News · Omega

Omega’s black Speedmaster 38 finally looks like a smaller Moonwatch

Seven new references bring round subdials, cleaner dials and Moonwatch-style bezels, led by a black no-date model at A$10,325.

Hen & Mills Editorial · 4 min read · 25 August 2026

• Omega has added seven Speedmaster 38 references with round subdials, cleaner dials and Moonwatch-inspired bezel details across steel, two-tone and diamond-set versions.
• The black no-date model comes closest to a smaller automatic Moonwatch, pairing a 38 mm steel case with the Co-Axial Calibre 3332.
• Omega’s Australian storefront lists the collection now, with prices running from A$10,325 for the black steel reference to A$20,650.

I have always thought the Speedmaster 38 was the watch Omega nearly allowed to become its smaller automatic Moonwatch. The diameter was right and the self-winding movement made sense, but the oval registers and dressier detailing kept pulling it away from the instrument-like clarity that made the original Speedmaster famous. Omega has now changed the parts you actually see, kept the useful proportions, and put a black no-date model at the centre of seven new references joining the range: the Omega Speedmaster 38 ref. 324.30.38.50.01.002.

Round registers do more than tidy the dial

The stainless steel case measures 38 mm across, 14.75 mm thick and 44.96 mm from lug to lug, with an 18 mm space between the lugs. Those first and third figures should keep the watch compact across the wrist, although the thickness remains substantial for the diameter. Omega has fitted a sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment on both sides, while 100 metres of water resistance means this is not a fragile reduced-scale chronograph that needs to be removed whenever the day becomes damp.

The black varnished dial has a matte finish and, unlike the other six new references, no date window at six o’clock. Three round recessed registers replace the oval counters used on earlier Speedmaster 38 models, while Omega has reduced the dial text to let the applied logo, Speedmaster script and white baton hands breathe. White Super-LumiNova fills the hour, minute and chronograph seconds hands, and the black-on-black layout makes the 38 look less like the junior member of a dressier side collection and more like a Speedmaster in its own right.

Moving out from the dial, the black aluminium tachymeter ring sits inside a broader polished bezel and restores the dot above 90 that collectors use as shorthand for an older Speedmaster detail. It is a tiny piece of punctuation, but it changes the face because the bezel now carries some visual weight instead of leaving the dial to do everything. The rounded registers matter more, though. The old ovals made the 38 instantly identifiable; these circles make it instantly legible as a Speedmaster.

Seven new references, but one obvious headline act

Omega has not made the black watch the only sensible choice. A white lacquered dial with blue hands and a blue ceramic bezel is the crispest alternative, while a silvery opaline dial pairs a warm-grey aluminium bezel with Sedna Gold-coloured hands and markers. Both retain the trapezoidal date at six and use the date-equipped Calibre 3330. The white reference uses a fully polished case with a brushed bracelet and polished smaller links, pushing it closer to the bright Milano Cortina 2026 model than the tool-watch mood of the black version.

The remaining four turn up the jewellery. Two steel-and-gold models use solid gold for the bezel, crown, pushers and smaller bracelet links: Moonshine Gold arrives with a green aluminium insert and silvery dial, while Sedna Gold brings back the familiar ivory-and-brown combination. The final pair keeps the steel case and surrounds either an ice-blue PVD dial or white mother-of-pearl dial with 52 diamonds. Seven watches share the architecture, but they cover a much wider span than the phrase “smaller Moonwatch” suggests.

Inside the black no-date reference is Omega’s self-winding Co-Axial Calibre 3332, a column-wheel chronograph running at 4 Hz with a free-sprung balance, silicon balance spring and 52 hours of power reserve. Omega certifies it as a chronometer under ISO 3159. The other six use Calibre 3330, which adds the date while keeping the same frequency and reserve. There is no display back; turn the watch over and a stamped Seahorse medallion occupies the centre of the closed steel caseback.

The bracelet shrinks the right Speedmaster detail

Omega has carried the Moonwatch comparison through to a five-link steel bracelet, brushing the larger links and polishing the narrow inner pair on the black watch. Its clasp includes the brand’s comfort-release adjustment system, a small practical improvement that matters more on a compact chronograph than another historic dial flourish. At approximately 137 grams, this version still has enough steel in it to feel planted, while the short case should stop that weight spreading beyond smaller wrists. The proportions are compact, not delicate.

Omega Speedmaster 38 ref. 324.30.38.50.01.002 pricing and availability

Omega announced the seven new Speedmaster 38 references on 25 August 2026, and the collection is already listed through its Australian storefront. Australian list prices are: black no-date A$10,325; silvery dial A$10,525; white dial and blue bezel A$11,150; either steel-and-gold model A$18,425; ice-blue dial with diamond bezel A$19,450; and mother-of-pearl dial with diamond bezel A$20,650.

This is not the hand-wound Moonwatch put through a photocopier at 90 per cent, and the 14.75 mm thickness will still be the first objection for plenty of wrists. I think the black model works because Omega has stopped asking the smaller Speedmaster to announce its difference with every glance. It keeps the automatic movement and wearable footprint, loses the date, and finally looks comfortable in the family photograph. That is a more useful update than shaving a millimetre off the case and leaving the old face untouched.