As much as watches are a personal thing, it is often the community of enthusiasts that keeps me well engaged and excited with this space. It’s not just for posting our collections and expanding our collective knowledge, it’s also a place where creativity can flourish. This week, users of The Grey NATO slack channel got a first look at something called Project Arctic, a custom designed and produced thermal shield for the Omega x SWATCH MoonSwatch, a piece of hardware originally developed by Omega for the Alaska Project (more on that later). In the works for nearly three years, Project Arctic represents an enthusiasts journey to create an homage to the famous red thermal case, and the release of the MoonSwatch provided the perfect alternate platform to bring the whole thing to life.
The Alaska Project was a codename used by Omega for anything being developed for NASA. This was largely focused around ideas that would afford watches additional protection to withstand the potential forces to be encountered by astronauts, from sustained shocks to extreme temperatures. One solution produced involved a red anodized aluminum shroud that would fully encase the watch, leaving a viewing window for the crystal. The prototype Speedmaster within even used a two piece cushion case made of titanium (this watch currently sits on display in Omega’s museum, located in Biel/Bienne). Ultimately, the red enclosure and robust titanium case proved untenable for production, and other concepts were selected for further development.
In time, this Alaska Project prototype took on a somewhat mythical reputation with enthusiasts, and as its story has become more widely understood, the red shroud has taken on a life of its own. In 2008, Omega released a commemorative Alaska Project Speedmaster that included the thermal shield as part of the kit. The distinctive look and legendary heritage have made it a fan favorite, however they are tricky to come by in the open market, and when you do, prices can run well north of $20,000.
This is where one enterprising enthusiast took it upon himself to design and produce a thermal shield of his own. The result is Project Arctic (Advanced Radiation Control and Thermal Insulation Capsule). What began with an idea, a few sketches and 3D models, turned into a fully machined and finished red anodized aluminum shield with spring loaded pushers that is tailored to fit the MoonSwatch (and by extension, the Speedmaster Professional).
The creator of this project, Damian, was motivated by his own interest in Omega’s history in space, which served as the inspiration to design a new thermal shield as a challenge to learn CAD. However, with no Speedmaster in his collection, there was no reason to take it further than a learning tool. That changed with the release of the MoonSwatch in 2022, which brought a far more accessible Speedmaster to the market, and one that shared very similar dimensions to the Speedmaster Professional. They even made one (Mission to Mars) with a white dial and rocket shaped totalizer hands, ala the original Alaska Project. Project Arctic was back on.
Damian went back to the drawing board and developed a new case in the same diameter as the 2008 thermal shield made by Omega, making it 58mm across. As for the rest, things take a different route, as Damian explains: “My design is less tall and differs in pretty much all other details. I am also using spring loaded pins to hold the watch up against the opening. Fun fact. The rim of the opening also seats against the crystal, much like the original does to prevent the crystal from popping off with pressure changes (Apollo 15)”
The trickiest parts? The closing mechanism and the pusher assembly both required some massaging and fine tuning to get just right. The shell itself is made from Aluminum 6082, while the pushers and closure pins are stainless steel. The anodization process takes about three hours to complete, and getting the pushers properly tuned can take time, but the process to create the shield takes about a full day. The shell itself is CNC machined, but there’s still a lot of hand finishing work that goes into finishing with the desired degree of refinement. Finally, a fiber laser is used to create the black index ring, matching the font of the bezel.
The end result is exactly as impressive as it sounds, and an individual triumph of engineering born of a passion for the original idea from Omega. As to whether Damian will produce more of these for purchase, for the moment, the answer is: “I don’t plan on selling this as a product.” However, should you be a member of the TGN slack channel, you’d be well served to keep an eye on the Buy Sell Trade 2 channel. Additionally, you can follow along with this project on Instagram, right here. Either way, this is an enthusiast project worth celebrating, so hats off to Damiam and Project Arctic for the achievement.
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