Omega Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch Apollo 11 50th Anniversary 310.20.42.50.01.001: What’s in the Box?

It’s in! One of the most hotly anticipated watches of 2019 was for sure the Omega Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch Apollo 11 50th Anniversary. A gold model was introduced back in March, but we had to wait until May before the stainless steel version (ref. 310.20.42.50.01.001) made its debut. Earlier today we had the chance to go hands-on with one for our signature What’s in the Box series.

Our Omega Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon Apollo 8 311.92.44.30.01.001: What’s in the Box? was a fairly dull affair – but today we’re in for a treat as Omega went all-in to create something special for the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission. Let’s dive in:

Shipping Container

As always the watch is delivered to us in the shipping container. This holds the watch but also the hang tag and the red cards. Caliber 3861 is a Master Chronometer movement, and as such we have the International Warranty, the Pictograms, and the Master Chronometer cards. All of these feature both the reference number as well as the unique serial number. The Pictograms card also has the limited edition number on it.

Box

WOW – this a huge box! The outer cardboard box lists it as being 4.8kg. That’s enormous. This cardboard box is usually thrown out and as far as I am concerned it is not part of the deal – it’s just for shipping.

Next up is a white protective box. This is where the party starts.

Inside we find a box not unlike that of the regular Speedy Pro – but obviously improved upon in order to make it even cooler. It’s done in a combo of white and brown, with brass hardware. A compartment on the side offers an additional storage space for the instruction manual, card sleeve et cetera. It is now filled up with a bit of foam, the card sleeve, a white cleaning cloth and a small booklet on how to change the strap.

In the Box

In the box we find a print of the surface of the moon, an anti-moisture sachet, and a piece of foam for protection. There are two plaques that serve as a reminder of why this watch was created. We get our first glimpse of the rather unusual cushion that’s supposed to hold the watch.

The lunar surface bit folds open tot he inside to reveal more goodies:

Alright, so the cushion for the watch is actually a little Lunar Module. That’s cute. Furthermore we find two patches velcro’d to the box, an additional strap, a strap changing tool, and a loupe.

The loupe has what I suppose is a Moonshine Gold finish to match the bezel of the watch, which is a nice touch.

Booklets

Last but not least there’s two booklets – the standard-issue Operating Instructions plus a special Moonwatch 50th Anniversary booklet. The latter has the limited edition number printed on the back.

That concludes this episode of What’s in the Box. What are your thoughts on this LE, the packaging and the goodies?

This Omega Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon Apollo 8 311.92.44.30.01.001 was supplied by Ace Jewelers.