New Omega Marstimer watch keeps time on Earth and the Red Planet

The maker of the Moonwatch is ready to keep time on Mars.

Omega, the company behind the first watch worn on the moon, has announced the Speedmaster X-33 Marstimer, a new digital and analog hybrid timepiece that can keep track of time and time zones across Earth and the Red Planet. Made in partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA), the Marstimer was developed to assist scientists and offers a range of tools for those working in the field of space research.

"Anyone interested in space, or even science fiction, is obsessed with Mars. It has generated so much curiosity, so many incredible stories. We have even created a name for its imaginary inhabitants. It's so close yet so far. We long to walk across its surface," said Raynald Aeschlimann, Omega's president and chief executive, in a statement. "To be here on Earth and able to track its movements gives the term 'timepiece' a whole new meaning."

"I'm thrilled with this new addition to the famous Speedmaster family," he said.

Mars missions: A brief history

Part of Omega's X-33 line, which was first introduced in 1998 as the "Mars Watch" and was certified by NASA for use by astronauts aboard the International Space Station, the new Marstimer builds off the features of the ESA-tested and qualified Speedmaster Skywalker X-33, including mission and phase elapsed times, alarms and a perpetual calendar.

The Marstimer's additional functions, developed under an ESA patented license, include the ability to track Mars' sol date and time at the prime meridian, allowing for the fact that a day on Mars is 39 minutes longer than on Earth. The watch also features an innovative solar compass, to find true north on both Earth and Mars.

Symbols on the watch's black dial help distinguish which particular planet's functions are in use. Circling the dial is an oxalic anodized aluminum bezel ring in red hematite, reminiscent of the color of Mars' dust. The same shade is also present on the seconds hand, which has a black to red hematite gradient, a design code intended to signal an Omega watch's status as a professional instrument.

On the reverse of the watch, the caseback is embossed with Omega's Seahorse logo circled by the words "Speedmaster X-33 Marstimer" and "ESA Tested and Qualified."

The watch comes with both a titanium bracelet and a NATO cloth strap. Both are held in the special roll, which has a nod to the Red Planet on its inner lining: a reproduction of Hebes Chasma, a steep-sided canyon on the surface of Mars.

"Although a crewed mission to the Red Planet may still be years away, Omega's new Speedmaster X-33 Marstimer is available now, at multiple locations across Earth," Omega officials wrote in a press release. "A must for professionals, space fans and passionate collectors, it's stylish to wear, compelling to operate and makes a perfect companion piece to OMEGA's Speedmaster Moonwatch."

The Omega Speedmaster X-33 Marstimer retails for $6,400.

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