First Look: Omega Speedmaster Grey Side of The Moon
Sleek, modern, iconic, master craftsmanship…
The Omega Speedmaster Grey Side of The Moon Co-Axial Chronograph has it all!
This is my First Look at my favorite Speedy ever produced.
When it comes to marketing, there are only a handful of luxury watch brands that have mastered the art form to place themselves at the forefront of consumer’s minds when they think about timepieces. For Omega, they’ve done what no other brand before or after has been able to accomplish, they’ve made their brand name synonymous with a piece of world history that will never be forgotten.
The Omega Speedmaster is famous for being the first watch on the moon and it’s the story Omega continues to tell with each new variant release of the Speedmaster chronograph line.
In 2012 Omega released the Dark Side and Grey Side of The Moon Speedmaster variants, both constructed with ultra lightweight and durable ceramic cases, bezels, crown, and pushers. While the Dark Side is certainly a beauty in its own right, it’s the Grey Side variant that caught my attention and eventually lead to my acquisition of one.
Like gold, and the various other precious materials used for the construction of timepieces, ceramic is nothing new, but because ceramic is far less dense than gold or platinum and much more scratch resistant than stainless steel the material has become a favorite among the world’s finest watch makers since it was introduced to the market. While some don’t adopt the fully ceramic case ideology, brands like Rolex have updated fan favorite models like the Daytona 116500 and the Submariner 116610 to feature ceramic bezel inserts.
With inserts aside and the exception of Hublot’s Integral Ceramic line and Audemar Piguet’s all white ceramic perpetual (GRAIL), most ceramic timepieces are often murdered out in all black. While albeit beautiful, to me they always appear like a grand step above PVD coating and not worth the additional investment-minus the AP white ceramic’s evil twin (again, GRAIL).
This is where the Grey Side of The Moon differs from it’s contemporaries…
Starting off as a white ceramic, the case of the Grey Side of The Moon is then heated to 20,000 degrees celsius for three hours in a plasma heating chamber which transforms the material into a beautiful grey. Lazer technology is then used to etch the famous tachymetre into the bezel and finally the outer edges of the bezel, lugs and case sides are polished to an illustrious shine and balanced through brushed portions of the case. The result is a watch that is light as moon dust, tough as diamonds and has a breath taking luster that reminds me of pure platinum every time I look down at my wrist.
Speaking of platinum, the GSOTM draws inspiration from the Rolex Yacht Master 40 (ref. #16622) and includes a platinum sand blasted dial as well. In pictures the dial appears white in color, but in person you can really see the detail in the sandblasted design-especially when the dial twinkles likes stars in the night sky when viewed under natural light. Trust me when I say that wearing this watch will have you doing more wrist rolls in the sun than you ever imagined!
But my favorite part about the GSOTM chronograph? The LUME!
Okay, I’ll admit, it’s not a necessity as I could never imagine myself in need of changing my time or doing any calculations of time in the dark, but the luminous tachymetre and Omega logo on the crown is pretty damn awesome!
While a brand like Omega probably knew these features were never going to be used justifiably, I guarantee they were at least aware of all the tags and mentions their brand would get when social media savvy owners would post lume shots of the GSOTM to their accounts. As a professional marketing strategist, I tip my hat to you Omega!
To complete the look and drive the theme home, this Grey Side comes fitted on a grey alligator leather strap on tang buckle with racing style holes for the buckle to fit through. Omega also offers a model that features a fully ceramic deployant clasp instead of a stainless steel tang buckle for an additional $1,500 on top of the $12,000 MSRP for this version.
Thought sitting at 44.25mm in diameter and 15mm in thickness the GSOTM doesn’t wear like a large watch at all. In fact, the tapered lugs help give the timepiece a low profile and 4 of the 15mm’s of thickness is taken up by the two sapphire crystals that sandwich the case together. Because of it’s subtle and conservative design aspects, most people don’t even notice I’m wearing a $12,000 piece of art on my wrist when I’m out and about…and honestly, I prefer it that way.
All the pretty bells and whistles aside, Omega clientele have come to expect nothing but the best from the brand when it comes to performance so let’s go under the hood of the sapphire sandwich and see how this full moon really shines.
So much forgetting about the aesthetics because the movement that runs the GSOTM is just as beautiful as the timepiece itself. But remember, this Omega we’re talking about-the Co-Axial 9300 calibre in house movement is just as much beast as it is belle.
The first of OMEGA’s proprietary movements to incorporate a chronograph function, the OMEGA Co-Axial calibre 9300 is equipped with an Si14 silicon balance spring that can withstand some of the toughest conditions while guaranteeing extreme accuracy for a watch of this style.
The Grey Side of The Moon is truly a watch lover’s watch and one that I believe all fans of the Speedmaster should experience at some point in their lifetime. While there are more rare versions of the Speedmaster, like the brand new Snoopy release, I believe the Grey Side of The Moon is much more versatile and fitting to add to anyone’s collection.
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If you are interested in acquiring this timepiece it is currently for sale as a full set and for a fraction of the MSRP, feel free to view my Chrono24 listing for full details and reach out with any questions.
As a luxury social media strategist and content creator I am deeply passionate about the artisanal works of art that become parts of our everyday lives. I enjoy writing, learning, and experiencing the finer things of life such as timepieces, hand crafted fragrances, and fine spirits. To follow my journey feel free to connect with me on Instagram or reach out to me on LinkedIn to discuss creative opportunities for your business.
