Is this some kind of insiders joke?

Karen Nyberg, Fyodor Yurchikhin and Luca Parmitano

Karen Nyberg, Fyodor Yurchikhin and Luca Parmitano

Pictured is the Expedition 36/37 crew during winter survival training near Star City, Russia. What’s so funny? Cosmonaut Yurchikhin is wearing his Speedmaster X-33, while Parmitano is wearing his Fortis Official Cosmonautes Chronograph!

Okay, okay – just kidding. The X-33 has long been worn by cosmonauts – quoting OmegaWatches.com:

Russia’s pioneering space station MIR was again used as an orbiting test laboratory in 1998 for OMEGA’s X-33 multifunction chronograph. After successful completion of the tests, MIR also offered a unique opportunity to introduce the watch to the public via a live satellite link-up with the Houston Space Center.

The Speedmaster X-33 has been flight-qualified by both NASA and the Russian space agency and is part of the standard equipment available to all astronauts and cosmonauts. However, the legendary OMEGA Speedmaster Professional also remains the only watch certified for extra-vehicular activity.