Introducing: Omega Updates The Speedmaster Dark Side Of The Moon For 2025

What We Know

Kicking off the brand’s fall releases, Omega has just announced the latest evolution of the Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon, the brand’s ceramic-cased Speedy. With four new iterations and two strap options, totaling seven new versions, this is a refinement of the large and often very dark Speedmaster, leveraging subtle changes to the case profiles, movements, and dial coloring. 

Given that it’s essentially four watches, I’ll break the specs and details into four sections in an attempt to clarify these new models. For those of you hoping for a smaller take on the ceramic Speedmaster, I can cut to the chase: all of these new models are 44.25mm wide. 

First up, we have:

The Omega Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon 9900 Auto (Dark/White, 310.92.44.51.01.002/004)

Let’s start with the most conventional, the Dark Side of the Moon 9900 Auto (Dark/White, ref. 310.92.44.51.01.002 ). This model has an all black case and bezel with white markings and indications. Using the Omega Co-axial Master Chronometer 9900, this model is automatically wound, has 60 hours of power reserve, is METAS certified, and has a date at six alongside the two-register layout that has the hours and minutes for the chronograph at three o’clock. 

Measuring 44.25mm wide, this new DSotM is 15.09mm thick and has a lug-to-lug of 50mm. Water resistance is 50m and you can choose from two straps, textile or rubber, each with a ceramised titanium foldover clasp. The 310.92.44.51.01.004 is priced at $15,700, and you can learn more here. 

The Omega Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon “Grey Side of the Moon” (skeletonized, grey, 310.92.44.50.06.001/002)

Next up, we have an entirely different colorway on the skeletonized and moon-textured Apollo 8 editions that Omega has produced in the past. Using Jim Lovell’s observation “The moon is essentially grey”, this is a grey-allover spin on the Apollo 8 DSotM models, using a 44.25mm grey ceramic case that is 12.97mm thick and 50mm lug to lug. Water resistance is 50m, and the skeletonized dial and movement finish are created using laser ablation and finished with diamond engraving, matte screws, and satin-finished surfaces. 

Inside, we find Omega’s hand-wound Co-Axial Master Chronometer caliber 3869. With 50 hours of power reserve, the 3869 ticks at 3 Hz and is the same movement found in the preceding generation of the Apollo 8 Dark Side of the Moon models. Strap options include textile or rubber in a grey coloring and feature a foldover clasp made from ceramised titanium and ceramic. Priced from $16,400, you can learn more here. 

The Omega Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon “Black Black” Auto (ref. 310.92.44.51.01.003/005)

While the final two options may seem quite similar, they use different movements, so I’ll keep them separate. This model, the ref 310.92.44.51.01.003/005, is essentially an all black iteration of the standard model, measuring 44.25mm wide, 15.09mm thick, and 50mm lug-to-lug. Likewise, this model also uses the same Co-Axial Master Chronometer cal 9900, a METAS-certified 4 Hz automatic movement with 60 hours of power reserve. 

This model builds on the stealthy all-black vibes of the preceding generations’ black-black DSotM model. Offered on a rubber or textile strap with a foldover clasp made from ceramised titanium and ceramic, pricing comes in at $16,100, and you can learn more here. 

The Omega Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon “Black Red” Manual (ref. 310.92.44.51.01.001)

Rounding out this largely dark-themed release (duh), we have an all-black version with a hand-wound movement and a few strategic uses of red for the Speedmaster name on the dial and the seconds hand. 

Coming in at 44.25mm, 15.09mm thick, and 50mm lug-to-lug, this black/red DSotM model uses the brand’s Co-Axial Master Chronometer caliber 9908, a manually wound movement that has been used for several interesting Speedmasters (but not a DSotM model) and does not feature a date display (unlike the similar, but automatic, 9900). The 9908 has 60 hours of power reserve, ticks at 4 Hz, and is METAS certified. 

Priced from $16,100, the 310.92.44.51.01.001 is offered only on a rubber strap and you can learn more here. 

What We Think

Okay, that’s the basics in terms of specs covered–are you a bit confused? I was, too. For what has long been a relatively quiet, even stealthy, line from Omega, this four-model refresh is mainly for the spec hounds, as the aesthetic and the sizing remain entirely in line with what the brand debuted in 2013 at Baselworld. 

Perhaps a bit of context is helpful. I can outline a few points in the same order as the above presentation. First, we have the “standard” Dark Side of the Moon (again, ref 310.92.44.51.01.002/004, depending on the strap), which is likely best compared to the previous iteration, the 311.92.44.51.01.007, which was similar but was 16.14mm thick and used a caliber 9300 movement. While only a bit thinner, this new model does have a Liquidmetal tachymeter scale and a new dial treatment that uses a two-plate construction and laser brushing. Pricing rises from $14,400 to $15,700, an increase of 9%. 

For the “Grey Side of the Moon” Apollo 8 version, which is easily my favorite of the new models, the new model replicates the old, but, well, more grey. You also get a fun engraving on the back of the case. Classic Omega. 

If I were an Apollo collector who had somehow missed a previous iteration of the Apollo 8 DSotM models, this would be at the top of my list, as it’s much less severe than the black/yellow past iterations. While I dig the extremely black vibe of the Dark Side Speedmasters, when combined with the large case side, they quickly overpower my wrist. Perhaps the grey would help. For the grey, you’ll pay a small premium of just an extra $300 over the current black/yellow version. 

For the black/black model (ref. 310.92.44.51.01.003/005), this is essentially an evolution of the 311.92.44.51.01.005, but updated with a new movement (caliber 9900 vs. the 9300) and new finishing. Stealth colorways have been around for a long time, and while I get the appeal and understand that they have an audience, I will always be too pragmatic to trade the legibility, especially for a watch as well-designed and readable as a Speedmaster. Price goes up nearly 12% over the previous expression of the model, from $14,400 to $16,100. 

Finally, we have a sort of blending of all of the above, the mostly-black-with-a-dash-of-red ref. 310.92.44.51.01.001. It’s hand-wound and offers a bit more of a nerdy expression that can be noticed from afar, thanks to the red seconds hand. The pricing can’t really be directly compared, as this is a novel offering, with the only preceding active catalog manual DSotM being the Apollo 8 in yellow/black

All in all, a largely subtle evolution of the Dark Side of the Moon lineup that may well prove enticing to die-hards of the format. And that’s not a bad thing. But I must admit that I had hoped for a broader and more accessible refresh. A line extension that builds on the already solid footing of the DSotM design language, but offers a smaller case size. I know, I know, a watch writer begging for a smaller case size is like an automotive writer begging for a brown wagon with a manual transmission (RIP Jalopnik). Still, I’d wager most of you reading this will understand my following rant.

There’s nothing wrong with a 44.25mm Speedmaster, even in 2025 and especially if it sells. That said, the Speedmaster Pro is a 42mm watch, and after 12 years of the Dark Side of the Moon, we still don’t have a smaller and more wearable offering of the cool/dangerous older cousin of the Speedmaster Pro. I’m not at all sharing a new idea here, but imagine that standard DSotM model at 40-42mm, or the Grey Side of the Moon–really any of the new models. Omega is a brand with a lot of SKUs; just add a few more. 

Maybe I’m crazy. Maybe I’m just weak-wristed. But I think a lot of people (including many brought to the brand in recent years thanks to the extreme success of the Moonswatch) would howl for a standard-sized Dark Side of the Moon. End of rant. 

Within the established scope of the Dark Side of the Moon, the 2025 quartet of new iterations presents a strong evolution, promoting more modern movements, new finishing and construction technologies, and refined ergonomics achieved through slight case thinning. It’s a great start to the fall season releases, and I’m excited to see what Omega has in store for the end of the year.