Omega X-33

Flying under the radar in space

THERE ARE PROBABLY more variants of the Omega Speedmaster than any other watch. There’s the one everyone knows: the Moon Watch, and, lately, the tie-up with Swatch for the Moon Swatch. But rather less well-known are some of Omega’s digital and ana-digi Speedies – such as this one, the X-33.

The X-33 sits between the experimental Alaska IV prototype and the later X-33 Skywalker models that rolled up in 2014. These weren’t just for wannabe Buzz Lightyears, they really were (and are) flown on space missions. In fact, the Russian cosmonauts on Mir were already wearing their X-33s before the launch in March 1998. They were designed to be worn and used in space as practical, accurate measuring instruments. Indeed, they were so practical that you can see US astronaut Don Pettit fixing the buttons on his X-33 with a Leatherman in a YouTube video.

It’s fair to say that function trumped form with this particular Omega; it’s not a pretty watch. It is, however, a superb bit of kit. The case is titanium, so it’s light, antimagnetic and corrosion-resistant. People sometimes worry about its 30m water resistance, but this one has seen the bottom of a pool a couple of times and come up smiling. There’s no need to worry about bashing an X-33 or getting it near magnets. It’ll shrug off 3500g (yes, really) and conforms to ISO 764 for magnetic resistance. It’ll cheerfully tell you the time to -0.3 to +0.5 seconds per day. And you must try using the 80dB alarm – it’s a sure-fire meeting-ender.

Aim for £1900-2500.