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# Omega Finally Gives the Speedmaster 38 Its Round Subdials Back
- URL: https://www.blankidentity.com.au/omega-finally-gives-the-speedmaster-38-its-round-subdials-back/
- Published: 2026-09-29T00:45:04.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-29T00:45:03.000Z
- Description: Omega has redesigned the Speedmaster 38 with round subdials, a new five-link bracelet and a Dot-Over-Ninety bezel detail, launching seven new references from US$6,500 to US$13,100.
- Author: Callum L
- Tags: Watches

Omega has given its smaller Speedmaster a proper overhaul. On 25 August 2026 the brand unveiled seven new references of the [Speedmaster 38](https://www.omegawatches.com/en-us/watches/speedmaster/speedmaster-38-mm/the-collection/product?ref=blankidentity.com.au), a 38mm automatic chronograph that has, until now, always felt like a slightly estranged cousin of the legendary Moonwatch. Not anymore. The redesign brings round subdials back to the case for the first time since 2017, adds a new five-link bracelet lifted straight from Moonwatch design language, and introduces a small but sharp-eyed detail collectors have already nicknamed the "Dot-Over-Ninety".

![The 2026 Omega Speedmaster 38mm collection lineup](https://press.omegawatches.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/3c6d099b567e84100c1a4188f78b589e-2000x1125.jpg)

The refreshed Omega Speedmaster 38 mm collection, unveiled 25 August 2026\. Image: Omega

## Why the subdials changed

The previous generation of the Speedmaster 38, introduced back in 2017, used oval-shaped subdials, a departure from the round subdials that define the 42mm Moonwatch Professional. Omega has now reversed that decision. The new round sub-dials replace the oval elements, and the brand says the change is meant to sharpen the collection's sporty character and bring it visually closer to its 42mm sibling. For a watch that has always lived slightly in the shadow of the Moonwatch, the redesign is a deliberate move to make the 38mm case read as a genuine smaller Moonwatch rather than a separate, softer design.

![Omega Speedmaster 38 black dial steel model showing the new round subdials](https://r2.watchonista.com/app/uploads/legacy/watchographer/1/paragraphs/500879/pictures/324.30.38.50.01.002_sp_packshot_front_4x5_rvb-512x640.jpg)

Reference 324.30.38.50.01.002, the black-dial steel model, showing the new round subdials in place of the old oval design. Image: Watchonista

## A five-link bracelet and the Dot-Over-Ninety

The other headline change is the bracelet. All seven references now wear a new five-link bracelet styled after the Moonwatch's own, with brushed centre links and polished outer links on the steel models, and 18K gold centre links on the bi-colour versions. Each bracelet uses a folding clasp with a comfort-release adjustment system. Look closely at the black aluminium bezel insert and you will spot the "Dot-Over-Ninety" detail, a small dot placed directly above the 90 marker, a nod to the earliest Speedmaster bezels of the 1960s that has become one of the most talked-about spotting details among collectors of the wider Speedmaster family.

![Omega Speedmaster 38 steel model with blue ceramic bezel and white dial](https://r2.watchonista.com/app/uploads/legacy/watchographer/1/articles/500879/front/324.30.38.50.04.001_sp_packshot_front_4x5_rvb.jpg)

Reference 324.30.38.50.04.001, steel with a blue ceramic bezel and white enamel tachymeter scale. Image: Watchonista

## Seven references, from steel to diamonds

The collection spans three steel-on-steel models (black, white and silvery dials), two bi-colour models pairing steel with 18K Moonshine Gold or 18K Sedna Gold in a "cappuccino" colourway, and two diamond-set models with 52 diamonds (1.53 carats) around the bezel, in ice-blue and mother-of-pearl dial options. Six of the seven references run the COSC-certified, column-wheel Calibre 3330 automatic chronograph movement with a date function; the black dial no-date model instead runs the closely related Calibre 3332\. Both movements carry Omega's co-axial escapement and a 52-hour power reserve. Case diameter stays at 38mm with 100m water resistance, and the crystal is a flat, box-shaped sapphire with anti-reflective coating.

![Omega Speedmaster 38 three-quarter view showing the new five-link bracelet](https://r2.watchonista.com/app/uploads/legacy/watchographer/1/paragraphs/500879/pictures/324.30.38.50.04.001_sp_packshot_threequarter_4x5_rvb-512x640.jpg)

The new Moonwatch-style five-link bracelet, shown here on the steel blue-bezel reference. Image: Watchonista

## Where it sits in Speedmaster history

The Speedmaster 38 has been Omega's answer to a smaller-wristed audience since the line first appeared in the late 1990s, running in parallel to the 42mm Moonwatch Professional that has been strapped to nearly every Apollo astronaut since 1965\. The 2017 update gave the 38mm case its own identity with oval subdials and a lollipop seconds hand, deliberately differentiating it from its bigger sibling. This 2026 update reverses that logic entirely: rather than being its own design, the Speedmaster 38 is now styled as a direct scaled-down Moonwatch, subdials, bracelet and all. It is a clear signal from Omega that the smaller Speedmaster is meant to be read as a genuine Moonwatch alternative, not a separate product line.

![Close-up detail of an Omega Speedmaster 38 dial and bezel](https://cdn.shortpixel.ai/spai/ret_img/hautetime.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/26034708/f80a2f4503a8f97c091fe10e599ffeac-2000x2500-1.webp)

Dial and bezel detail on one of the new Speedmaster 38 references. Image: Haute Time

## Collector reaction

Early reaction from the watch press has been broadly positive on the design change itself, with most outlets welcoming the return of round subdials as an overdue correction. The main point of debate has been proportions: at 14.75mm thick, the new Speedmaster 38 is noticeably chunkier than its case diameter suggests, and several watch writers have noted it is thicker than the standard 42mm Moonwatch, a detail that has drawn some pointed questions from enthusiasts about whether the automatic movement's added height works against the case's smaller footprint.

![Omega Speedmaster 38 bi-colour gold and steel model](https://cdn.shortpixel.ai/spai/ret_img/hautetime.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/26034658/09f58b78bfad2f2e3cf7c0c645d773f2-2000x2500-1.webp)

One of the bi-colour Speedmaster 38 references, pairing steel with 18K gold. Image: Haute Time

![Omega Speedmaster 38 on the wrist](https://monochrome-watches.com/app/uploads/2026/08/2026-Omega-Speedmaster-38mm-collection-refreshed-video-review-1.jpg)

The Speedmaster 38 on the wrist, next to its Moonwatch-inspired bracelet. Image: Monochrome Watches

**At a glance:**

- 324.30.38.50.01.002, black dial, steel, no-date, Calibre 3332: US$6,500 (approx. A$9,230)
- 324.30.38.50.02.003, silvery dial, steel, grey bezel: US$6,700 (approx. A$9,514)
- 324.30.38.50.04.001, white dial, steel, blue ceramic bezel: US$7,100 (approx. A$10,082)
- 324.20.38.50.02.001, steel and 18K Moonshine Gold: US$11,700 (approx. A$16,614)
- 324.20.38.50.02.002, steel and 18K Sedna Gold, "cappuccino": US$11,700 (approx. A$16,614)
- 324.15.38.50.03.001, diamond-set bezel, ice-blue dial: US$12,300 (approx. A$17,466)
- 324.15.38.50.05.001, diamond-set bezel, mother-of-pearl dial: US$13,100 (approx. A$18,602)

**Verdict:** This is the update the Speedmaster 38 has needed for years. Swapping the oval subdials for round ones and borrowing the Moonwatch's bracelet finally gives the smaller Speedmaster a real claim to the Moonwatch name, instead of reading as a simplified spin-off. The steel models, particularly the black dial no-date at US$6,500, look like the smart buy in the range, offering genuine Moonwatch styling in a size that suits far more wrists. The thickness criticism is fair and worth trying on before buying, but on design alone this is the most convincing Speedmaster 38 Omega has made.