Watches | OMEGA
OMEGA Reaches the Skies - With the New Speedmaster Pilot
| 2024-12-10 |     |
Soaring between Earth and space, OMEGA watches have enjoyed a long history in the skies. Many pilots have relied on the brand’s functionality and precision to keep their flights on track – and on time. This year, to propel that legacy further, OMEGA proudly launches the new Speedmaster Pilot.
This 40.85 mm design takes its inspiration from the very first Speedmaster born in 1957. Known for its robust, reliable, and easy-to-read design, that original model became a “pilots’ choice” for many who flew in the U.S Air Force at the time. The symmetrical body of the new watch is crafted in stainless steel and features a matte finish to ensure it avoids light reflections. The bezel is mounted with a matte aluminium ring and retains its connection to Speedmaster heritage through a “Dot Over Ninety” and “Diagonal to Seventy” mark on the tachymeter scale.
For wearers, the true individuality of this watch appears on the grained matte-black dial. Here, the hour/minute hands and hour markers are all presented with large blocks of white Super-LumiNova (green emission), providing full visibility during dark night flights. The matte-black central chronograph hand also stands out thanks to its varnished orange airplane tip.
Perhaps most eye-catching of all are the twin subdials – both opaline at the centre and bevelled on the outside. At 3H, OMEGA has included a 60-minute and 12-hour recorder with a triangular matte-orange hand and transferred white numerals. The subdial is designed to look like the “burn rate” indicator in aircraft cockpits.
Similarly, at 9H, the watch reveals a Small Seconds display, with a target/sight aesthetic inspired by cockpits, featuring a varnished matte-yellow hand and artificial horizon in blue.
Outstanding OMEGA precision is assured in the Speedmaster Pilot thanks to the Co-Axial Master Chronometer Calibre 9900, which is certified by METAS at the highest standard of accuracy, performance, and magnetic-resistance. The movement sits just behind a metallic caseback, which is stamped with the Speedmaster’s traditional Seahorse medallion, and engraved with the water-resistance of “100m / 330ft”.
The watch can be worn on a stainless steel bracelet featuring OMEGA’s patented comfort release adjustment system, or alternatively on the additional grey NATO strap that is included, along with a special travel pouch. This strap is innovatively reinforced with KEVLAR® threads and a brushed stainless steel buckle.
OMEGA’s Early Flight History
OMEGA watches have historically earned a very respected reputation amongst pilots. Beginning in World War II, the brand delivered more than 110,000 watches to Great Britain’s MoD to support its Air Force and Navy pilots during service. Perhaps the most famous and widely-used of these was the UK/CK2292. Supplied to the majority of RAF and Fleet Air Arm personnel, this watch was notable for its greater magnetic-resistance, which was ideal for pilots who sat behind the powerful engines of their Hurricanes and Spitfires.
When the OMEGA Speedmaster was born in 1957, it was quickly adopted by some pilots in the U.S Air Force, many of whom would later become Mercury astronauts in NASA’s first manned space programme.
In 1969, the OMEGA Flightmaster was released to specifically meet the needs of aircraft pilots, allowing them to check the time in an instant, while also giving travellers a complete instrument for their journeys. The radical design was big and bold, and a stark contrast to the standard chronographs of the time. 1969 was also the year of the first Concorde flight. Not only were OMEGA time-measuring instruments made standard components for several Concorde aircraft, but many of the Concorde crew also chose to wear OMEGA watches to keep accurate time close at hand. One of those was Captain John Hackett, the first person to pilot Concorde over the Atlantic Ocean.