split the difference with their Spring releases, giving us a vintage inspired update to a fan favorite with an interesting new movement, along with another solid gold option in a dial color that’s still very much of the moment. 

The new generation Speedmaster ‘57 is the latest version of their vintage inspired Speedmaster line first introduced in 2013. Since that first launch, there have been a bunch of ‘57 releases, but a few key features tied them all together. These are two register chronographs with a date at 6:00, and maintain some important vintage cues from the earliest Speedmasters that are particularly important to collectors, namely the straight lug design, steel tachymeter bezel, and (usually) a smaller size. The thing about these watches that always seemed somewhat incongruous to me was the use of an automatic movement. I think I get what Omega was up to here: it was an attempt to marry an important design language from the brand’s past with the best of their movement tech from today. Now, I’m no purist, and I’m fine with an automatic Speedmaster in principle, but for me it always felt wrong to have a watch that looks so carefully to the past without a hand wound movement. 

That’s corrected in this new refresh, as each Speedmaster ‘57 (we’ll get to the variants in a moment) is running on the brand new Calibre 9906. This is a co-axial movement with Omega’s “Master Chronometer” and METAS certification, so it represents the current top-of-the-line in the brand’s movement technology. But it’s hand wound, which allows for a more slender case that should get this Speedy feeling closer to a vintage watch on the wrist – it measures 12.99mm thick, about 0.6mm thinner than the new Moonwatch Omega released last year. The two register plus date dial layout remains, so if you’re a fan of this more modern twist on a Speedmaster dial, Omega’s got you covered. 

In addition to the case being noticeably thinner, it’s getting smaller in terms of its diameter as well. The new Speedmaster ‘57 measures 40.5mm wide and is 49.6mm from lug to lug. These sound like Goldilocks dimensions to me, and I’m excited to see these in the metal at some point in the (hopefully) not too distant future to feel how they wear. As you’d expect for a ‘57, the lug profile is straight, similar to the original CK 2915 Speedmaster that this watch shares so much DNA with. 

OK, on to the variants. Omega is offering the new Speedmater ‘57 in a total of four dial options: a black sandwich dial with faux-patina lume, green PVD with applied rhodium plated markers, blue PVD with those same applied markers, and a varnished burgundy. The colored dials all have a contrasting black minutes track, and a matching track outlining each subdial. All feature a handset that includes a broad arrow hour hand, which is a feature that was introduced in the ‘57 line in 2015, and feels integral to tying these watches to the original Speedies of the late 50s. 

The new Speedmaster ‘57 watches start at CHF 7,700 on a strap (for the blue and red dials) and go up to CHF 8,000 on a bracelet. But if you’ve got some additional cash to spend on a Speedmaster this year, Omega has a few more gold options for you. Two new Moonwatches in their “Moonshine” yellow gold alloy were introduced alongside the Speedmaster ‘57 lineup. The first has a solid gold case and matching bracelet, along with a dark green dial with matching gold accents. For something a bit more subtle and sporty, Omega is offering a reference with gold dial with black subdials (for a golden panda look). This one comes on an integrated rubber strap, and seems aimed squarely as an alternative to similarly equipped gold Rolex Daytonas. 

The gold Speedmasters are both Moonwatches and come in the traditional 42mm case, and are outfitted with Omega’s Calibre 3861 (the same movement as last year’s Moonwatch, fully METAS certified, of course). The retail price for the gold panda Speedmaster on a rubber strap is CHF 24,400, while the green dialed version on the gold bracelet has a retail price of CHF 32,200. Omega