Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
Omega · Speedmaster
Omega Speedmaster 36 mm Slate 18k
Reference 70018OR.26
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Omega
- Collection
- Speedmaster
- Model
- Omega Speedmaster 36 mm Slate 18k
- Reference number
- 70018OR.26
- Year / era
- 1981 · 1980s — quartz-crisis era
- Complication
- GMT / second time zone
- Movement
- In-house automatic chronograph
- Case material
- 18k white gold
- Dial type
- Slate grey
- Strap / bracelet
- Milanese mesh
- Water resistance
- 500 m
- Limited-edition status
- Limited edition of 50 pieces
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 36 mm
- Case thickness
- 12.6 mm
- Case material
- 18k white gold
- Bezel
- Baguette diamond rainbow
- Crystal
- Box sapphire with AR coating
- Dial
- Slate grey
- Hands
- Skeletonised sword hands, white luminescent
- Indexes
- Applied Roman numerals
- Bracelet / strap
- Milanese mesh
- Clasp / buckle
- Titanium deployant clasp
- Water resistance
- 500 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 54A — In-house automatic chronograph
- Movement type
- Manual-winding
- Frequency
- 21,600 vph (3 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 38 hours
- Number of jewels
- 40 jewels
- Complications
- GMT / second time zone
- Functions
- Flying tourbillon, power reserve
- Watchmaker
- Assembled and regulated by a single watchmaker, who signs off the piece before casing.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1981 – 1994
- Limited-edition quantity
- 50 pieces
- Current market information
- Thin secondary-market supply — pricing is set piece by piece at auction.
Designer
Claude Baillod
The reference was drawn by the manufacture's internal design office, where case, dial and movement architects work alongside the watchmakers rather than as an outside commission.
Historical significance
Omega Speedmaster 36 mm Slate 18k sits within Omega's Speedmaster line, introduced in 1981. It carries the house codes established since 1848 — 18k white gold case, slate grey dial and in-house automatic chronograph — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The reference was originally planned as a one-year run and stayed in the catalogue for well over a decade.
- The movement's bridges are decorated even where they will never be seen once the watch is cased.
The House
Omega
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 1848
- Founder
- Louis Brandt
- Headquarters
- Switzerland
- Tier
- Luxury
- Major collections
- Speedmaster, Seamaster, Constellation, De Ville, Aqua Terra, Planet Ocean, Railmaster
- Signature technologies
- Hand-applied guilloché dials · Composite and ceramic case materials · Certified chronometer regulation
- Famous movements
- In-house manual-winding · In-house automatic chronograph · In-house automatic, Superlative Chronometer · In-house automatic, chronometer certified
- Notable watches
- Omega Speedmaster 38 mm Slate Sapphire (1961) · Omega Speedmaster 39 mm Blue Quartz (1952) · Omega Speedmaster 44 mm Meteorite 18k (2001) · Omega Speedmaster 36 mm Slate 18k (1981)
Brand history
Omega has spent more than 178 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's Speedmaster, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
Louis Brandt established Omega in 1848, working from Switzerland at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every Omega calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
1848
Louis Brandt founds Omega in Switzerland.
1888
Omega earns its first international recognition for precision timekeeping.
1969
The quartz era forces Omega to redefine mechanical watchmaking.
1990
Omega enters the modern collector market with its signature lines.
2024
Omega continues to produce Speedmaster, Seamaster, Constellation and other icons in limited numbers.