Faux-tina or no-tina? Andrew and Justin dive deep into the Omega Speedmaster FOIS

Time+Tide

Every Omega Speedmaster collector knows the Moonwatch. But what about the watch that started it all? Before Neil Armstrong. Before Apollo 11. Before any of it — there was Wally Schirra, a test pilot with a personal Omega on his wrist, orbiting Earth six times in 1962 with no guarantee he was coming back. That’s the First Omega in Space.

In episode 2 of Four New Ways to Fly to the Moon, Andrew McUtchen sits down with Justin Hast to dig deep into the 2024 reissue of this pre-moon icon — and to settle a long-running debate: does the 2024 model with its grey-blue sunburst dial and faux-tina finish win out, or does the cleaner, more austere 2012–2020 CK2998-adjacent edition take the crown? What unfolds is a genuine collision of perspectives — faux-tina versus crisp dial, alpha hands versus pencil hands, the romanticism of aged aesthetics versus the purity of tool-watch minimalism. And, crucially: at £7,400, how does this pre-moon hero fit into a modern collection alongside the Moonwatch itself?

Andrew also shares the story that started it all: Time+Tide’s very first event — A Night of Omega Firsts in Melbourne — and how coming face to face with a CK2998 more than a decade ago planted a seed that still hasn’t left him. This one’s for the person who knows the Moonwatch isn’t the only answer. The one who’d rather wear Wally Schirra’s spirit than walk in Buzz Aldrin’s shadow.

In this episode: The history of the First Omega in Space and Wally Schirra’s role. The 2024 reissue vs. 2012 edition — which wins? Fauxtina: love it or leave it? Case specs, bracelet, calibre 3861, and wearability breakdown. Speedmaster Speed Dating — the watch in three words, red flags, green flags. Andrew and Justin go head to head: which one would you buy?

Andrew’s already expecting to lose — don’t prove him right. Go watch the full video and let us know your thoughts in the comments.