I used my valuable contacts to the retail to do a survey in the last days before Christmas. My question was: Which was the most sought-after watch? To put it in a nutshell: It was not the Rolex Daytona!
I started doing my little survey by calling and talking to retailers in Austria, England, France, Germany, Liechtenstein, Singapore, Switzerland and the US.
What I got were different answers but no real clear trend. But all retailers I called selling Omega gave me the obviously one and only possible answer: The Omega Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon was the most sought-after watch.
This is by the way what I also learned through my good contacts to Omega. My friends there told me clearly that there is an enormous demand for the Omega Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon and that the actual production can´t really catch up the demand. This is due to the time-consuming process of manufacturing the ceramic case, ceramic dial and ceramic bezel and its matt chromium nitride tachymeter scale.
Nota bene: The watch is not limited and there is no artificial shortage.
So if you where among those who wanted to buy an Omega Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon these pictures and explanations might help you to understand WHY. And, for those among you who now wonder WHY these pictures and explanations might as well be impressive …
![he very beginning stage of the ceramic casebody: a pile of raw ceramic material [ Zr02 ].](https://watch-insider.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Omega_Speedmaster_Dark-Side-of-the-Moon_Production1-raw-ceramic-material_red-740x1024.jpg)
the case-back
This all-black Omega Speedmaster represents a sleek and sporty new addition to the popular collection. The black zirconium oxide ceramic dial, complemented by a matching ceramic 44,25 mm case with a brushed and polished ceramic case body, features striking 18-carat white gold applied indexes as well as two blackened sub-dials that distinguish the timepiece from its legendary predecessor, Omega´s Moonwatch.
The two sub-dials are made possible by the innovative placement of the 12-hour and 60-minute counters on the same sub-dial at the 3 o’clock position, allowing a comfortable and intuitive chronograph reading. There is a small seconds sub-dial located at 9 o’clock and a date window at 6 o’clock. The hour and minute Moonwatch-style hands are fashioned from 18-carat white gold, as are the hands found on both sub-dials; the central chronograph hand is rhodium plated and features a red tip for increased visibility of recorded seconds. Super-LumiNova coats the two dots at “12” and the hour, minute and chronograph hands ensuring that the wearing can read the time in a variety of lighting conditions.
Protecting this prominent dial is a box-form scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment on both sides.
The matt chromium nitride tachymeter scale – among the most identifiable design features of the Speedmaster – stands out on the polished ceramic bezel. Also the two polished chronograph control pushers are made out of ceramic. The case is water resistant up to 50 meters / 167 feet.
An in-house movement powers the Omega Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon. It´s the Omega Co-Axial calibre 9300 equipped with a Si14 silicon balance spring.
Discover how the Omega Co-Axial-Escapement works with this HD-video
The most sought-after watch 2013 whilst we were doing our Christmas shopping…
The price: 8890 Euro including 20 % VAT here in Austria.
The Omega Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon is offered with a full four-year warranty.
Great Watch…a little small, but beautifully done in all manners !
The boutiques in the U.S. have them….
Agree it’s a bit small .. Saw the watch live but felt underwhelmed by it couldn’t pull the trigger
Hi Alexander! Great Article! I´ve already tried this watch and it´s very balanced and impressive. It looks smaller then the regular steel Speedmaster cal. 9300. I can confirm you that the watch is already for sale in Portugal, but it´s extremely difficult to get one.
Wow.What a watch and some lovely high res pictures to show it in a fantastic light.
Mark, when you try it on the first time, please let me know what you think …
I had the chance in the Paris Omega boutique. Just an amazing watch and so light. You need to see it in natural to experience its beauty. Just the price and the fact that is unlimited stoped me buying this watch. Lets see what soon comes out on the SIHH 2014.
Hi Alexander, thank you for sharing the information regarding this watch.
I tried this watch on back in October at my local Omega boutique and I must say it was a real beauty…..with a few downsides, a little big(although it does not wear that big), a little thick, a little on the expensive side & a rather poor strap. That said though I’d still give it very serious consideration.
A beautiful watch indeed. It’s on the top of my “must-have” list!
Tratasse duma peça realmente de classe extra.Nem sei se há venda
em Portugal.Tem um senão .Apenas 2 contadores .E o preço é muito
alto-6500 euros era um preço justo.
Obrigado ao Grupo Omega.
I don’t know if the watch is sold in Portugal yet… Two counters are for sure not an disadvantage, since they cover all functions needed. The price? To high?!?! I don’t know! Everyone should answer this question personally…
Alexander, thank you very much much for the pictures and the report – damn interesting 🙂
It is a very beautiful watch, it’s definitely one of my favorites! Black is good…
Perfect watch. My number one.
Why is it so rare to see a Power Reserve Indicator on an Automatic watch ? Is this not a desirable feature to have, especially if one has more than one watch in their collection ?
Impressive presentation of an impressive watch! Thanks Alexander!
I like the fact that the great effort that is put into the production of this watch is appreciated by the market although its price is clearly beyond the typical Omega price range.
Most interesting watch, Alexander – thank you for sharing this. As I am very much satisfied with my antimagnetic Aquaterra, my attention to Omega has increased and I probably will go and have a look at this watch soon.
Lieber Alexander. I tried it on at the Omega boutique at Geneva airport where the lovely and very knowledgeable saleswoman confirmed the shortage but I declined. I found the ceramic too shiny… Although it was certainly due to the heavy lights in the shop, it made me feel uncomfortable. Too bad and I understand your enthousiasm. Perhaps I’ll change my mind ultimately… Happy New year and many thanks for all your inspiration!!
Glad to see this report, Alex. I inquired a couple weeks ago at an authorized dealer near me; and just the other day received a phone call telling me that the watch had arrived. The curious thing the dealer left on the message was saying that it was “the only one in the country [USA] at the moment.” To be honest with you, I thought it was dealer hype, but your report has helped shed some light on the production process.
amazing watch by Omega! Here in Hong Kong Omega shops offer you to see it but not to buy….or order and wait.