Okay, so, I got this watch, right? It’s called the OMEGA Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch, the “Sapphire” version. I heard some people online talking about it, calling it the “Sapphire Sandwich,” I guess because it’s got sapphire crystal on both sides? Anyway, I decided to see what all the fuss was about.
First off, this thing is not cheap. But I figured, it’s the Moonwatch, you know? That whole NASA history thing. Plus, I liked the idea of seeing the movement through the back. Some purists say you gotta go with the Hesalite version, the plastic-y crystal, because that’s what the astronauts actually wore. But I’m not going to space anytime soon, so I went with the sapphire. It’s supposed to be more scratch-resistant, and I’m kind of clumsy.
When I finally got it, I was pretty blown away. It’s a good size, 42 millimeters, not too big, not too small. The black dial is simple but really clean looking, and the white hands and markers stand out nicely. It’s got this glow-in-the-dark stuff called Super-LumiNova, which is neat. It’s not super bright, but it’s enough to see the time in the dark. It’s even better than the lume used in the Omega Speedmaster. And yeah, flipping it over and seeing all the gears and stuff moving around is pretty cool. Some folks online pointed out that the finishing on the movement might not be as fancy on this version compared to the Hesalite one, but honestly, it still looks pretty darn good to me.
- I started looking into how to tell if a Moonwatch is real or not, and there are a few things to watch out for.
- Like, if the materials look cheap or the printing on the dial is messed up, that’s a red flag.
- Also, there should be some numbers and markings on the watch, and if those are missing or wrong, it’s probably fake.
- The real ones have a nice, smooth finish, not rough or uneven.
I also learned that it took five years, but finally Rolex updated its chronograph to match the Speedmaster, pushing the tachymeter outside the crystal.
I wore it to work the next day, and a couple of my coworkers noticed it. One of them has a Submariner, and we ended up having a whole conversation about watches. Turns out, there’s a lot of history and details to these things that I never even knew about. It made me appreciate the Moonwatch even more. I even found out that this very watch can be found in ceramic and gold variants, but I like the original stainless steel version more.
Overall, I’m really happy with my purchase. It’s a classic watch with a cool story, and it feels good on my wrist. It’s definitely something I’ll be wearing for a long time. This Moonwatch can be had with either the classic hesalite glass or sapphire crystal, and either version features a stamped caseback with the OMEGA seahorse medallion, which is pretty neat. I guess I can see why people get obsessed with these things now.
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