Grey Dial 2998-5 Omega Speedmaster

Right up there with the blue Soleil dial Omega recently referenced with the new blue FOIS, this is one of those extremely uncommon, quite mysterious Speedmaster dials. It’s a 2998-5. It also has a neutrally silvered (almost Porsche Nardo) grey dial. That’s right: not black. Also, it’s not patina. The sunburst finish isn’t the only difference though, it features a minute scale with a larger diameter than other dials. It’s a super interesting watch that just points out how little we really know. We’ve seen these grey dials in Ed Whites and the 105.0012, but this is the first time I’ve seen it appear in a 2998 (-5 here).

Grey dial Speedmasters do exist outside of racing dials, but they’re like the blue soleil dials in that practically nothing is known about them and a handful survive. Consensus holds that this is part of a small production from Singer, much like the early racing dials. Singer had finished other dials for different Omega models comparably, and gave it shot for Speedmasters. There are blue metallic dials known as the Soleil, but also a matte grey dial which is often confused for being the same thing. The blue metallic appears in a range of references from 2998 until 145.012, but is most often seen in this 105.003 ‘Ed White’. This matte grey likewise shows up toward the end of 2998 and was gone after the very earliest 105.012 examples, a bit earlier than the blue. They’re a beautiful, unusual Pre-Moon oddity.

Where these dials came from is still a complete mystery. Either it was a test by Omega to see how the market responded in very low volume, or prototype productions that found their way into cases. In any event, these are probably right up there with the Red/Black Racing or Grey Matte dials in collectability. In all three, not much is really known, the Omega community is slowly piecing together the facts now, decades later. There are thought to be four different iterations of the Soleil dial that have been catalogued. This isn’t on piste for Speedmaster collecting. It isn’t even advanced or black diamond territory in Speedmaster collecting. A grey dial 2998 is simply uncharted territory, backcountry as we’d call it. And very, very pretty.

This example is in mega condition. Its case is very full, great lugs. The dial is what really matters here, and it looks fantastically preserved, matching the handset bang-on. It comes with an extract noting delivery to Germany in 1962 from a well-regarded Parisian retailer.