Watch Paparazzi

Pilot Michael Schumacher spotted wearing Omega

On the Imola podium at the 2005 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix — a race remembered for a titanic wheel-to-wheel duel between Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso — the Ferrari driver wore a watch that was itself a feat of extreme craftsmanship: the platinum Omega Speedmaster Moon Phase Skeleton reference 3688.30.32. The setting was fitting; both the race and the watch demanded an uncommon level of precision and nerve.

The Omega Speedmaster Moon Phase Skeleton ref. 3688.30.32 was released in 2003 as a strictly limited edition of 57 pieces, the number chosen as an explicit homage to 1957, the year the original Speedmaster debuted. The platinum case houses a heavily skeletonized manual-wind movement that exposes the going train, the column wheel chronograph architecture, and a moon phase complication — an unusual combination for a Speedmaster, which has historically prioritized legibility and robustness over decorative complexity. Every component of the caliber required individual hand-finishing, a process so time-consuming it made larger production runs economically and practically impossible.

For collectors, the ref. 3688.30.32 occupies a singular position in Speedmaster lore. The standard Moonwatch is broadly accessible; this piece is its polar opposite — a platinum, skeleton-dialed grand complication produced in a quantity smaller than many Swiss independents manage in a single year. Its 57-unit run means it rarely surfaces at auction, and when it does, condition and provenance command serious premiums. It represents Omega's willingness, at least in limited exercises, to compete on haute horlogerie terms.

Schumacher's relationship with Omega was well established by 2005, but being photographed on a Formula 1 podium wearing the ref. 3688.30.32 gave the watch a moment of genuine sporting drama as its backdrop. The seven-time world champion's wrist was, by then, one of the most scrutinized in motorsport, making the sighting an inadvertent showcase for one of the brand's most ambitious Speedmaster variants.

On the secondary market, the platinum Omega Speedmaster Moon Phase Skeleton ref. 3688.30.32 trades well above its original retail position, reflecting both the platinum material cost and the extreme scarcity of 57 examples worldwide. Buyers should expect documentation and original packaging to be non-negotiable factors in any serious transaction.