Omega Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon ($12,000)
The Dark Side of the Moon is the Speedmaster that makes Speedmaster purists question their convictions. While admiring a non-Moonwatch may almost sound like blasphemy, the DSotM deviates far enough that Speedmasterists can drool over it guilt-free. Packing Omega’s flagship chronograph movement, below is a list of its specs.
Omega Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon
Case Size: 44.25-millimeters in diameter, 16-millimeters in thickness
Case Material: One-piece zirconium dioxide ceramic
Movement: In-house caliber 9300; self-winding, column-wheel chronograph; 60 hour power reserve; 54 jewels; 28,800 bph
Strap/Bracelet: High-grade textile strap
Assessment: I’ll just get this out of the way; the Dark Side is a stunner. I’ve never seen a ceramic case finished with such a clean polishing. According to Omega, the case production is done in such a way that is incredibly difficult, but leaves a stronger build in the end – which is important for a brittle material such as ceramic. This may be the best bang-for-your-buck fully ceramic, in-house chronograph, albeit, it’s still an expensive watch. The 44.25mm diameter and 16mm thickness seems on the large side, but having worn this watch a few times, I can attest that it doesn’t wear quite as big as it sounds. Finally, although the caliber 9300 hasn’t been around long enough to claim much of a history, its stats are impressive, and can match up against the best of them.
Jaeger LeCoultre Deep Sea Chronograph Cermet ($18,000)
JLC is often referred to as the watchmaker’s watchmaker, due to their bevy of accurate and reliable in-house movements. The ‘big 3’ haute horlogerie brands — Audemars Piguet, Vacheron Constantin, and Patek Philippe — all use or have used JLC movements, making room for the argument it should actually be the ‘big 4’. One of their newest in-house movements is a self-winding chronograph used in the Deep Sea Chronograph Cermet. Let’s break down the essentials.
JLC Deep Sea Chronograph Cermet
Case Size: 44-millimeters in diameter, 14.5-millimeters in thickness
Case Material: Ceramic-reinforced aluminum, coated with layer of ceramic
Movement: In-house caliber 758; self-winding, column-wheel chronograph; 65 hour power reserve; 47 jewels; 28,800 bph
Strap/Bracelet: High-grade textile strap
Assessment: Leave it to JLC to make such a perfect vintage-inspired dive chronograph. My only complaint would be the size, but it’s the slimmest of the three, and the case construction is such that wears smaller than you’d expect. In addition to the well laid out case shape, JLC took the best properties of ceramic and aluminum and combined them, making for a lightweight and extremely tough material they call cermet. Since this is a JLC movement, you can rest assured it’s accurate and robust, making it a great selling point no matter who the competition is.
IWC Aquatimer Chronograph “Galapagos Islands” ($11,100)
IWC is no stranger to black watches, as they’ve done many references with ceramic, PVD, and DLC-coating. This time, they’ve gone with rubber coating – fitting for a dive watch. The Schaffhausen watchmaker has strengthened their in-house caliber lineup, choosing the caliber 89365 for the newly released Galapagos Aquatimer.
IWC Aquatimer Galapagos
Case Size: 44-millimeters in diameter, 17-millimeters in thickness
Case Material: Rubber-coated stainless steel
Movement: In-house caliber 89365; self-winding, column-wheel chronograph; 68 hour power reserve; 35 jewels; 28,800 bph
Strap/Bracelet: Rubber strap
Assessment: IWC’s yearly resurrection of one of its watch families reached the Aquatimer in 2014. Going back to its roots, but with a modern twist, the new Aquatimer traded an external bezel for an internal. This time, instead of operating by crown, like older Aquatimer references, this one uses an external ratcheting bezel – this results in an interesting and unique novelty. I’m not sure how the rubber coating will hold up over time, but I can safely say the Aquatimer has changed for the better, when compared to the previous generation.
Conclusion
In order to make a fair comparison, these watches must be looked at for being blacked-out chronographs, since we’ve got two divers and a race timer. With that in mind, they all bring their own positive qualities. It’s truly a tough choice. A gun to my head? I’d have to go with the Dark Side; no murdered-out watch compares when it comes to looks, and the 9300 ain’t bad either.
I’ve never been shy with my complaints about IWC’s direction, but they’ve done much better with the current Aquatimer generation. I hope they can continue to improve without the “help” of so many brand ambassadors, and overdone limited editions. The JLC would be hard to pass on, if not purely for the pedigree inside the innovative case. In the end, there aren’t any winners or losers with this trio, only degrees of how quickly money disappears from one’s wallet.
What do you all think? Leave a comment and tell us which one you’d pick.
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Matt
Nice article. Don’t like the IWC but the JLC and Omega really are stunners. I’d have to go to with the JLC, that dial is beautiful. Admittedly I haven’t seen any of them in the flesh.
Shane Griffin
The JLC really is fantastic; it’s so well balanced. I also love the little indicator that tells you if the chronograph is running, stopped, or reset, which is helpful for understanding if it’s ready for use. I highly recommend go checking the JLC and Omega out in person.
Calvin
What about the Christopher Ward C1000 Typhoon? It too has a ceramic case and a chrono movement and costs a small fraction of the above.
Shane Griffin
The Typhoon is an excellent value for sure. My goal here wasn’t to do a less expensive alternative as much as it was trying to find 3 watches that play in the same field. I actually did a “Want This Get This” for Gear Patrol with the Typhoon: http://gearpatrol.com/2014/02/18/want-this-get-this-bremont-alt1-b-or-christopher-ward-typhoon/
Thanks for reading!