Entrepreneur Paolo Pininfarina spotted wearing a Omega

Paolo Pininfarina, chairman of Pininfarina S.p.A. — the Turin-based design firm responsible for some of the most iconic Ferrari and Maserati bodies ever built — was recently spotted wearing the stainless steel Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch in reference 3570.50.00, one of the most historically significant wristwatches ever produced.

The Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch ref. 3570.50.00 is the direct descendant of the CK2998 and ST105.012 that accompanied astronauts on every Apollo mission. At its heart is the manually wound Omega caliber 1861, a lineal evolution of the caliber 321 that flew to the Moon. Running at 21,600 vph with a 48-hour power reserve, it drives a bi-compax chronograph layout — 30-minute counter at 3 o'clock, running seconds at 9 o'clock — beneath a hesalite acrylic crystal that, unlike sapphire, resists spider-web cracking in vacuum conditions. The 42mm stainless steel case pairs with the iconic black tachy-tele bezel, a configuration NASA approved in 1965 after a brutal qualification process that included thermal shock, humidity, and high-G centrifuge tests.

For collectors, the 3570.50.00 occupies a particular sweet spot: it is the last long-running production reference before Omega introduced the updated caliber 1863 and subsequent anniversary variants that gradually shifted the Speedmaster line toward a more premium positioning. It represents the Speedmaster in its most honest, utilitarian form — no exhibition caseback, no gold accents, no embellishments. That purity sustains serious collector demand decades after its introduction.

Pininfarina's choice of the Speedmaster is quietly apt. His family's firm has always operated at the intersection of industrial design and emotional resonance — the same territory the Speedmaster has occupied since Wally Schirra hand-selected it at a Houston jewelry store in 1962. A designer wearing a watch that became iconic without trying to be is a coherent statement.

On the grey market, the ref. 3570.50.00 trades with consistent strength, typically commanding prices above its original retail. With renewed interest in human lunar missions — and ongoing public conversation about whether a manually wound Speedmaster might again accompany astronauts — the cultural relevance of this reference shows no sign of fading.