A watch for future conquerors of the Red Planet.
The proud makers of the “first watch worn on the moon”, decided to look to the future of space exploration on March 28, 1998. That was when Omega presented the X-33 model, subsequently nicknamed the "Mars Watch".
Its launch at the Space Center Houston attended by NASA astronauts and Russian cosmonauts coincided with a televised link of the crew already wearing prototypes of this watch at the Mir space station.
The X-33 was named after a proposed NASA project which was never built. Omega continued to develop the idea of combined analogue/digital dial displays, which the company first showcased in 1986 on the Seamaster Multifunction.
The first Flightmaster X-33 prototypes saw the light of day in 1996, followed by the official launch of the model two years later. A Martian sequel arrived in September 2022 called Speedmaster X-33 Marstimer, developed with assistance from the European Space Agency (ESA).
The watch for future conquerors of the Red Planet acquired functions which would be useful on Mars. Given that a day on Mars is 39 minutes longer than on Earth, the watch tracks Mars’ sol date and time at the prime meridian (MTC function).
Astronauts are also offered the additional functions of MET (Mission Elapsed Time) and PET (Phase Elapsed Time). Apart from that, the Speedmaster X-33 Marstimer comes equipped with an innovative solar compass for determining true north on planets Earth and Mars.
Omega Speedmaster X-33 Marstimer
And while all of these functions may still seem more like a gimmick than a real practicality, the watch can be put to good use on our planet. This is a modern 45 mm chronograph with alarms and a perpetual calendar in a titanium case measuring 14.9 mm in height.
The watch's functionality isn't the only thing that reminds you of its Martian connection, its design does too. The bezel and gradient (black to red) second hand have been rendered a shade of Martian dust, and the special watch roll has an illustration of Hebes Chasma.
It's a a steep-sided canyon on the surface of Mars located just north of the Valles Marineris canyon system. steep-sided canyon on the surface of Mars located just north of the Valles Marineris canyon system. The watch fitted on a titanium bracelet also comes complete with a NATO strap.
The terrestrial and Martian functions are controlled by a quartz Omega 5622 movement: it uses hands to display the time on Earth and a digital display for the indications that are out of this world.