Television presenter Richard Hammond spotted wearing a Omega

Richard Hammond, the British motoring television presenter best known for co-hosting Top Gear and The Grand Tour, was spotted wearing an Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Professional while seated at the wheel of what appears to be a high-performance car — a suitably kinetic backdrop for one of horology's most storied chronographs. The image clearly shows the watch on Hammond's left wrist, its steel bracelet and dark dial immediately recognisable.

The watch is the Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Professional in stainless steel, reference 311.30.42.30.01.005 — the cornerstone of Omega's catalogue since its 2014 update. The 42mm asymmetric case houses the calibre 1861, a column-wheel lever-set manual-wind movement with a 48-hour power reserve, directly descended from the calibre 321 that flew to the Moon in 1969. The black dial features applied baton indices with SuperLuminova fill, three subsidiary registers at 3, 6, and 9 o'clock, and the characteristic hesalite acrylic crystal — not sapphire — which Omega preserves for authenticity and anti-reflective properties.

The Speedmaster's collector significance is almost unrivalled in the sub-$6,000 category. NASA qualified it in 1965 after rigorous environmental testing, and it has since been worn on every crewed American space mission. The hesalite crystal, manual-wind movement, and original case architecture have made the 3861-era successor (launched 2021) the current flagship, but the 1861-powered reference Hammond wears remains a deeply respected and liquid piece on the secondary market.

For Hammond — a man who has survived high-speed crashes and built a television career on mechanical passion — the Speedmaster is less a fashion accessory and more a philosophical statement. It is a tool watch with an unimpeachable résumé, chosen by NASA engineers rather than marketing committees. That alignment with function over form suits Hammond's public persona precisely.

At retail the 311.30.42.30.01.005 listed around $5,300 before Omega's pricing revisions. On the grey market, clean examples with box and papers trade between $4,200 and $4,800, holding value steadily as collector attention shifts to the newer cal. 3861 references. For entry-level horological credibility, few watches offer comparable depth.