Hands-on with the Omega Speedmaster Pilot “Flight-Qualified” Chronograph, that was introduced in December 2024. Details, live photos and prices below.
In December 2024, Omega was on fire, dropping some seriously attractive releases, like the Seamaster Diver 300M in titanium and bronze gold. Another standout for me was the Speedmaster Pilot “Flight-Qualified” Chronograph. This watch takes its inspiration from the Flightmaster, a piece originally developed for military pilots. The Speedmaster itself, which debuted in 1957 as a racing chronograph, evolved in the 1960s into the watch for U.S. Air Force pilots and NASA astronauts, earning its stripes as a true pilot’s watch.
Back in September 2024, there was a leak about a specialized version of the Speedmaster Pilot, designed as a proper tool watch for U.S. military pilots. This model featured distinct color schemes and was unavailable to the general public. Just a few months later, Omega introduced a civilian version of this watch, complete with an eye-catching and colorful dial.
The Omega Speedmaster Pilot is crafted from stainless steel, featuring a 40.85mm diameter, a thickness of 14.6mm, and a lug-to-lug length of 49.6mm. While it’s not a particularly thin watch, the 14.6mm thickness is due to the inclusion of the automatic calibre 9900. For comparison, the Speedmaster Professional, which houses a manual movement, has a thickness of just over 13mm. The case of the Speedmaster Pilot retains the symmetrical design of the original 1957 Speedmaster and showcases a matte finish. Its bezel features a matte aluminum ring and stays true to the Speedmaster heritage with details like the “Dot Over Ninety” and “Diagonal to Seventy” markings on the tachymeter scale.
The true individuality of this watch shines through its grained matte-black dial, where large blocks of white Super-LumiNova (green emission) on the hour/minute hands and markers ensure full visibility during dark night flights. Adding a vibrant touch, the matte-black central chronograph hand features a varnished orange airplane tip. The twin subdials are particularly eye-catching: at 3H, a 60-minute and 12-hour recorder with a triangular matte-orange hand and transferred white numerals mimics a cockpit “burn rate” indicator, while at 9H, the Small Seconds display, inspired by a target/sight cockpit aesthetic, showcases a varnished matte-yellow hand alongside a blue artificial horizon.
Inside the Speedmaster Pilot is the automatic Co-Axial Master Chronometer Calibre 9900, certified by METAS to meet the highest standards of accuracy, performance, and magnetic resistance. The movement offers a 60-hour power reserve, and the watch features a water resistance of 100 meters.
The watch can be worn on a stainless steel bracelet equipped with OMEGA’s patented comfort release adjustment system or, alternatively, on the additional grey NATO strap included in the package, along with a special travel pouch.
The Omega Speedmaster Pilot is priced at €10,300 (including VAT).
For more details about Omega watches, visit omegawatches.com.
