The Best Watch I’ve Ever Owned: The Omega Speedmaster Professional Apollo 11 50th Anniversary
A few months ago, we asked our team members to write about the best watch they’ve ever owned. Thomas wrote a love story about his Rolex Explorer II 16570, Jorg was (and still is) talking about the Tudor Black Bay Pro, and Lex wrote that his JLC Geophysic Universal Time beats all his other watches. Now, I thought this would be an easy task for me. But quite frankly, it isn’t, though the outcome might not be very surprising.
I think the definition of “best watch” is crucial here, and this classification might differ from one person to the next. I see it almost daily here, with comments below articles explaining why certain new watches are great or awful according to the commenters’ definitions of “best watch.” No lume, no date, a date, a 37mm diameter, a 45mm diameter, a ceramic bezel, 200m water resistance — you name it. Everyone has certain boxes to tick, and it’s very difficult, or even impossible, to create a watch that suits everyone’s tastes and wrists.
Royal Oak “Jumbo” 15202
AP Royal Oak Jumbo
For me, the best watch is simply the one that speaks to me the most and gets the most wrist time. It’s the watch that suits me best and makes my horology-loving heart tick faster.
If finishing and movement construction also matter, I think my Audemars Piguet Royal Oak “Jumbo” 15202ST could qualify as the best watch I’ve ever owned. I truly loved that watch, and its special ultra-thin, three-hand movement actually convinced me to trade my Royal Oak 15300ST for it. During a visit to one of Audemars Piguet’s workshops a few years ago, a watchmaker told me that the company hand-finished and assembled caliber 2121, unlike caliber 3120 in the reference 15300.
I also had the 39mm AP Royal Oak Chronograph, and although I loved the finishing and the dial’s color scheme, the F. Piguet-based movement, with its minute-hand creep, was more than annoying.
Breguet Tradition 7027 in yellow gold
Breguet Tradition 7027BA
Another that could easily be my best watch in terms of movement finishing is my Breguet Tradition 7027BA. I still own this one and truly enjoy the wonderful “frosted” finish and polished bevels on the movement. On top of that, there’s the silvered gold (hand-turned) guilloché dial. Although the AP tapisserie-pattern dial is also beautifully done, for the series I had, it wasn’t hand-engraved on a rose engine but “simply” machined.
However, when I consider the watches I wear most often, personal attachment starts to play a bigger role, and my list changes accordingly. That doesn’t mean sentimental value alone determines my choices. If it did, I’d probably pick the Speedmaster ’57 I received for my first Father’s Day, the gold Constellation on a gold bracelet that I inherited from my grandfather, or the Constellation ’95 I received as a graduation gift from my mother. Wearing any of these watches feels sensational to me, especially because they have a deeper meaning.
Several Rolexes compete for the title
But the best watch I’ve ever owned (or still own) should be one I picked myself. I recall having a Microsoft Windows wallpaper of a Rolex GMT-Master 16710 with the Coke bezel. I wanted that watch so badly then. I eventually got one, kept it for a few years, and then decided it was time for a bigger purchase. I sold it to buy the Royal Oak Chronograph 26300. And although that watch is perhaps higher on the “haute horlogerie” ladder (if a GMT-Master is on there anyway), these days, owning neither of them, I miss my GMT-Master II 16710 more than the Royal Oak Chronograph 26300. The 16710 was very comfortable to wear and a logical choice for the international trips I took back then.
In 2025, replaced it with a Rolex GMT-Master II “Root Beer” reference 16713. I thoroughly enjoy wearing this watch, but it doesn’t give the same vibe as the all-steel version. All that said, another Rolex has received even more wrist time since I bought it (the first time) in 2003.
It’s the Rolex Sea-Dweller 16600 from the 1990s. I can easily wear it for days and weeks in a row without feeling the need to change it or take it off. When I got my first one, I remember we were inseparable. I am wearing it in many family photos, as it was simply my go-to (or GADA) watch. I’m so glad I bought another one five years after selling my first. I also love my other Rolex watches, but the 16600 and 16713 get the most wrist time.
2019 Omega Speedmaster Apollo 11 50th Anniversary in Moonshine Gold
Omega Speedmaster Apollo 11 50th Anniversary in Moonshine Gold
Despite all that, the watch I have worn the most over the last 25+ years is the Omega Speedmaster Professional, in several variations. But the one I truly adore and consider my best watch is the Omega Speedmaster Professional Apollo 11 50th Anniversary in Moonshine Gold. I had to sell my beloved Royal Oak 15202 to make way for it, and yet I haven’t regretted it for one moment to this day. Although there are many wonderful watches out there, from Patek, Lange, and so on, I wouldn’t sell my gold Speedmaster Apollo 11 for any of them. Also, in the Speedmaster catalog, including the off-catalog models in precious materials, there isn’t even one I would rather have than this Moonshine Gold edition from 2019.
I believe it was Kristian Haagen who once said on a podcast that this is my “signature watch,” and I think he was right. It’s the one I wear most often, including to watch exhibitions and events, and I’ve noticed that other people in the trade associate it with me. Last but not least, while I love the Speedmaster heritage, this version best reflects my preferences.
The 1969 OG
The original 1969 version was always my “grail watch,” but I think the 2019 re-edition is the better, nicer watch for me. On one of our podcast episodes, I likened it to The Godfather and how the 1974 sequel is better than the 1972 original. To me, the 2019 Speedmaster Apollo 11 in Moonshine Gold is The Godfather Part II. That’s not just because of some of the details (more below) but also because it feels more solid and won’t age as “badly” as some of the vintage versions. I’ve handled quite a few originals, and they do show their wear and tear a bit too much for me.
It’s partially in the details
One thing I particularly appreciate is the dial’s richness. Omega gave the solid-gold dial a vertically brushed finish, applied hour markers set with two-faceted onyx stones, the classic applied Omega logo, and gold hour and minute hands with black inlays. The gold dial, combined with the burgundy ceramic bezel insert, looks very warm.
The other part I love about this watch is on the back, of course. It was the first Omega to feature the then-new 3861 movement. This is now the default in the Speedmaster Professional lineup, except for the few models that use caliber 321. But the 3861 movement in the Moonshine Gold Apollo 11 50th Anniversary remains the only version with a Moonshine Gold finish; all others have a rhodium plating.
Lunar meteorite
The movement is visible through the rear sapphire crystal, and around it, you will see a black ring. This contains the iconic “First Watch Worn On The Moon” wording, a gold representation of the Americas — including Florida, from which the Saturn V launched in 1969 — surrounded by blue, representing the water. On the other side of the black ring is a representation of the Moon in true proportions to the displayed part of Earth. This little domed disc representing the Moon is made of a lunar meteorite. It’s a pretty neat feature that former VP of Product Gregory Kissling, now CEO of Breguet, put in there.
Then, the all-satin-brushed Moonshine Gold bracelet looks very similar to the original 1969 one, including the taper from 20 to 14 mm at the clasp, but it is much more solid. I find it extremely comfortable, despite the lack of micro-adjustment. This particular bracelet is the only one that tapers to 14 mm; the other Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch bracelets taper to 15.
It’s also partially in the story
But beyond the specifications, I also find the story behind the gold Moonwatch interesting.
The Moonwatch story is well known, and I assume you’re also familiar with the 1,014 gold Speedmaster Professional watches that Omega produced in 1969 and the early 1970s. On November 25th, 1969, Omega presented a gold Speedmaster Professional (BA145.022-69) to each active NASA astronaut who could attend the banquet in Houston. Each watch featured a unique inscription with the astronaut’s name and mission(s), along with the engraving “to mark man’s conquest of space, with time, through time, on time.”
Omega also offered these watches to the US president and vice president, but both declined them because of their value. Today, you can see those two at the Omega Museum in Bienne, Switzerland.
Omega presented 36 of these watches to astronauts in November 1969 or later, depending on their missions. The company also gave some watches to officials before making the remaining 1,014 models available to the public. These watches featured the “First Watch Worn On The Moon” engraving but, of course, no personalized inscriptions.
My Speedmaster Apollo 11 50th Anniversary is number 13, which has always been my preferred number for limited-edition watches (or pens or other things I collect). It also happened to be the number that astronaut Thomas Stafford received for his original 1969 BA145.022-69 (which later went missing). Stafford was the first NASA astronaut I interviewed, and I also met him a few times after that. During our encounters, he was incredibly nice, and his memory was super sharp.
Buying my grail
I wasn’t planning to get this watch when it came out. I already owned a gold Moonwatch (BA345.0802 from 1980) and had my eye on the steel Apollo 11 anniversary model, which Omega would also release in 2019. However, Omega invited me to its headquarters for lunch and to attend the launch of the Moonshine Gold Speedmaster Apollo 11 50th Anniversary edition. When the team showed me the watch and let me try it on, I was flabbergasted. This was the most impressive Speedmaster I’d ever seen, and its wrist presence was (and still is) amazing.
The Omega Speedmaster Apollo 11 ref. 310.60.42.50.99.001 in its crater box
I needed to make some calculations, and it was also the first time I checked with my wife to see if it was okay for me to buy a watch. Its hefty price tag was serious business, and after a brief discussion, I went ahead and put my name on the list. I had only intended to wear this heavy hitter on special days or occasions, but I quickly found myself wearing it nearly every day. Although a gold watch will easily show signs of wear, it would be a pity not to wear such a beauty. A beautiful watch in a safe is just that, and I think this Speedmaster deserves more justice.
The best watch I have ever owned
Over these seven years of ownership, the watch has never let me down (knock on wood). It still meets chronometric standards, and I still smile when I put it on my wrist in the morning. At nearly 220 grams, it constantly lets me know it’s there. Not everyone would enjoy that, but I do. Since I’ve owned this watch, I haven’t had an irresistible itch for another one. On one hand, that’s sad, but on the other, it also puts me at ease. Now, whenever I buy a watch, I take my time and remind myself that I can do without it because I already have my grail.
I also still enjoy my other watches, of course, and I add new watches to the collection once in a while. But to this day, this Omega Speedmaster Professional Apollo 11 50th Anniversary in Moonshine Gold is the best watch I’ve ever owned.
