Moonfall is the latest big-screen cameo for the Omega Speedmaster. Here are 5 more of the watch’s memorable roles at the movies
Luke BenedictusThe Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch is apparently not content with being one of the most iconic watches ever to be buckled onto a wrist. Sure, it was the first watch to make it onto the moon on July 20, 1969 after being the only chronograph that NASA deemed tough and accurate enough to meet their exacting standards. The Speedmaster has also proved capable of lifesaving heroics after helping to rescue Apollo 13 in April 1970 after an oxygen tank blew up, sending the spacecraft spinning off course. Astronaut Jack Swigert had to manually adjust the course of the craft by using the earth’s horizon as his sole guide and used his trusty Speedy to time the 14-second burn of rocket fuel to get back on track. But the publicity and acclaim for such feats aren’t sufficient to satisfy the Moonwatch. Nope, this is a watch that’s desperate for any chance to appear on the big screen, too.
Consider the evidence. Moonfall is the new sci-fi thriller from Independence Day director Roland Emmerich. The basic plot revolves around a mysterious force that knocks the moon from its orbit around earth and sends it hurtling on a collision course with life as we know it.
Halle Berry plays a NASA exec who seems to know how to stop the fatal impact, but the only people who believe her are a former astronaut (Patrick Wilson) and conspiracy theorist (John Bradley). The important bit for those of you less intrigued by disaster-movie silliness is that Wilson’s character can be spotted wearing the 42mm Speedmaster Moonwatch in stainless steel, powered by Omega’s Co-Axial Master Chronometer Calibre 3861.
It’s hardly the first glimpse you’ll have of the Moonwatch on the big screen either. Here are five other memorable cameos by Omega’s most famous watch.
Fifty Shades of Grey
Fifty Shades of Grey and its sequels were the bestselling books of the 2010s, kickstarting a kink boom and the phenomenon of “mummy porn”. In the film, Jamie Dornan plays the 27-year-old billionaire Christian Grey whose penchant for BDSM is matched by his fondness for Omega watches – including a Speedmaster Co-Axial in gold.
First Man
Based on the book by James R. Hansen, this biopic chronicles the life of Neil Armstrong in the years leading up to the historic Apollo 11 mission to the moon in 1969 with Ryan Gosling in the lead role.
It should come as no surprise then, that a movie about the moon landing is also going to be Omega watch-spotting heaven with Gosling wearing the Omega Speedmaster ST 105.003 during the film’s training scenes. Read more
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Set in Britain in the 1970s, this cracking espionage thriller based on the John LeCarre novel boasted an all-star cast that included Gary Oldman, John Hurt, Colin Firth, Benedict Cumberbatch and Mark Strong. More pertinently for this article, Tom Hardy plays rogue agent Ricki Tarr, who represents a breath of modernity in the old-school world of M16, a factor hammered home by his Omega Speedmaster Pro on a black leather strap.
Gravity
As an Omega ambassador playing an astronaut it wasn’t much of a head-scratcher to figure out which watch George Clooney would wear in this film. His Speedmaster is attached to the arm of his spacesuit, although weirdly seems to be missing its tachymeter bezel. A victim to a passing asteroid perhaps?
State of Play
Based on the vastly superior British TV show, Russell Crowe plays an investigative journalist called Cal McAffry. The fact that he’s “a bit of a maverick” is communicated by the fact that he’s shabbily dressed, bad tempered and looks like a bit of a shambles. That he also sports an Omega Speedmaster, however, suggests he’s actually more on the ball than you’d think.