In the Flesh: Omega Speedmaster DSotM “Black Black”

Baselworld 2015 was quite an unveiling for Omega. As you may recall, I mentioned their strategy seemed as if they took a bunch of darts and threw them at the wall, and subsequently picking up the ones that didn’t stick and using them anyway. While I stand by that initial judgment, I’m always open to changing my mind upon further review. That’s why I wanted to take a closer look at the updated Dark Side of the Moon Speedmaster series. Omega went with four new models to complement the original DSotM: Sedna Black, Pitch Black, Vintage Black, and the one we got our hands on, the Black Black.

I can recall quite clearly having my hands on the Sedna Black and Vintage Black, and liking them. With its gold hands, markers and bezel ring complementing the overall black aesthetic, the Sedna Black was a well conceived addition to the lineup. I’ve been trying to get over the whole vintage-style modern watch trend, but both the Vintage Black and the Speedmaster ’57 Vintage reeled me back in – I’m sorry, but I like them. I know lots of folks are anti-faux-tina, but I like the warmness it brings to the overall look, versus the colder, standard white lume. Different strokes, I guess.

If I’m being honest – which is pretty much the only way I roll – I’m not sure of the Pitch Black’s place in the lineup. To me, it looks too similar to the original DSotM. The tachymeter scale and the lume on the hands and dial have a green-ish tint to it, but other than that, it’s almost the same. Obviously, there will be buyers who favor it over the others, but it just came off as slightly redundant.

Omega has been in a groove these last few years – enough so where they can get away with some “different” kinds of moves. What I mean by that is, they can get away with making a watch that’s entirely black, and then call it “Black Black”. This thing is black, like, really black. They already came up with a watch called Pitch Black, and that’s about half as black as Black Black. I wanted to review this one because I truly couldn’t remember seeing it at Baselworld in our sit-down with Omega. Pictures can only tell half the story; I needed to see just how black the Black Black really is.

Showing off its Caliber 9300

First off, let’s get the standard stuff out of the way. The Black Black, like all of the other DSotM, is carved out of a solid block of ceramic, with the pushers, crown dial, and hands also being made of the hard-to-machine material. It’s powered by Omega’s flagship, the caliber 9300. I hadn’t had extended time with the 9300 before, and I can assure you it’s a very reliable timekeeper. I noticed very little deviation over the 1.5 weeks of wear, during which, I’m sure the power reserve was all over the place due to my schedule and activity levels. The chronograph pushers have a nice solid click, but not quite as tough as the caliber 861, which was a nice change from what I’m used to.

The impressive ceramic pushers, crown, bezel…everything

Now, the elephant in the room: is it legible? It’s probably safe to say the Black Black won’t be winning any low-light readability awards, but it’s not impossible to read. The glossy hands reflect enough light to differentiate them from the matte dial. I actually find the black dial Rolex Daytona to be somewhat difficult to read, and the same goes for the Patek 5110G, but you don’t hear too many complaints with those. In natural light, I had little trouble reading the time. If I had any gripes, it was with the lume, which might have been partly my fault. I don’t think I let it charge up enough in the sun, so it never really impressed me much. I’m going to give Omega the benefit of the doubt and guess that the lume is as strong as their other Speedmasters. With strong lume, reading the time at night will be just the same as any other watch, blacked out or not.

Wrist shot taken in low-light. See? It’s legible!

Wearability of the Black Black was quite good for a hefty 44.25mm case. I found this to be the same situation with the original DSotM. I’m sure the black color helps it wear a bit smaller, but it’s also something about the case. The case shape sits nicely on the wrist, and the lightweight ceramic tells your brain you’re wearing a smaller watch than what’s there. While it’s a tall watch at 16mm, I didn’t have too much trouble wearing it with a suit. With that said, I think the Black Black is a better fit for weekend or casual wear. In fact, the comfortable Kevlar strap with a new deployant clasp make it a great summer statement watch – you might just have to fight Bruce Wayne to get your hands on one, though.

The Black Black was a nice change of pace from my vintage rotation. It is no doubt the logical conclusion of the blacked-out watch trend, and Omega somehow pulled it off as best they could. While I think the Sedna Black is my favorite of the new DSotM lineup, the Black Black is a great way to say, “f$&k it, I’m gonna wear a badass watch.” I can’t wait to see what they can come up with next.

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