OMEGA Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon ALINGHI

I never thought I’d see the day that I’d get to post a Speedy here let alone, a Dark Side of the Moon edition!

Here’s a new one that given its association with the famous ALINGHI yacht racing team, shouldn’t be opposed to getting a bit wet.



The partnership between OMEGA and ALINGHI has thrown us a bit of curveball by employing the Speedmaster.



For instance when ALINGHI partnered with HUBLOT, their team watch was based on the 4000m water-resistant Oceanographic.



There are so many great choices that could have been used from the Seamaster collection however the Speedmaster is a celebrated precision timing instrument with plenty of pedigree, and it looks so appealing in its black and red ALINGHI livery.



The choice of Speedmaster, say Omega was to reflect the fast boats levitating across the water. Of the watch’s impressive attributes, is an impeccably decorated Omega Caliber 1865.



The manual-winding movement is ideal for sailing crews owing to its lighter and thinner design. To enhance the movement, OMEGA has taken inspiration from ALINGHI’s new TF35 catamaran.



Using laser ablation, the mainplate and barrel bridge have been given a honeycomb effect, similar to the interior of the ALINGHI boat’s carbon hull.



The same laser ablation technology has then been employed to decorate all other bridges with a black carbon pattern, also inspired by the carbon that is used for the boat’s hull.



Btw, laser ablation or photoablation is a process in which material is removed from a solid surface by irradiating it with a laser beam. You probably already knew that but I Googled that sh!t for you guys anyway.



Omega has echoed the ALINGHI logo in the watch’s overall color scheme, which includes red to represent passion, and black for technology.



This illustrated through features such as the watch’s perforated black and red rubber strap, as well as the 44.25mm case which has been crafted from black ZrO2 (zirconium oxide) ceramic.



Along with a tachymeter scale in SLN (lume), the outward design is characterized by the prominent ALINGHI logo on the stop/start pusher, which has been created in red varnish.



Two of the Speedy’s sub-dials are particularly noteworthy. The one at 3 o’clock, a 4-minute or 5-minute tactical time display has been included in red, aiding precision on the water.



While the one at 6 o’clock, the traditional sub-dial design has been replaced with a sandblasted and anodized aluminum disc, which features the ALINGHI logo in red.



The team’s logo represents the letter “a” and is inspired by two boats churning the seas before the start of a match race. The logo rotates on the watch when the chronograph function is used.



Thoughts? An unexpected choice for a yacht racing watch, I suspect that someone at ALINGHI was perhaps a Speedy fan?

I’m not a huge fan of hand-cranked movements but it’s still an impressive watch that I won’t be getting anytime soon.



However I’ve already designated my right kidney in lieu of the one previously featured HERE. What do you think – does this float your boat?