About the Apollo 8 Mission and the Movement
Apollo 8 was the first manned mission to the moon, entering lunar orbit on Christmas Eve, December 24th, 1968. That evening, the astronauts —Commander Frank Borman, Command Module Pilot Jim Lovell, and Lunar Module Pilot William Anders— held a live broadcast from lunar orbit, in which they showed pictures of the Earth and moon as seen from their spacecraft. They ended the broadcast with the crew taking turns reading from the book of Genesis.
From Mission Control CapCom Gerry Carr spoke to the three astronauts more than 200,000 miles away.
"Ten seconds to go. You are Go all the way." Pilot Jim Lovell replied, "We'll see you on the other side".
After these words, Apollo 8 disappeared behind the Moon, the first time in history men had been occult. For 34 minutes there would be no way of knowing what happened.
The previous iteration of the Omega Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon Apollo 8 was introduced in 2018 and was powered by the manual wound calibre 1861 that was partially skeletonized and laser-ablated to produce realistic imagery of the lunar surface. On that model, —pictured below— it was renamed 1869 as a tribute to the first moon landing.
About the New Omega Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon Apollo 8 'Rocket Seconds'
The new model is still cased in a black ceramic case measuring 44.25 mm in diameter that is produced in black zirconium oxide ceramic with a bezel with tachymeter scale and the crown —also in black ceramic— this time filled with bright white “Grand Feu” enamel, rather than with superluminova.
Just as in the previous iteration, the movement has been laser ablated to produce realistic imagery of the lunar surface. And like the moon, the movement reveals two unique sides. The dial-side is a light shade to represent our view of the moon’s surface from Earth, while the back of the watch delves into the dark side that only astronauts get to see. And the most significant addition to this new Omega Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon Apollo 8 is that the running seconds hand is in the shape of the Saturn V rocket. The patent pending small-seconds hand at 9 o’clock has been engineered from Grade 5 Titanium and shaped like NASA’s famous Saturn V rocket. The powerful 3D structure has been obtained by laser turning, while the colors are achieved with white varnish, ablation, and laser blackening. A small yet inspiring detail that celebrates the success of the Apollo program.
Creating a unique aesthetic throughout the design, the watch’s Calibre 3869 features a laser-ablated Moon relief on the blackened main plate and bridges. Just like the Moon, this movement reveals two different sides. The dial-side represents our view of the lunar surface, as seen from Earth, while the back of the watch shows the dark side that only astronauts get to see. This new update has enhanced the Moon’s definition, thanks to laser engraving and contrasting surfaces. The features are clearly pronounced and sit beautifully alongside the light grey coated wheels and dark grey gold coated balance wheel.
On the case back, a series of engravings has been inscribed, including “WE’LL SEE YOU ON THE OTHER SIDE” —the final words spoken to ground control by Command Module Pilot Jim Lovell, just before the Apollo 8 mission disappeared to the far side of the Moon, and out of radio contact, for the very first time.
The Moon’s distant surface has always been a source of mystery and curiosity. To wear this watch is to make an authentic connection with our lunar neighbor, as well as Omega’s connection to space exploration. As the world now looks further ahead to the possibilities of the future, the Apollo 8 mission stands as a reminder of what shared human power can achieve.
Sticker Price USD 14,300 —The previous model retailed in 2018 for USD 9,750. For more info on Omega click here.
