Two-Tone Omega Speedmaster Professional Models: A Collector’s Guide
The Omega Speedmaster Professional is one of the most popular luxury sports watches in the world, but the classic stainless steel versions get almost all of the attention. There are some stunning precious metal ones, like the Moonshine Gold model with a green dial, that are starting to get some love, too. But two-tone Omega Speedmaster Professional models are often overlooked. There haven’t been very many two-tone Omega Speedmaster Professional references over the years–less than a dozen, in fact, even counting two June 2024 releases. Let’s take a look at all of them.
The OG Two-Tone Speedmaster Professional (1981-1988)
The very first two-tone Omega Speedmaster Professional models came out in 1981. Sometimes you’ll see people claim that it was 1983, including some parts of Omega’s website, but elsewhere Omega lists “1981” as the debut date for the “German Edition” DD 145.0022. Legendary late watch geek Chuck Maddox seems to have confirmed the 1981 release of the German Edition Speedy as well. You may see some early examples labeled as “DD 145.022” because Omega changed their reference numbering system in the mid-1980’s. As far as I know, the additional 0 in “145.0022” doesn’t signify any changes.
These Germany-only Omega Speedmaster Professional models have clean white dials, which in some cases lack the word “Professional.” The bezel is solid 14k yellow gold, but unlike most modern two-tone chronographs, the crown and pushers are steel. Although not technically a limited edition, it’s a very rare model. Supposedly there was also a model with a gold-plated bezel (DL 145.0022) but I haven’t been able to confirm that.
The standard DD 145.022 (later known as DD 145.0022) debuted in 1983 featuring a champagne dial with silver subdials. Like all the first-generation two-tone Omega Speedmaster Professionals, it has a hesalite crystal, a solid caseback, and a trusty Lemania-based Omega 861 manual-wind movement.
The most confusing of the OG two-tone Omega Speedmasters is the black-dial “Special Italy” edition that debuted in 1986. Its reference number is DA 145.0022, which signifies that it has a solid 18k gold bezel (rather than the 14k ones with black inserts on the “DD” models). Its crown and pushers are gold-plated. Oddly, many of these “Special Italy” Speedies were assembled outside Switzerland, and some have no Omega logo on the crown.
Many of these watches were assembled in Italy. I personally assembled a hundred of the first series, at the end of 1986, characterized by some particularities: copper movement, case back DD145.022 and winding crown without the Omega logo. I believe that they have never been particularly appreciated, because, if I remember correctly, in the late 1990’s a dealer offered me a dozen unsold ones to be overhauled.
Watchtinker, Italian watchmaker (translated)
The DA145.0022 was limited to 1,000 pieces. Well, they said it was limited to 500, but then they made 500 more a couple years later. And those still have “/500” on the back! Seriously, I’m not making this up: The second batch has an “A” before the number, so if yours says “A001/500” then that really means “501/1000.” Most of the Special Italy Speedies came on black leather straps, but some have all-steel bracelets. Earlier two-tone Speedy Pros were offered on two-tone bracelets or black leather. By about 1988, the two-tone Omega Speedmaster Professional era was over…for a while.
Two-Tone Omega Speedmaster Specs: First Generation
| Model Name | Speedmaster Professional German Edition | Speedmaster Professional | Speedmaster Professional Special Italy |
| Reference | DD 145.022 / DD 145.0022 | DD 145.022 / DD 145.0022 | DA 145.0022 |
| Year Debuted | 1981 | 1983 | 1986 |
| Case Size | `Diameter: 42mm Thickness: 14mm Lug-to-lug: 48mm | `Diameter: 42mm Thickness: 14mm Lug-to-lug: 48mm | `Diameter: 42mm Thickness: 14mm Lug-to-lug: 48mm |
| Case Material | Stainless steel with 14k yellow gold bezel | Stainless steel with 14k yellow gold bezel | Stainless steel with 18k yellow gold bezel, gold-plated crown and pushers |
| Movement | Omega 861 (Manual-wind, 5 beats per second, Lemania base movement) | Omega 861 (Manual-wind, 5 beats per second, Lemania base movement) | Omega 861 (Manual-wind, 5 beats per second, Lemania base movement) |
| Power Reserve | 48 hours | 48 hours | 48 hours |
| Water Resistance | 50m | 50m | 50m |
| Bracelet/Strap | Black leather strap or steel/gold bracelet | Black leather strap or steel/gold bracelet | Black leather strap or steel bracelet |
| Crystal | Hesalite | Hesalite | Hesalite |
| Limited Edition | No, but Germany-only | No | 1,000 pieces (2 batches of 500), Italy-only |
| Market Price (June 2024) | $15,000 | $12,000 | $12,500 |
More on Omega:
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Two-Tone Omega Speedmaster Apollo Anniversary Models
Although Omega has made countless two-tone Speedmaster variants over the years, we’re specifically focusing on Speedmaster Professional models here, and Omega went more than 15 years without making another one. Numerous Omega watches have commemorated anniversaries of Apollo missions, but only three of them are two-tone Speedmaster Professionals. The first one appeared in 2006.
Apollo 15 35th Anniversary (2006)
The Apollo 15 mission, which took place in the summer of 1971, was America’s fourth successful trip to the moon. It was a particularly notable lunar mission because it debuted the lunar rover for the first time. Omega made 1,971 examples of a special two-tone Speedmaster to commemorate the 35th anniversary of Apollo 15. The last names of the three astronauts involved in the mission (David R. Scott, Alfred M. Worden and James B. Irwin) are written on the back as part of a colorful red-white-and-blue logo. Aside from the caseback, the rose gold bezel, crown, pushers, and dial accents are the only things differentiating the 3366.51.00 from a standard Speedy Pro 3570.50 model.
Apollo 11 45th Anniversary (2014)
To celebrate the 45th anniversary (yes, Omega celebrates 45th anniversaries) of the history-making Apollo 11 mission, Omega released my personal favorite two-tone Speedmaster: ref. 311.62.42.30.06.001. For the Apollo 11 45th Anniversary Speedmaster, Omega finally made a two-tone model with a less predictable/basic style.
The case is titanium, not steel, and the dial and bezel insert are both an attractive moon-like gray color. The Sedna Gold (Omega’s proprietary rose gold alloy) bezel, hands and hour markers contrast nicely against the gray. The subtle raised black lettering on the dial really sets it off, and the brown NATO strap is somehow perfect for this watch. The Apollo 11 45th Anniversary was the first two-tone Omega Speedmaster Professional to have a sapphire crystal rather than hesalite. But, it still got the caliber 1861 movement that Omega had been using since the 1990’s. Appropriately enough, it was limited to 1,969 examples.
Apollo 11 50th Anniversary (2019)
Five years later, Omega released another two-tone Speedmaster Professional to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11. Its ceramic bezel insert and coaxial Master Chronometer movement (caliber 3861) make it a decidedly modern watch. The Master Chronometer certification means it has outstanding magnetic resistance (15,000 gauss) and gains between 0 and 5 seconds per day (running slow is not acceptable).
Visually, the first thing you’ll notice about the Omega Speedmaster Apollo 11 50th Anniversary model is the golden engraving in the 9 o’clock subdial. That entire subdial is actually 18k Moonshine Gold, which is Omega’s (relatively pale) proprietary 18k yellow gold alloy. The subdial is etched and partially blackened to create an image of Buzz Aldrin descending to the moon’s surface. The Moonshine Gold bezel, hands and hour markers make sense here. The caseback says “One Small Step for a Man, One Giant Leap for Mankind” surrounding the image of a lunar footprint.
Although it’s technically a limited edition, they made a lot–6,969 to be exact. Nice. Aside from its caseback and gold details, the Apollo 11 50th Anniversary model is comparable to ref. 310.30.42.50.01.002.
Two-Tone Omega Speedmaster Professional Apollo Anniversary Model Specs
| Model Name | Speedmaster Professional Apollo 15 35th Anniversary | Speedmaster Professional Apollo 11 45th Anniversary | Speedmaster Professional Apollo 11 50th Anniversary |
| Reference | 3366.51.00 | 311.62.42.30.06.001 | 310.20.42.50.01.001 |
| Year Debuted | 2006 | 2014 | 2019 |
| Case Size | Diameter: 42mm Thickness: 14.1mm Lug-to-lug: 48.2mm | `Diameter: 42mm Thickness: 14.1mm Lug-to-lug: 48.2mm | Diameter: 42mm Thickness: 13.1mm Lug-to-lug: 47.5mm |
| Case Material | Stainless steel with rose gold bezel, pushers and crown | Titanium with Sedna Gold bezel | Stainless steel with Moonshine Gold bezel |
| Movement | Omega 1861 (Manual-wind, 5 beats per second, Lemania base movement) | Omega 1861 (Manual-wind, 5 beats per second, Lemania base movement) | Omega 3861 (Manual-wind, 5 beats per second, co-axial Master Chronometer) |
| Power Reserve | 48 hours | 48 hours | 50 hours |
| Water Resistance | 50m | 50m | 50m |
| Bracelet/Strap | Stainless steel bracelet | Brown NATO strap | Stainless steel bracelet |
| Crystal | Hesalite | Sapphire | Sapphire |
| Limited Edition | 1,971 pieces | 1,969 pieces | 6,969 pieces |
| Market Price (June 2024) | $7,000 | $13,000 | $14,000 |
Tokyo 2020 (2019)
Omega is really, really proud of their Olympic timekeeping history. They celebrate both the Winter Olympics and the Summer Olympics with multiple releases, so they’re basically in a constant state of releasing Olympic special edition watches. Out of the five Speedmaster special editions released for the Tokyo 2020 games, two were two-tone. Although the Tokyo 2020 games didn’t occur until 2021 due to lockdowns, these Speedmasters were actually released at the end of 2019.
One of them (ref. 522.20.42.30.01.001) is pretty subdued, featuring a black dial with Moonshine Gold for the bezel, crown, pushers, hands and dial accents. Ref. 522.20.42.30.06.001 looks a bit more interesting, with its green bezel insert complemented by Sedna Gold accents. Plus, its silver dial is pleasantly unexpected on a Speedy Pro. Even though they were released after the Apollo 11 50th Anniversary models, the Tokyo 2020 Speedmasters are more like the previous generation of Speedy Pro. They have aluminum inserts and 1861 movements.
Two-Tone Omega Speedmaster Tokyo 2020 Specs
| Model Name | Speedmaster Professional Tokyo 2020 |
| Reference | 522.20.42.30.06.001 (Silver dial) 522.20.42.30.01.001 (Black dial) |
| Year Debuted | 2019 |
| Case Size | Diameter: 42mm Thickness: 13.9mm Lug-to-lug: 48.2mm |
| Case Material | Stainless steel with gold bezel, pushers and crown |
| Movement | Omega 1861 (Manual-wind, 5 beats per second, Lemania base movement) |
| Power Reserve | 48 hours |
| Water Resistance | 50m |
| Bracelet/Strap | Stainless steel bracelet |
| Crystal | Sapphire |
| Limited Edition | 2,020 pieces |
| Market Price (June 2024) | $7,700 (Silver dial) $6,250 (Black dial) |
Newest Two-Tone Omega Speedmaster Models (2024)
That brings us to the current-generation two-tone Speedy Pro. In June 2024, for the first time since the 1980’s, Omega put two-tone Speedmaster Professionals with two-tone bracelets back in the lineup. Not half-ass two-tones that are basically steel watches with a few gold accents–these are proper two-tone watches. They represent both of Omega’s aforementioned proprietary gold alloys. The yellow gold one has what Omega describes as a “sun-brushed silvery step dial with galvanic 18K Moonshine Gold subdials,” while on the rose gold version the “PVD-treated 18K Sedna Gold step dial is sun-brushed and presented with black coated subdials.” And they’re expensive.
At retail, a new two-tone Rolex Daytona costs $20,100–about 1.33x as much as a stainless one. These new two-tone Omega Speedmasters retail for $18,100, which is about 2.26x as much as their steel equivalent. Why does Omega upcharge over $10,000 for the two-tone treatment when Rolex only asks $5,000? Well, I’m not sure.
But at least Omega is giving us all the modern updates, including Master Chronometer movements and the quick-adjust clasp system they’ve been using since late 2022. They haven’t come up with any clever names for it–their website just calls it “a foldover clasp with comfort setting”–but Omega fans seem universally pleased by the tool-free size adjustability. We’ll see how many are pleased enough to pay more than double the cost of a steel Speedy Pro.
2024 Two-Tone Omega Speedmaster Specs
| Model Name | Speedmaster Professional | Speedmaster Professional |
| Reference | 310.20.42.50.02.001 | 310.20.42.50.99.001 |
| Year Debuted | 2024 | 2024 |
| Case Size | Diameter: 42mm Thickness: 13.2mm Lug-to-lug: 47.5mm | Diameter: 42mm Thickness: 13.2mm Lug-to-lug: 47.5mm |
| Case Material | Stainless steel with Moonshine Gold bezel, crown and pushers | Stainless steel with Sedna Gold bezel, crown and pushers |
| Movement | Omega 3861 (Manual-wind, 5 beats per second, co-axial Master Chronometer) | Omega 3861 (Manual-wind, 5 beats per second, co-axial Master Chronometer) |
| Power Reserve | 50 hours | 50 hours |
| Water Resistance | 50m | 50m |
| Bracelet/Strap | Stainless steel bracelet with Moonshine Gold center links | Stainless steel bracelet with Sedna Gold center links |
| Crystal | Sapphire | Sapphire |
| Limited Edition | No | No |
| MSRP (June 2024) | $18,100 | $18,100 |
More on the Omega Speedmaster:
What is the Price of an Omega Speedmaster?
All the Omega Speedmaster Bezel Scales: Tachymeter, Telemeter, Pulsometer, and Decimal
Omega Speedmaster Alternatives: Chronographs From 12 Other Top Brands
5 Underrated Omega Speedmaster Models
Omega Speedmaster Professional: “Moonwatch in White”
