The Omega Speedmaster 38mm release has arrived, and for once the watch world’s obsession with millimetres feels entirely justified. Omega has launched seven new 38mm Speedmaster references, bringing the diameter of its iconic Moonwatch line down from the longstanding 42mm for the first time since the original watch launched in 1957.
The headline model is the standard black-on-black dial Speedmaster: the reference that most closely resembles what Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong wore during the Apollo 11 mission. That watch, in the new 38mm diameter, is what the collector community has been asking for. Previous 38mm Speedmasters deliberately used a different visual language from the Moonwatch, with subdials styled to look like ripples spreading across a pond. This new collection abandons that separation and pulls the smaller case squarely into Moonwatch territory.
Why the Omega Speedmaster 38mm Release Matters to Collectors
‘Speedmaster fans have wanted a smaller alternative to the 42mm Professional Moonwatch for a long time, but until now, the 38mm was nothing like the classic Speedy,’ says Chris Hall, author of the watch newsletter The Fourth Wheel and an upcoming book about Omega. ‘By changing details like the subdial shape and bezel style, Omega has gone some way to fixing that.’
The timing is not accidental. Mark Cho, co-founder of The Armoury, recently ran his third edition of the Ideal Watch Size Survey. Of the 3,000 enthusiasts he polled, the clear answer for an everyday piece was 38 millimetres, the exact diameter of these new references. The watch industry has been chasing that number for a few years, and Omega has now planted its flag on it with its most storied model.
Raynald Aeschlimann, Omega’s CEO and president, put it plainly in a statement: ‘The Speedmaster 38mm has always taken its cues from the Moonwatch, while keeping size, color, and simplicity in mind. With this latest update, we’ve taken the Moonwatch inspiration even further.’ In a market where collectors parse the difference between ‘taking cues’ and delivering the genuine article, that distinction matters.
What Is Inside the Case
Underneath the familiar dials, the seven references split across two movements. Forbes reports that six of the references run the Co-Axial Calibre 3330, a column-wheel chronograph movement that includes a date function. The seventh, the black-dial model without a date, is powered by the automatic Calibre 3332, also a column-wheel movement. The separation is logical: the purist’s choice gets the cleaner dial and the movement to match.
On the outside, the case dimensions are 38mm in diameter, 14.75mm thick, and 44.96mm lug-to-lug, according to Fratello Watches. That lug-to-lug measurement matters as much as the diameter when a watch is actually on your wrist, and 44.96mm sits firmly in the range that works across a broad spread of wrist sizes. Forbes also notes that the screw-down casebacks are stamped with ‘Speedmaster’ and carry a Seahorse medallion, with an engraving indicating water resistance of 100 metres (330 feet). For a watch descended from a chronograph built for astronauts, that is a sensible spec to carry forward.
Six Colourways Beyond the Black Dial
The remaining six references are closer to the existing 38mm aesthetic, leaning into colour and, in one case, considerable sparkle. One reference is set with 52 diamonds and fitted with a mother-of-pearl dial. Another, known informally as ‘the Cappuccino,’ combines multiple shades of brown. The rest dress the Speedmaster in pale blue, olive, and silver. None of these colourways are new to Omega’s catalogue, but placed in a 38mm case with the standard Moonwatch-style subdials, they read differently. The proportion change straightens something that previously felt slightly off.
There is a broader current running through all of this. Over the past few years, collector pressure toward smaller, vintage-inspired pieces has pushed brands to revisit their archive proportions. The Speedmaster has long sat at 42mm, a size that many wrists find borderline awkward for daily wear. Another earlier variation, the First Omega in Space at 39.7mm, became a favourite among modern collectors partly because of its more manageable size. The new 38mm collection goes further, and brings the Moonwatch’s most recognisable dial configuration along for the journey.
The seven new 38mm references are available now through Omega boutiques and authorised retailers.
