OMEGA Takes to the Skies Once More with Stunning Speedmaster Pilot

With only a few short weeks left in the year, you’d be forgiven for taking your foot off the pedal, but OMEGA is setting its sights sky-high. The Swiss luxury watch brand has unveiled a new Speedmaster Pilot release aimed at a new generation of aspiring aviation legends. What’s more, it’s leveraging heritage as a key pillar of intrigue—not only does the latest Speedmaster Pilot arrive with a striking sub-dial colourway, but it mirrors the very same symmetrical style of the original Speedmaster from 1957.

Touching down at a cool 40.85mm in diameter, the new aviation Speedmaster maintains the unique ultra-robust framework of the mid-century marvel, most notably through the much-coveted ‘Dot Over Ninety’ mark. A subtle feature favourited by Speedmaster lovers, this unique marking is generally only found on heritage releases; however, OMEGA has incorporated the visual aid to help bolster the vintage appeal. This is further accentuated by the ‘Diagonal to Seventy’ mark on the tachymeter scale.

What really makes this piece stand out, however, is the grained, matte-black dial. The textured finish of the watch face, while subtle, provides a unique backdrop for the bright, white Super-LumiNova hour/minute hands and hour markers. Look closer, and you’ll even spot a varnished orange aeroplane tip fixed to the matte-black central chronograph hand.

For OMEGA fans, a return to aviation glory is long overdue. While the watchmaker is perhaps best known for its work on space exploration, its pedigree for travel a little closer to the ground is not to be overlooked. Take the original Flightmaster, for example.

First released in 1969, the timepiece was specially designed to 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. Radical by design, that collection featured big, bold colours and subdials, a stark contrast to the standard chronographs of the time. More than 50 years on, its spiritual successor is reviving those unique design codes.

The new Speedmaster Pilot boasts twin subdials, both opaline at the centre and bevelled on the outside, providing a subtle pop of colour that again speaks to OMEGA’s vintage charm. At 3H, OMEGA has included a 60-minute and 12-hour recorder with a triangular matte-orange hand and transferred white numerals. According to OMEGA, the subdial is designed to look like the “burn rate” indicator in aircraft cockpits.

Inside the vintage-inspired metallic caseback, stamped with the Speedmaster’s traditional Seahorse medallion, OMEGA has fitted the new Speedmaster Pilot with a Co-Axial Master Chronometer Calibre 9900. A METAS-certified movement, the self-winding power supply provides stellar accuracy, performance and magnetic resistance. Considering the original timepiece was designed to tackle the rigours of piloting U.S. Air Force jets, the inclusion of a rugged movement feels entirely fitting.

Priced at AUD$15,725, the latest OMEGA Speedmaster Pilot arrives on either a stainless steel bracelet featuring OMEGA’s patented comfort release adjustment system or on the included grey NATO strap. The strap is innovatively reinforced with KEVLAR threads and a brushed stainless steel buckle, giving further credibility to the durable, mil-spec approach OMEGA is channelling to close out 2024. It’s one impressive piece of kit and, if you ask me, the perfect way to usher in the new year.

OMEGA Speedmaster Pilot Ref. 332.10.41.51.01.002

• Brand: OMEGA
• Model: Speedmaster Pilot
• Reference: Ref. 332.10.41.51.01.002
• Diameter: 40.85mm
• Thickness: 14.7mm
• Movement: OMEGA 9900 Self-winding
• Power Reserve: 60 hours
• Water-Resistance: 100 metres
• Price: AUD$15,725