Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. The New Omega Speedmaster Pilot Flight Qualified
A brand new pilot-inspired chronograph, with military roots and a Flightmaster vibe.
While the Speedmaster started its life as a racing chronograph destined to measure average speeds (hence its name), it quickly changed vocation when, during the 1960s, it became the watch of choice for US Air Force pilots and, of course, NASA astronauts. From there, the Speedmaster became one of the most famous pilot’s chronographs and this Omega watch enjoyed a long history in the skies. Now, there is a new model in the collection that will somehow look familiar, not only due to its resemblance with the vintage Flightmaster but also because some might have seen a US military-issued model on Instagram and forums. It’s time to discover the new Omega Speedmaster Pilot Flight Qualified.
This new Speedmaster Pilot Flight Qualified doesn’t come out of the blue. As said, it is clearly inspired by the Flightmaster, a watch launched in 1969 as a variant of the Speedmaster line, yet engineered and marketed towards pilots exclusively, with its easily identifiable sections and an additional time zone – more on that topic here. But there’s more to the story and clues to be found. A few months ago, an unusual and unprecedented version of the Speedmaster surfaced on the web and social media, with the mention Flight Qualified on its unconventional dial. Thanks to leaks and pictures posted by US military pilots, it appeared to be a specific military-issued model for the US Army. Well, the watch is now available to the public as the new Omega Speedmaster Pilot Flight Qualified.
What we’re looking at here is a military-inspired, instrument-like version of the straight lugs, two-counter automatic Speedmaster, with a dial that pays tribute to the Flightmaster. This new model shares some traits with the relatively recent Speedmaster 57 Chronograph, yet with several key differences. The middle case uses the same overall dimensions, with a 40.85mm diameter (a bit larger due to the bezel) and an identical 49.60mm length. The overall shape is retained, too, with the symmetrical look of early Speedies. Then come the differences, many of them guided by the presence of an automatic movement or the pilot vocation of this watch.
While also made of steel, Omega went here for a fully brushed case finish – all parts, including the push-in crown, the pushers or the bezel frame are brushed. There’s also a new bezel insert in matte black aluminium that includes a tachymeter scale with the vintage “Dot Over Ninety” and “Diagonal to Seventy” printings, as well as orange accents – a recurring theme on the whole watch. The watch is topped by a box-shaped sapphire crystal, features a solid brushed steel back and is pleasantly water-resistant to 100m. Thickness… Due to the automatic movement, we’re talking about a height of 14.6mm, which isn’t too bad compared to other Speedmaster models. So yes, it is possible to have a reasonably sized automatic, two-counter Speedmaster after all!
What truly sets the Speedmaster Pilot Flight Qualified apart is the dial. Sure, the display is classic automatic Speedmaster, with central hours and minutes, a small seconds at 9 o’clock and a single sub-register for the elapsed hours and minutes at 3 o’clock (and a date at 6 o’clock… which, considering the vocation of the watch could have been deleted). But the design and execution are new. The base dial is grained/matte black and framed by a brushed metallic minutes track, which features large applied Super-LumiNova blocks in 3D. Its bold combination of colours and flight-inspired details are reminiscent of the Flightmaster, yet without being a one-to-one copy.
The Speedmaster Pilot features matte black central hands with either SLN blocks (hours/minutes) or a varnished orange aeroplane tip (central seconds). The most eye-catching elements are the sub-dials. The 3 o’clock sub-dial, used for the chronograph indications, features a triangular matte orange hand and transferred white numerals, as well as graduations that mimic the “burn rate” indicator in aircraft cockpits. The 9 o’clock small seconds comes with a target/sight aesthetic inspired by cockpits, featuring a varnished matte yellow hand and artificial horizon in blue.
Inside the case is the in-house, automatic calibre 9900. A modern and highly technical movement, it has an integrated architecture with column wheel and vertical clutch. It is also a Master Chronometer calibre certified by METAS, with Co-Axial escapement, free-sprung balance and silicon balance spring. It is thus capable of great accuracy and magnetic resistance. Equipped with barrels mounted in series, it can store up to 60 hours of energy and also comes with a practical time zone function for the hour hand – which comes in handy for pilots crossing time zones while flying without disturbing other timekeeping indications. The movement here sits behind a solid caseback with the Speedmaster’s traditional Seahorse medallion.
This new Speedmaster Pilot is delivered on a 3-link flat steel bracelet, once again entirely polished. It is closed by a folding clasp with a comfort release adjustment system. An additional grey NATO strap reinforced with Kevlar threads is also included, along with a special travel pouch and a strap-changing tool.
A surprisingly utilitarian take on a brand’s classic, the Omega Speedmaster Pilot Flight Qualified is released as part of the permanent collection and will soon hit the brand’s boutiques and retailers. It will be priced at EUR 10,400 (incl. taxes), CHF 9,000 (incl. taxes) or USD 9,500 (excl. local taxes). For more details, please visit OmegaWatches.com.
2 responses
Couple of points, it is said by Omega and reported on several websites, though not Monochrome, that the orange graduations on the 3 O’clock sub-dial are a “3 minute burn indicator” is not in fact a 3 minute indicator at all. Look at the calibration of the 60 minute/12 hour sub-dial. There might be three orange markers but the total number of minute markers between them is six minutes not three. Also the lack of a low-light visible running or chronograph second hand means this watch is useless for night flying of any sort. These two issues seem very curious given that Omega is claiming “Flight Qualified” status for the watch. This means that this Speedmaster is not as useful as the standard Cal.9900 Racing or the Professional for flying at night as both those watches have lume on the central chronograph second hand. In any case the most useful pilot watch Omega make at the moment is the X-33, though it is not as functional as the discontinued Z-33.
I don’t understand what you mean about the chronograph subdial. Looks like 9 minute markers have been marked. 3 blocks of 3 minutes surely? It’s a 60 minute subdial.