Coming in hot with colorful Omega Flightmaster vibes and Speedmaster Reduced-like proportions is the new Omega Speedmaster Pilot Co-Axial Master Chronometer Chronograph “Flight Qualified” watch that is actually a twist on the 2022 Speedmaster ’57. Confused much?
The US military-only Omega Speedmaster Pilot. Credit: Flathat, Omega Forums, via Fratello Watches
Omega quietly launched a “Flight Qualified” version of this Speedmaster Pilot earlier on and made it available exclusively to US military pilots — probably not without the intention of it “accidentally” leaking online as it has, surprise-surprise, done. That is arguably an impactful way of garnering interest among tired collectors whose brain is so fried they think 90 is always written with a dot over it. That grey watch with colorful little details was elaborated on by the user Flathat on Omega Forums with that frankly bonkers photo you see above.
It was only a matter of time before we Earthlings were given the option to flock to the nearest Omega boutique and make it abundantly clear that we, too, had hoped to call the cockpit of a U2 our office; it is just that we have bad teeth, worse vision, and a brain that cannot recall thousands of pages of aviation-related regulations and calculations to save our ratchet lives. For us, the Omega Speedmaster Pilot “Flight Qualified” is the way to go, and it even has a tiny plane at the tip of its chronograph seconds hand to forever remind us of our failed aspirations.
It really is difficult to put the blame on Omega here. The brand did actually create a limited-edition that did actually go on the wrist of pilots and it has actually probably performed well tens of thousands of feet above sea level. Omega might be selling a glorified toy, but it does, this time, appear to have put it through its paces before offering it to the public. It even has a target/sight and artificial horizon-inspired subdial at 9 o’clock — for no obvious reason or purpose — and a burn rate indicator-inspired minutes track on the subdial at 3. Hand on heart, I tried to find a picture of a burn rate indicator in an aircraft cockpit, and I could not find such a thing, so you tell me if this is what that looks like.
I don’t know about you, but I think having details like these that vaguely resemble instruments without even trying to mimic their functionality in at least a highly detached or improbable way is what continues to tip such releases over to the toy side — even though this one very clearly and seriously states “Flight Qualified” on the dial, an important-looking property on which Omega wastes no time or effort to explain the exact meaning, specifics, or requirements.
To stick with the dial for a moment, we should recognize its elaborate design and construction. The base dial is grained, the subdials are deeply recessed with their dished frames showing a brushed finish, and the hour markers appear to be made from chunks of Super-LumiNova and are applied on top of a metallic minute track. The sheer number of layers, surface treatments and colors make this an impressive execution — something you could expect given this price point, but, as you know, it is not.
What is neat is that the Omega Speedmaster Pilot Co-Axial Master Chronometer Chronograph in all-steel measures just 40.85mm wide — a hair over the 40.50mm thickness of the Speedmaster ’57, likely due to a wider bezel because the midcase and the bracelet look largely identical to the 2022 model, save for the surface treatments, of course. A notable difference is that, unlike the ’57, this new Omega Speedmaster Pilot features a self-winding version of the 99-series caliber with the 9900 in place of the hand-wound 9906. This entails a noticeably thicker case, up from 12.99mm on the hand-wound to a chunky 14.70mm. As a proper Master Chronometer, with all the stringent testing, high magnetism resistance, and 0/+5 second accuracy, Omega does not hold back this little brother to the 44.25mm-wide versions — apart from the aluminum bezel which is a dated and scratchy material that is an odd choice for a “Flight Qualified” instrument-like watch. A redeeming feature is that water resistance is up from 50m to 100m.
Some might be surprised that Omega could fit its 99-series self-winding chronograph into a case that measures not 44.25mm but only 40.85mm in diameter. In truth, the bottleneck is not the diameter but rather thickness: a sub-41mm watch that is nigh-on 15mm thick is at-best compromised in its proportions and wearability. Omega, the SKU-powerhouse — with 843 references on its website (down from around 1,400 just about a year ago) — understandably wants to cater to every potential customer, and there will be those who require automatic winding in their luxury watch. While that is all well and good, the hand-wound Speedmaster ’57 was blessed with more optimal proportions thanks to its slimmer, hand-wound movement. Too bad Omega’s powerful and impressive in-house movements were developed at the peak of the large-watch trend and are thus not exactly fit for the rising trend of sub-41 and sub-40mm-wide watches.
The Omega Speedmaster Pilot Co-Axial Master Chronometer Chronograph “Flight Qualified” watch (reference 332.10.41.51.01.002) is priced at $9,500 USD excluding taxes. You can learn more at the brand’s website.
