Moonwatch Dials: The Most Expensive Book I’ve Ever Bought
It’s no secret that I have a soft spot for the Omega Speedmaster, and over the years, I’ve collected several of them. But beyond the watches, I also find myself collecting Moonwatch-related items, such as old catalogs, pins, pens, boxes, and books. To date, the best book on the topic is Moonwatch Only. From the same authors, Anthony Marquié and Grégoire Rossier, there is now a book called Moonwatch Dials, which focuses on precisely those.
Moonwatch Dials — Only 150 copies
This book covers 150 dials of the Omega Speedmaster, from 1957 to today. The authors did an incredible job turning this book into something truly special. It’s a large, heavy, hand-bound book with over 200 illustrations, limited to 150 signed copies.
Image: Watchfid
Included inside is a poster of Moonwatch dials, and each hand-bound book comes with an individual certificate. It’s an impressive, beautifully made book, for sure, but what about its contents?
Standard-production Moonwatch dials
Well, the book offers a wonderful overview of all the standard-production dials of the Speedmaster from 1957 to today. It starts with the Speedmaster CK2915 and ends with today’s Speedmaster Professional 310.30.42.50.01.002, including the “tropical” dials for the first few generations of Speedmasters. In the picture above, you just see all the dials on one page, but each dial can take up several pages in the book.
The level of detail in the photography is insane, and the authors provide all the information you need about these dials. It’s very similar to Moonwatch Only, but here, you will simply find all dials and focus solely on them. The authors also use transparent pages that show the case and bezel belonging to each dial, or an overlay page showing the lume effects of a dial.
Special-production Moonwatch dials
The second part of the book covers special dials. It ranges from non-marketed dials (e.g., Alaska Project Speedmaster models), dials from low-production models, special-order Speedmasters, limited-edition Speedmasters, moonphase dials, prototype dials, and precious dials for certain gold and platinum Speedmaster models.
Image: Watchfid
Of course, “our” Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday “Tribute to Alaska III” and “Ultraman” dials from 2017 and 2018 are also included. Moonwatch Dials covers all Speedmaster models that qualify as Moonwatches through 2025, including the recent bicolor versions, the white-lacquered dial, Moonshine Rainbow, and the Grey Side of the Moon model. In total, the dials of 150 Omega Speedmasters are documented in images and words.
Moonwatch Dials — Is it worth it?
I first saw this book at the Dutch Speedmaster GTG last year and was immediately smitten. At €1,450, this is no small beer, and because each book is made to order, you will need to wait about three months for yours to be ready. The neat thing is that I received regular updates, including video, on the book’s progress. Moonwatch Dials is not for everyone. Even if it were cheaper, most fans would be perfectly fine with a copy of Moonwatch Only, which I can’t recommend enough. I have a copy of each edition (there are three), and it’s the best book on the topic, period.
Who is the book for?
However, if you’re a dedicated Moonwatch collector and also like to collect special books, (old) catalogs, display advertising materials, and so on, a copy of Moonwatch Dials is essentially grail material. It is the most expensive book I’ve ever bought, but it’s also the nicest watch book I’ve ever bought (and I have many about various brands and watches.) It is an incredibly well-made product, and the level of detail in the photography is simply marvelous.
Each copy of the hand-bound Moonwatch Dials book comes in a special box with a certificate and a poster with all 150 dials. For more information, visit the official website.
