In the world of horology, few watches manage to tread the fine line between curiosity and icon status as deftly as the Omega Speedmaster Professional “Tintin.”  At first glance, it appears to be a standard Moonwatch with a bit of added flair — a bold red-and-white checkered track encircling the dial, hinting at a racing pedigree rather than a lunar legacy.  But, as with many cult classics, the story behind its creation is anything but ordinary.

Originally conceived as a collaboration between Omega and the estate of Hergé, the creator of The Adventures of Tintin, the watch was intended to celebrate Explorers on the Moon, the beloved comic book that predated the Apollo 11 mission by nearly two decades.  The red-and-white motif, unmistakably reminiscent of Tintin’s rocket, was to be the defining feature of a special edition Speedmaster.  However, for reasons never publicly disclosed, the partnership fell through, and Omega found itself with a design but no official tie-in.  Instead of scrapping the project entirely, the brand quietly released the watch in 2013 as a standard production model, sans any mention of Tintin.

At the time, the Speedmaster community met the watch with mild curiosity rather than fanfare.  The Speedmaster Professional has always been a deeply conservative design, revered for its near-sacred adherence to the specifications of the original Moonwatch.  Any deviation from its traditional aesthetics is (unsurprisingly) often met with a degree of skepticism.  The “Tintin” edition, with its bold, racing-inspired colour scheme, seemed out of step with the Moonwatch’s historically restrained design language.  As a result, sales were tepid, and Omega discontinued the model within a few short years, leaving it in an awkward limbo between mainstream acceptance and collector obscurity.  Apparently, just 2,000 examples left stores before the model was discontinued.

Here comes the twist.

Time, as it often does in the world of watches, has a way of rewriting narratives.  What was once an overlooked oddity has since become one of the most sought-after modern Speedmaster variations.  The very elements that initially alienated it — the unusual backstory, the non-traditional aesthetic, the brief production run—have turned it into an object of fascination.  As the market for rare Speedmasters has heated up recently – and one only needs to look at the 2nd edition of the Snoopy Speedy LE as an example of that – , the “Tintin” has found itself at the center of a quiet but fervent renaissance, with values climbing dramatically over the past few years.  A cursory check on Chrono24 in mid March 2025 found listings of the watch in the range of SGD14,000 to SGD18,000.  So, the Tintin is holding up well indeed.

Beneath the surface, of course, this is still very much a traditional Speedmaster Professional.  Housed in a 42mm stainless steel case with a Hesalite crystal, it runs on Omega’s manually wound Caliber 1861, a direct descendant of the movement that powered the watches worn on the moon.  The dimensions, feel, and wearing experience are identical to the classic Moonwatch, ensuring that, despite its unconventional dial, it remains deeply rooted in Speedmaster tradition.

The watch community’s perception of the “Tintin” Speedmaster has evolved in tandem with its rising collectibility.  No longer dismissed as an outlier, it is now seen as one of the most intriguing modern Speedmasters, a watch that straddles the line between an official special edition and an inside-joke anomaly.  On forums and watch groups, owners discuss its uniqueness with a sense of quiet pride, knowing they possess a piece of horological history that very nearly never was.

In the end, the Omega Speedmaster Professional “Tintin” is a reminder that great watches don’t always announce themselves upon arrival.  Sometimes, they need time to find their audience.  What was once an oddity is now a cult favourite—proof that even in the rigid world of iconic tool watches, a little serendipity can go a long way.