Watch Paparazzi

Astronaut Thomas Pesquet spotted wearing Omega

Thomas Pesquet, the French ESA astronaut who completed two long-duration missions aboard the International Space Station — Proxima in 2016–17 and Alpha in 2021 — was spotted wearing an Omega Speedmaster Skywalker X-33, the titanium multi-function chronograph that serves as a genuine working instrument for professional spaceflight crews. This is not a celebrity endorsement scenario: Pesquet's relationship with this watch is entirely occupational.

The Skywalker X-33 represents the third generation of Omega's dedicated astronaut tool watch lineage, descended from the original X-33 launched in 1998. The current reference — most likely 318.90.45.79.01.001, identifiable by its characteristic large 45mm titanium case, prominent digital display windows integrated into the black dial, tachymetre bezel with bold minute graduations, and the solar-impulse-inspired titanium bracelet — houses Omega's Calibre 5619, a solar-powered quartz movement with an analog-digital display. The case back image and dial typography visible here are consistent with the third-generation Skywalker released in 2014.

The dial architecture is immediately recognisable: three digital display zones show universal time, mission elapsed time (MET), and date, while two analog hands sweep against a dark matte dial. The orange/red seconds hand adds legibility contrast. The bezel is a fixed tachymetre type in titanium rather than ceramic, optimised for weight reduction in a zero-gravity environment where every gram counts on a suit.

From a collector standpoint, the Skywalker X-33 occupies a curious niche — it is technologically sophisticated and mission-proven, yet it has historically traded at or below retail on secondary markets due to its quartz movement and unconventional aesthetic. That is changing as tool-watch culture matures and the model's genuine spaceflight credentials gain broader recognition among serious collectors.

Pesquet wearing this watch is the most authentic possible context for the piece. During his Alpha mission he served as commander of Expedition 65, making him the first European to command the ISS. The Skywalker X-33 was not a prop on his wrist — it was the same hardware ESA astronauts rely on during EVA preparation and mission timing protocols.