Tag Archives: Apollo 8

Omega Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon Apollo 8 311.92.44.30.01.001: What’s in the Box?

It’s been a while! We first got the chance to handle the Omega Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon Apollo 8 311.92.44.30.01.001 during our meeting with Omega at BaselWorld 2018, yet it wouldn’t be until earlier this week that a production piece -including all the goodies- would reach our offices, allowing us to shoot a few pics and do our What’s in the Box post.

In a world dominated by vintage-inspired watches, I find the Omega Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon Apollo 8 311.92.44.30.01.001 to be an interesting specimen. Here we see an adaptation of the 44.25mm Dark Side of the Moon case with paired with a hand-wound, Lemania 1873-derived movement with bridges blackened and lasered to mimic the moon’s surface, all of which is visible both through the open-worked dial as well as the see-through case back – all of which is topped off by bold yellow accents on the bezel, dial, hands and strap. It looks strikingly modern and unapologetically so.

But anyway – What’s in the Box?

Shipping Container

The Omega Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon Apollo 8 311.92.44.30.01.001 itself is delivered to us in a clear plastic shipping container.

Aside from the watch this also holds the two cards: International Warranty and Pictograms. This shipping container is not meant to be sold with the watch – it is solely for transport.

Box

First up is a cardboard box. This usually gets thrown out too, and as far as we are concerned this is not part of the actual packaged.

Next is the black box.

Once the cover is removed, we see the box proper and a space with the instruction manual, the card sleeve, and a polishing cloth.

The box proper is the standard box ref. 94109558 that comes with all Dark Side of the Moon watches . There’s no mention of Apollo 8 anywhere on the box – or the documentation that comes with it for that matter.

The tray can be removed, although the only thing underneath it is some sort of traveling pouch (?).

That concludes this episode of What’s in the Box. Perhaps the most uneventful yet? No goodies, no extra booklets – but then again the watch is not a limited edition either.

The Omega Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon Apollo 8 311.92.44.30.01.00 is available at Ace Jewelers.

Press Release: OMEGA releases the Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon Apollo 8

November 26th, 2019 – Marking the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 8 mission, history’s first ever journey toward the moon, OMEGA is proudly releasing its new Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon Apollo 8 timepiece.

OMEGA has an unrivaled heritage within space exploration and its Speedmaster watches have been worn and trusted by astronauts aboard many of history’s greatest missions – including Apollo 8 in 1968. This crew were the first humans to ever see the far side of the moon and the legacy of that achievement is beautifully celebrated in OMEGA’s newest Speedmaster watch.

The unique design is instantly clear when you view the dial, which has been expertly skeletonized to reveal the blackened movement inside. The movement itself has also been laser-ablated to precisely decorate the bridges and main plate with realistic imagery of the lunar surface.

Just 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 shows the dark side that only astronauts get to see.

Elsewhere in this new creation, OMEGA has embraced its popular “Dark Side of the Moon” innovation, producing the entire watch in black zirconium oxide ceramic. To contrast this dark tone, the brand has chosen chronograph hands that are varnished yellow, while the watch’s tachymeter scale and crown are filled with Super-LumiNova. The black and yellow theme extends to the perforated leather strap, which contains a section of yellow rubber through the middle.

On the caseback, the special words, “WE’LL SEE YOU ON THE OTHER SIDE”, have been engraved. These were spoken by Command Module Pilot Jim Lovell on board the Apollo 8 mission at the start of the crew’s pioneering orbit to the far side of the moon. Seconds before the spacecraft disappeared beyond the range of radio contact, Lovell spoke these final reassuring words to ground control.

Few people will ever get to view the moon’s mysterious distant surface, but to wear the OMEGA Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon Apollo 8 is to make an authentic connection to space exploration history. Its blackened and decorated version of the Calibre 1861 – called 1869 as a tribute to the first moon landing – is a reminder of the original Moonwatch movement and OMEGA’s legendary story in space.

For more information, please visit:
https://www.omegawatches.com/watches/speedmaster/moonwatch/dark-side-of-the-moon-apollo-8/product