The steel case of this new model looks identical to the case of the traditional Moonwatch. The case is brushed and has polished finished beveled corners. The stainless steel crown and buttons are also polished. The watch has a polished 18K Moonshine Gold bezel. The bezel ring is polished black ceramic [ZrO2] with an OMEGA Ceragold tachymeter scale.

The watch has a two-color step-dial. The dial center is grey, whereas the peripheral ring for the hour and minute marking is black. The watch also features three stepped-down black subdials. The counter 30-minute sub-dial is located at 3 o'clock, whereas the counter 12-hour sub-dial is located at 6 o'clock. As for the Ultraman Speedy, the 60-second sub-dial located at 9 o'clock is specific to the model. The photo of the astronaut Buzz Aldrin stepping down the lunar excursion module (LEM) onto the lunar surface is laser-engraved image in the sub-dial. This image is an accurate reference to the famous NASA photograph. The laser engraving is produced in 18-karat Moonshine Gold.

The dial indexes, hour and minute hands are produced in 18K Moonshine Gold. The counter second hand is in comparison PVD-coated in Moonshine Gold. A specific "11" hour marker is placed at 11 o'clock, to commemorate the Apollo 11 mission. The dial is covered by a sapphire crystal, not with the traditional hesalite glass of the Moonwatch.

The OMEGA Speedmaster 50th Anniversary is powered by the new calibre 3861. It is a traditional Speedmaster manual-winding chronograph movement, but he has now a Co-Axial escapement. The caliber is certified Master Chronometer and approved by METAS. The big news or improvement is that the 3861 caliber now has the hacking-second function!

The tradition is that the Speedmaster Apollo XI anniversary have a specific case back. Once again this is the case. The NAIAD LOCK caseback displays the encraving of the astronaut's footprint on the moon. The encraving is consistent with the official NASA photograph, except that the color scale is reversed (the dark areas are bright whereas the bright areas are dark). The Armstrong famous quote: "THAT'S ONE SMALL STEP FOR A MAN" and "ONE GIANT LEAP FOR MANKIND" is written in 18K Moonshine Gold-plated lettering around the footprint.

The watch comes on a polished-brushed metallic bracelet. The bracelet has the vintage look of the first Speedmaster models, it looks a lot thinner. The central links are brushed whereas the external links are polished. Additional aged-looking Velcro strap with black-coated cork is also delivered in the package, for those who want to adop the astronaut style.

The watch delivered not in the traditional black suitcase but a white suitcase. Inside the suitcase, there are two mission patches, two engraved plates with landing site coordinates and landing site and time, as well as a strap-changing tool. The watch is sitting on a display stand replicating the lower-part of the lunar module.

Owning an Omega Speedmaster Professional is like owning a piece of one of the most fabulous adventure of mankind. As many other watch enthusiast, I was impatient to discover what Omega prepared to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the moon landing. Omega did not release a traditional Moonwatch, as they previously did with the Speedmaster 20th and 25th anniversary Limited Edition. Omega released instead a variation of the iconic Moonwatch. To be honest I was a bit skeptical when I saw the photos of the watch on internet, but I am glad I got the watch in hands because it looks so much better in real. The grey-black-gold color scheme is a great combination. The watch is powered by the latest Omega manual caliber featuring for the first time the hacking function. The Moonwatch collectors and specialists will appreciate the watch step-dial, the elongated tail on the "r" letter in the Speedmaster dial inscription, and the dot placed on top of the "90" in the bezel. The "11" indice at 11 o'clock is a nice touch. The astronaute footprint in the caseback is for me the masterpiece of the watch. I could not have dream better.
Is everything perfect?
Well, there are few things I would have done differently. First, I don't consider 6969 items as a Limited Edition. 69 would have been. Then, for me, it is Apollo XI and not Apollo 11. I would thus have put "XI" instead of "11" as the 11 o'clock indice. I was also really puzzled with the image of Aldrin leaving the lunar module in the sub-dial. Really Omega? This is the image you selected as the dial picture? I don't want to have to look at the astronaut butt each time I am looking at my watch. That was my feeling watching photos of the watch, but once I got the watch in hands, it doesn't feel that way. There is even an unexpected impression of movement, like the little astronaut is moving and leaving the LEM. So it is finally better than I thought. My main criticism concerns the choice of the crystal. Omega selected a sapphire crystal. That breaks my heart. I know sapphire is more resistant, but I love so much how the Moonwatch looks with the domed hesalite glass. For me, that where the charm of the Moonwatch is coming from With a saphire crystal, the watch looks more like a Racing CK watch than a Moonwatch. I understand what Omega did for the 50th anniversary. They didn't want to release another classic Moonwatch but an up-to-date Moonwatch with the latest developments: latest caliber, sapphire, laser engraved images and some gold touch (after all, this is an anniversary, celebrations require some glitters). I don't want to be misunderstood, I love the watch, but I believe Omega would have nailed it with hesalite. Maybe for the the 55th Anniversary? To be franc and honest with you, I asked two of my Omega ADs to put my name on their waiting list to get the watch. They told me they already had more than 40 names, and they were not expecting to receive more than 10 watches from Omega. So it finally seems that 6969 may be a Limited Edition after all.