As Buzz Aldrin 50 years ago on July 20, 1969, he descended the ladder of the lunar module Eagle and stepped onto the dusty lunar surface, he was, according to Neil Armstrong, the second man on the moon. However, the second man was the first to do one thing on Earth's satellite: he wore a watch on his arm - the legendary Omega Speedmaster Professional, known today as the "Moonwatch".
However, it was a long road to this pioneering achievement. This included the watch. The far-reaching NASA project, which was to culminate in the landing on the moon with the Apollo 11 mission, was divided into three successive programs: Mercury, Gemini and finally Apollo. The three programs benefited from the experience gained in the preceding projects.
In 1962, Astronaut Wally Schirra during his Mercury-Atlas 8 mission, he used an early version of the Omega Speedmaster with the reference number CK2998. The watch survived the weightlessness and the great stresses during the launch and re-entry into the atmosphere without any problems.
Up to that point, however, this watch was not part of NASA's official equipment. It was not until 1964 that an official procurement process was launched to purchase, among other things, a robust watch with a stopwatch function for the following Gemini and Apollo missions.
In extensive tests, NASA rigorously examined watches from Omega, Rolex, Longines-Wittnauer, and Hamilton. After eleven stress tests—including assessments of resistance to cold, heat, pressure, and vibration—the Omega Speedmaster emerged as the winner. Since June 1965, this model has been officially certified by NASA for use on manned space missions.
Since then, Omega has brought numerous models of the globally popular "Moonwatch" onto the market, including many anniversary models, but also subtle new interpretations. Chrono24 is currently showing a selection from the last few decades that illustrate the range of this versatile watch.
Omega Speedmaster Professional (105.012), 1964: The legend – the first watch worn on the moon, equipped with the robust hand-wound movement 321 and a Plexiglas shatterproof under negative pressure.
Chrono24 price estimate: Approximately 12.000 euros
Omega Speedmaster Professional Apollo Soyuz (ST 145.0022), 1976: Special model created to mark the docking of an American Apollo capsule with a Soviet Soyuz capsule. Features the red and blue mission logo on the dial and a corresponding engraving on the back.
Chrono24 price estimate: Approximately 40.000 euros
Omega Speedmaster Professional Japan Racing (ST 145.0022), 2004: Limited special edition produced for the Japanese market. The orange stop second hand and the elements of the same color on the dial make the stop times easier to read and are a reminder of the Speedmaster's origins as a racing watch.
Chrono24 price estimate: Approximately 11.000 euros
Omega Speedmaster Apollo 13 Silver Snoopy Award (311.32.42.30.04.003), 2015: Snoopy from the Charlie Brown cartoons was the mascot and lucky charm for the Apollo missions. This model commemorates the near-disaster of Apollo 13. During the manual course correction of the damaged capsule, the Speedmaster played a key role in determining the burn time of the engine. The version with a white dial has Snoopy the lucky charm on the small sub-dial. The unwavering attitude of the Mission Control crew who led the rescue mission at the time can also be found as a quote on the watch: "Failure is not an option!".
Chrono24 price estimate: Approximately 20.000 euros
Omega Speedmaster Professional (311.30.42.30.01.005), today: The version that comes closest to the original "Moonwatch". With plexiglass and a hand-wound movement, but here with a subtly further developed 1861 movement, the watch still exudes the pioneering spirit of the 1960s.
Chrono24 price estimate: Approximately 3.000 euros
Many models in the long history have developed into exciting investments. This is also the case with the original "Moonwatch" that Buzz Aldrin wore on the surface of the moon in 1969: in 1964, the model was sold for 495 DM. Today, depending on their condition, examples with the reference 105.012 are traded for up to 12.000 euros.
Models in particularly good condition can even cost significantly more. There are numerous offers for this and other Speedmaster models on the Chrono24 marketplace, the leading online marketplace for luxury watches.
Why was Buzz Aldrin the first person on the moon wearing an Omega Speedmaster and not Neil Armstrong, who was the first to set foot on the moon? Of course, Armstrong was also equipped with a Speedmaster. However, during the landing with the Lunar Module "Eagle" on July 20, 1969, the onboard clock malfunctioned.
For safety reasons, the astronauts decided to leave one of their watches in the lunar module so that they would have a working timepiece in case something went wrong and they would return safely to Earth - the rest is history...
Shots Magazine / © Photos: ddpimages.com (2), Chrono24 (1)
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