Omega and H. Moser Just Released The Year’s Best Steel Sports Watches

If you only buy one steel sports watch this year, it should be either the Omega Speedmaster 321 Moonwatch or the H. Moser & Cie Streamliner Flyback Chrono, or both. Steel sports watches are the most sought-after timepieces on the market right now, and these two beauties stand above the rest. The Omega because it’s an accessible, modern version of a great historic watch and the H. Moser because it’s the best new design and innovative movement to come along in awhile.

The Speedmaster 321 is one of several limited editions celebrating the 50^th anniversary of the moon landing. A platinum 321 was introduced a few months ago, and this is the highly anticipated stainless steel version. They are the first to reintroduce Omega’s vintage movement, a column-wheel, lateral-clutch chronograph originally used in the first Speedmaster from 1957 – specifically, the ST 105.003, which tested and qualified by NASA and worn by astronaut Ed White during the first American spacewalk in 1965. It was also used in the Speedmaster ST 105.012, the first watch worn on the Moon. The caliber is being produced according to the same specs as the original, but some components are now made of Sedna gold, Omega’s proprietary pink gold alloy, and this time it is viewable through a sapphire crystal on the caseback. The design is also faithful to the original, with its black bezel with its “dot-over-90” marking, a detail on the tachymeter scale that is a hallmark of pre-1970 Speedmasters. On subsequent models, the dot was positioned next to the 90 rather than above it on the scale. The best thing is that the watch is not limited, despite the hand assembled movement, and it is priced at an accessible $14,100, compared to $59,400 for the platinum version, or the other new Moonwatch introduced last year, the 50^th Anniversary Apollo 11 in gold (with the modern caliber 3861), priced at $34,600.

The H. Moser & Cie Streamliner Flyback Chronograph is one of the most interesting designs of the modern era, and it has an outstanding new movement. The caliber HMC 902, is the first automatic chronograph with a central display and flyback function. It was developed in partnership with custom Swiss movement maker Agenhor exclusively for this watch, and features two noteworthy innovations. First, it has a mechanism that allows the elapsed minutes hand to jump instantly, which enhances readability. Secondly the rotor is positioned between the movement and the dial rather than the movement and the caseback. This allows the rest of the movement, which is decorated, to be seen through the sapphire crystal caseback. The watch was inspired by 1960s track chronographs, with the numeral 60 dominating the 12 o’clock position on the central dial. A two-tiered index, with seconds on the outside and minutes on the inside, serves four hands: two chronograph hands, one for the minutes and the other, a red one, for the seconds, as well as the two central time display hands for hours and minutes.

The Streamliner is a new collection for Moser, and the Flyback Chronograph is its debut model. The bracelet, with overlapping articulated links, is the highlight. It is perfectly integrated with the case, and both are given a vertical “scratched” brush finish that creates a sense of movement and absorbs rather than reflect light. The case side is also really interesting. It is made of alternately polished and brushed layers that wrap around the off-center crown and then curve back again to merge flawlessly with the lines of the bracelet. The dial, in typical H. Moser style, is pared down to the essentials, hiding the watch’s technical merits behind a deceptively minimalist design. The dial is H. Moser’s signature fumé style, with the same finish as that on the case and bracelet. It is priced at $39,900.