New Daniel Craig Speedmaster Review

As promised here is my comprehensive review of the new “Daniel Craig” Speedy! It’s pictured next to my Ed White 321 Speedy as these two couldn’t be more different even if they share some of the same DNA…

•Availability

Let me start by saying this is NOT a limited production or exclusive piece, it will be available at Omega boutiques and at AD’s so do not pay premium to get one from the grey market (just be patient). That being said this model feels like it should have been part of the standard Moonwatch lineup forever and I can see it being a staple for any Speedmaster enthusiasts collection even if they own the standard black dial moonwatch in sapphire or hesalite- it’s simply that good!

•Highlights

A lacquer (bright semi-glossy) stark white step dial featuring black applied indices, retro logo and hands. The legibility and contrast are near perfect rivaling the Rolex Explorer 2 Polar dial (which I believe to be one of the most legible watches currently on the market). A red tipped Chronograph hand and “Speedmaster” add a nice touch of color and the dot over ninety bezel is a lovely throwback for collectors. The icing on the proverbial cake is the 20mm to 16mm tapered bracelet with a micro adjust clasp (which I think any watch that comes on a bracelet and costs over $5K should have at this point).

• Compare and Contrast

Since acquiring this piece over the weekend I’ve been asked to compare this new model to a few different models so I’ll address them individually so if you’re wondering how it compares to a specific reference you can find it easily…

-Snoopy 50th Anniversary: The snoopy dial is a light silver but does appear white under direct lighting while the Daniel Craig is bright white under any lighting and I am finding the lacquer dial does not show hard glares or flectos under direct light (unlike snoopy). My take here is if you can get a Snoopy at retail or do not want to pay a premium in the grey for one the Daniel Craig is the next best option. Snoopy at retail for the win, Craig at retail for the win vs Snoopy at grey market pricing.

-Tokyo 2020 Olympic Panda & Rising Sun: I find both my Tokyo Panda and my Rising Sun really inferior to the Daniel Craig Speedy and one of my initial concerns was that these would be too similar to justify owning all three… Man, I couldn’t have been more wrong... The dial on the Tokyo models are much more silver than white (the rising sun feels grey now), they lack the dot over ninety bezel, the steel hands now feel less legible, the bracelet feels chunky and lacks taper/comfort, and they do not have a display caseback. Daniel Craig for the win here!

-Snoopy 45th Anniversary, Alaska Project, Italian Albino Dial, Mitsukoshi Speedmaster. These are probably the only pieces that even come close to the Daniel Craig but all come at a much higher price point due to being limited edition numbered pieces or market specific short run pieces. My sense is that if you’re big Omega collector you probably already have one of these pieces in your collection already so I’ll just go ahead and tell you why you would want the Daniel Craig. The answer is short and sweet- it’s different enough, priced well enough, and comfortable enough that you’ll find yourself wearing it more often day to day than any of these other pieces…

My final thoughts:

I think this is a homerun for Omega- collectors have been asking for a true white dial for a long time. Not only are we getting that with this piece but we’re getting a lot more than perhaps we’re used to with new Omega releases *cough cough Apollo 8 cough cough*

So in addition to the white dial all of the “extras” I mentioned (black applied indices/hands, Don bezel, display caseback, awesome bracelet w micro adjust) really make this the ultimate standard moonwatch and at a price that I think is a great value for what you are getting!

Feel free to drop questions and comments and I’ll address them as quickly as I can. Thanks Watchfam!