Omega love a cheeky celebrity plug for their watches. When they released the Speedmaster with white lacquer dial it transpired that Danial Craig had been seen wearing the watch weeks earlier. For the new Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Bi-Colour the celebrity connection is a bit more straightforward because they have used this release as an occasion to also announce that Barry Keoghan, of Saltburn, Banshees on Inisherin, Eternals and more, has become an official Omega ambassador.
While Keoghan drips with that non-classical heartthrob energy that Hollywood is obsessed with at the moment, our focus is on the pair of bi-colour Omegas. The first, which he is pictured wearing, is the ref. 310.20.42.50.02.001. It’s the steel and moonshine gold edition with a silver dial, black bezel, steel case and gold accents across the subdials, bezel, pushers, crown and bracelet. Of the two, this is definitely my preferred colourway.
The second edition is ref. 310.20.42.50.99.001, which is produced in steel and Sedna (rose by any other name) gold. The portions of the case and bracelet that are gold and steel are the same as the moonshine version but the dial is dramatically different. Here, the main dial is itself gold while the subdials are black, giving it a much darker tone overall. Combined with the redder tones of the gold, it feels retro but not in a good way, like a brown living room that nobody wants any more – at least in comparison to the bright and fresh feel of the moonshine.
Really, I think what holds both models back is their unwillingness to deviate from the black tachymeter bezel. If it was a matching gold colour or even silver, the colour palette would feel more cohesive. However, I do understand the logic as both watches are the halfway, bi-colour hybrids of existing models, so are likely to draw interest from collectors.
Beneath the gold and steel surfaces, the two watches house the same movement, the Omega 3861. It’s a modern staple of the Speedmaster Moonwatch and features manual-winding with a 50-hour power reserve. It has a Co-Axial escapement and METAS master chronometer certification.
Completing the list of similarities, both versions of the Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Bi-Colour are priced at £17,100. Just as bi-colour is halfway between steel and gold, so too is that price roughly halfway between Omega’s full steel and gold offerings. And Barry’s here too. Good for Barry.
Price and Specs:
310.20.42.50.99.001 (stainless steel and Sedna Gold)
More details at Omega.
