OMEGA Speedmaster Moonwatch White Dial - Everything You Need to Know

In November last year at the Planet Omega exhibition in New York City, Daniel Craig caught looks as movie stars typically do at any event, but watch enthusiasts across the globe were fixated on what the Bond actor was wearing on his wrist, a white dial Speedmaster with red dial text no one was able to ID. The swirling speculation persisted for months until Omega officially announced the white Speedmaster Moonwatch in March of 2024, resulting in probably the most talked about luxury watch release of the entire year. Since its release, I have long awaited to be able to spend some time with this watch. I've been wearing this basically daily for the last couple of weeks. So in this video, we're going to talk about what is new, how does it compare to the black dial variations and other notable details, and finally, my opinion overall. Despite the lack of restraint when using the word at times, the truth is that there are very few icons in the watch world, period. Most watch enthusiasts are no doubt aware of the reputation the Speedmaster was able to garner with its connection to the Apollo program of the 1960s and early 1970s, cementing the mold of its horological importance as well as the relative form of its design in the decades to come. Now, there have been some subtle changes throughout the years to the Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch, yet what has ultimately made this watch such an icon is its uniformity of a black dial, white markings, and a 42 millimeter case. The main variance in the Moonwatch over the years was the gradual change in manual wound calibers from the column wheel 321 to the 861 to the 1861, and eventually the release of the coaxial 3861. The 3861 Speedmaster launched in 2021 and it took the watch world by storm. It certainly represented a considerable price increase for the Speedmaster, which in addition to the new movement, also featured a new yet vintage inspired tapering bracelet, a bracelet which also was then updated with a quick adjust class system a couple years later. Since its launch, Omega has slowly but surely expanded the Moonwatch range, bringing to the forefront precious metal versions in Moonshine, Everose, and Canopus Gold, Omega's versions of Yellow, Rose, and White Gold respectively. Among the more daring materials, the core of the Moonwatch family was defined by its stainless steel standard production offerings, making this white dial a new evolution of this arrangement in the sapphire sandwich configuration. And let's take a moment to even define what that means as it does sound kind of silly. In the classic black dial Moonwatch model, there are two variations for you to choose from. There is the Hesalite crystal version, which uses an acrylic crystal akin to what was qualified for use by NASA, and a sapphire crystal version, which brings a bit of modernity to the watch. The sapphire model is often called the sapphire sandwich because it has both a sapphire crystal on the front and a sapphire exhibition case back, while also featuring an applied Omega logo on the dial and polished interior points of the links on the bracelet. The Hesalite version takes on more of a purpose-built look and feel because, well, that's where it draws its roots from. It also bears the fame case back inscription of flight qualified in 1965 for all manned space missions, the first watch worn on the Moon. By contrast, the sapphire model has the last part of the message, the first watch on the Moon, engraved on the outer part of the case back. All of this to say that this white dial Speedmaster is going to be a sapphire sandwich model. That means it comes with those polished parts of the links, tapering down from 20 millimeters at the lugs to 15 millimeters at the clasp, plus having the new quick adjust system, allowing you to fine tune the bracelet by just about three millimeters, which equates to just under a single links worth of adjustability. One other small design detail that is novel here is that the line clasp has this blackened tone to the recessed linear pattern, serving as a small tie-in to the contrasted markers needed to work off the white dial backdrop. The measurements come in with some familiarity as well. The case is 42 millimeters in diameter, 13.2 millimeters thick, and according to Omega, has a lug to lug of 47.5 millimeters. However, I find it measures closer to 47.2 millimeters with my calipers. I often claim that the Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch is one of the most universally viable watches on the market in terms of wear, as its presence across the wrist is substantial enough to make the larger-wristed Among Us comfortable, while its length will not overhang except on the smallest of wrists out there, being more compact in its measurement at that point than the 39 millimeter Black Bay 58 for context. Further, if you measure from the outer edge of the aluminum tachymeter bezel to the other side, the watch measures at a diameter of 40 millimeters, which I feel is a more accurate representation of what to expect with its wear, especially with the way that the bracelet falls around the wrist. The only other point I will discuss about size is the optics of the white dial in comparison to the black, as in typical fashion, the white dial does appear larger by a slight margin. Inside the white Speedy is the 3861 being visible through the bottom half of the sapphire sandwich. Given that this is a manual-wound caliber, very little is hidden from view, with a level of finishing that is honestly quite outstanding given the $8,100 price point on a bracelet. The Cote de Genève finish on the bridges, power screw heads, jewel sinks, and movement architecture is attractive to look at. This movement with its 3 Hz frequency and 50 hours of power reserve is the first caliber featured in a standard production Moonwatch that has received a coaxial escapement and is compliant with the Metas standard, a chronometer standard that was developed by Omega with the Swiss Federal Institute of Metrology and premiered in 2015. It involves several tests and requires many of them to be done with the watch fully cased up rather than just the caliber for COSC. Along with the often-documented perks of the master chronometer standard, the 3861 delivers other characteristics like hacking seconds, unlike the former 1861, and like all Speedmasters in the Moonwatch family, you are getting more than a sufficient 50 meters of water resistance. But the real story here with this watch is obviously the dial. Apart from the color, this version of the Speedmaster Moonwatch has a completely different dial-making process featuring a high-gloss lacquer dial compared to the more familiar black grain. This dial process involves taking brass blanks, then adding an initial white painted layer, then applying roughly 10 layers of transparent lacquer to the dial to create this reflective glossy nature, evoking an enamel look that can't be classified as anything short of phenomenal in appearance. The Black Sapphire Sandwich watches have primarily printed dials apart from the applied Omega logo. In the case of the white, a sense of dimension is provided with the raised indications throughout. What does remain is the step central dial and recessed three registers, but from there, the plot changes. Along the slanted dial perimeter are printed black markings for minutes and raised hour indices that are faceted and contain lume at their outer points, with the orientation dots at 12 also being raised. Given the limited real estate the lume will occupy, the white speedies will not have as much glow as the black dial variants in the lume department. Another thing I want to clarify is the color of these markers at first glance in direct sunlight appear like a vivid black, however they are actually more of a dark metallic slate gray color that will transform into higher contrast at certain angles. The applied Omega logo and hands follow the same coloration as the outer markers, with the pops of color coming from the red Speedmaster text at 12, and the tip of the chronograph second hand being the cherry on top of the fresh design. So I'm a believer that there is no required prerequisite to watch collecting, or that you even need to own any specific watch to be classified as a watch enthusiast. However, I think everyone owes it to themselves to at least try on a Speedmaster and to appreciate its seat at the table of icons. A big part of what has made the Speedmaster a legend is that it's uncompromising in its consistency of upholding its design codes, as to be appreciated nearly universally, a watch needs to be understood by a design that is imagined universally. Despite many limited editions and varying takes on the Speedmaster DNA, we have never had a standard production white dial Speedmaster Moonwatch in stainless steel, so this release is a big deal. So far the rollout for these watches have been relatively slow as we have not received these with any consistency so far, and it seems that we are still months away from being able to see them more readily available. In totality, the white Speedmaster is very much a modern take on the design, from the applied markers, the dial making process, the pops of red, and the use of a sapphire crystal. Although it is more the same than it is different to the black dial versions, as a black dial Hesalite owner, I wouldn't find it redundant to own this white dial alongside another Moonwatch in a collection. That is a stance though that is probably mostly reserved for the speedy diehards though. In most cases, if a brand decided to release a new white dial variation of one of their watches, we would be letting out a collective, what's the big deal? The Speedmaster though is judged on a different set of rules as a byproduct of its design consistency in the professional form, demonstrating that reinventing the wheel is not always necessary to create a watch that can generate shockwaves around the industry. But alright guys, that is my take looking at this new white Speedmaster Moonwatch. I'd love to hear your take down below. This has been probably one of the most talked about luxury watch releases of the year. Have you had a chance to try this one on yet or see it out in the wild? Love to see some comments, or are you one of the lucky few so far that have actually been able to acquire this piece? Love to see those comments down below. What is your take? Would you rather the white dial or the traditional black dial? Also, if you enjoyed the video, please give it a thumbs up, subscribe, hit the bell icon, really do appreciate that as well. 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