Wristcheck’s Favorite Alternatives To The Omega Speedmaster

For more than half a century, the Omega Speedmaster has been a collecting universe of its own, studied with academic rigour, and collected with a passion that few watches have ever enjoyed the intensity of. However, as legendary as the Omega Speedmaster is, it’s not a watch that resonates with everyone, and if you find yourself wanting a reliable everyday chronograph with a different name on the dial, you need a few alternatives to consider. 

The world of chronographs is a large one and just as you can drop a few hundred dollars on a quartz example that’ll serve you well, you can also spend a house deposit on a chronograph whose movement resembles a miniature city of gears and levers. The Omega Speedmaster exists in the vast space between these two poles, so while offering a few alternative suggestions, we’ll try to keep a broadly equivalent price and accessibility to this list.

So without further ado, let’s get into it. 

IWC Pilot's Watch Chronograph 41

While the boffins at NASA selected the Omega Speedmaster as the companion timepiece for the astronauts of the 1960s and beyond, IWC Pilot’s watches have a history that dates back even further. IWC manufactured pilot’s watches for many different countries during the Second World War, but it wasn’t until the early 90s that the watchmaker began producing pilot’s chronographs, with some of the first examples being complex split seconds chronographs or cased in cutting-edge black ceramic. 

Today, the IWC Pilot's Watch Chronograph 41 collection is popular around the world thanks to its universally legible design language and functional robustness. Arriving with a 41mm stainless steel case that measures 14.5mm thick, there are several different dial colours to choose from (including this vintage-inspired example), as well as your pick of a comfortable steel bracelet (complete with a micro-adjust mechanism) or a historically faithful leather strap. 

Offering a sporty 100m of water resistance and powered by the in-house automatic caliber 69385 with 46 hours of power reserve, there’s a lot to love about the IWC Pilot's Watch Chronograph 41. Even for those of us without a pilot’s license. 

Breguet Type XX

Another watch with a history that dates back to the Second World War, the Breguet Type XX is another quintessential pilot’s chronograph from one of the world’s oldest watchmakers. For most watch collectors, the name Breguet brings to mind the invention of the tourbillon and the purest forms of traditional watchmaking, but while the brand produces some of the finest dress watches on the planet, it’s more than capable of manufacturing timepieces that can survive some rough and tumble.

The Type XX collection is within the latter category, today featuring a classically oversized pilot’s watch case that measures 42mm in diameter and 14.1mm in thickness, with oversized Arabic numerals and a date window at 4:30. It’s powered by the automatic flyback chronograph calibre 728 that’s visible through the exhibition caseback, which also serves to ensure the watch is water resistant to 100m. 

Breitling Navitimer B01

Returning to the skies once more, Breitling’s legacy making chronographs is almost unparalleled in the world of watchmaking and the Navitimer B01 collection is about as classic as it gets. The Navitimer design enjoys a history that dates back to the middle of the 1950s and was manufactured at the request of the Aircraft and Pilot Association (AOPA), featuring the now instantly recognisable beaded slide rule bezel for pilots to make mid-flight calculations while wearing thick leather gloves. 

Today the Breitling Navitimer B01 continues this legacy as a collection of pilot watches with the same original DNA, focused on legibility, functionality and comfort on the wrist. Arriving in a range of different sizes and dial colours (including special editions such as this Swissair reference), the Breitling Navitimer B01 collection is united by its trio of chronograph subdials, simple pump pushers, and distinctive slide rule bezel. 

Zenith El Primero Chronograph

Another chronograph that dates back to 1969 is the one and only Zenith El Primero, which, alongside Heuer and Seiko, claims the bragging rights for the first-ever automatic chronograph movement. While there’s debate about which of the three brands was “first,” the El Primero chronograph movement was so reliable and adaptable that it was used to power the Rolex Daytona for more than a decade until Rolex developed its own in-house automatic chronograph. 

The Zenith El Primero comes in almost countless shapes and sizes today, including the undeniably contemporary Defy and Chronomaster Sport collections, with several different Revival references taking inspiration from the original El Primero. If you’re after a classic, the Chronomaster Original is the one you want to look at, but if you want something a little more special, the El Primero A386 Revival 50th Anniversary or Revival El Primero A3818 "Airweight Cover Girl" are both excellent options. 

Rolex Daytona

Finally, arguably the most famous and desirable chronograph on earth right now, we arrive at the Rolex Daytona. While we understand it’s not exactly straightforward to buy a Daytona from a retailer right now and the secondary market is commanding a price premium, no list of the best Omega Speedmaster alternatives (which by proxy is essentially a list of the finest everyday chronographs you can buy) would be complete without mentioning the Daytona. 

Over the decades the Daytona has taken many different forms and even today, the Big Crown’s chronograph arrives in several different metals, dial colours, and bracelet/strap options, however, the most honest comparison to the Omega Speedmaster is either the black or white dial Daytonas in stainless steel. Measuring 40mm in diameter, boasting 100m of water resistance (thanks to its screw-down crown and pushers), and powered by the latest generation in-house Calibre 4131 with 72 hours of power reserve, there’s a good reason why the Rolex Daytona is so relentlessly in demand.