On July 21, 1969, six hours after the Apollo Lunar Module Eagle landed on the Moon, Neil Armstrong became the first person to walk on the lunar surface, quickly followed by Buzz Aldrin. Televised live and watched by 600 million people, their walk lasted just over two hours. Yet their achievements left a defining footprint on the history of space exploration.
It was during this iconic moment that the Omega Speedmaster Professional, strapped onto the wrist of the astronauts, became the first watch worn on the Moon.
The journey to reach the stars began in 1964, when Nasa's space programme officially went in search of a watch that could be relied upon for all of its manned missions. A request for wrist-worn chronographs from different watch manufacturers around the world was therefore issued.
Among the many submissions were timepieces from Swiss watchmaker Omega. After Nasa's 11 punishing tests in 10 environments -- involving extreme temperatures, vacuums, humidity, corrosion, shock, vibration, acceleration and pressure -- only one watch survived: the Omega Speedmaster, first developed seven years earlier to cater to motorsport.
The watch was declared "Flight Qualified for all Manned Space Missions" on March 1, 1965. From then on, Omega was the only supplier of watches for Nasa's Human Space Flight Program.
The success of the Apollo 11 mission is naturally one of Omega's most celebrated moments.
To mark the 50th anniversary of the Moon landing, Omega recently hosted a "Golden Moments" wine dinner at Kennedy Space Center in Cave Canaveral, Florida, USA.
In a venue resembling a spaceship depot, beneath the impressive Saturn 5 rocket, the evening was attended by Omega ambassador George Clooney, his wife Amal, veteran astronauts and engineers Lieutenant General Thomas Stafford, Gen Charles Duke, James Ragan and Jean-François Clervoy, and serving astronauts Nicole Stott and Terry Virts. Adding to the glamour of the occasion were several A-list celebrities and members of the international media.
"It's a huge achievement to land on another world. I can't think of a better reason to raise a glass in tribute," said Raynald Aeschlimann, president and CEO of Omega and the host of the star-studded evening.
Among the evening's many highlights was a showing of the recently-shot short documentary, Starmen. The six-minute film showed Buzz Aldrin, now 89, and George Clooney watching historic footage of the Nasa space missions. The two men bounce off each other with quick-witted humour and candid memories of the space programme.
Later, Gen Duke, 83, spacecraft communicator for Apollo 11, took to the stage to discuss the success of the 1969 mission, which was down to the hard work and commitment of the team.
"We are here to embrace the spirit and to make sure that the teamwork of more than 400,000 people serving in the missions is also recognised. Because everything we do on space is about improving life on Earth," he said.
Duke served on five Apollo missions. As the Lunar Module pilot of Apollo 16 in 1972, he became, at 37, the youngest person so far to walk on the Moon.
Duke noted that when flying in space everything is based on time. Time must be precise. Every second is pivotal. So it's essential to have a watch that's reliable.
Nasa's former senior aerospace engineer James Ragan was the man behind the Moonwatch. One of his most important responsibilities was to test and certify the astronaut chronographs used on manned missions.
"The astronauts wanted a chronograph to wear so that they could do their own timing. The watch was a critical backup," he explained. "If the astronauts lost the capability of talking to the ground, or the capability of their digital timers on the lunar surface, the only thing they had to rely on would be the watches they had on. It needed to be there for them if they had a problem."
He was surprised that any watch survived the tests.
"It was the most extreme testing you could do to a piece of hardware," he said.
The Omega Speedmaster ST 105.012 and ST 145.012 were the two models worn by the Apollo 11 astronauts during their eight-day mission.
Some five months after the heroic astronauts' safe return, Omega held an "Astronaut Appreciation Dinner" in Houston, Texas, and at the same time released a commemorative BA145.022 watch "to mark man's conquest of space with time".
The limited edition chronograph, with only 1,014 watches being produced, was crafted from 18k yellow gold with a series of inscriptions on the caseback. Twenty-six pieces were given to Nasa astronauts while most of the rest made available to the public to purchase. The watch, which came in an exclusive Moon crater presentation box, are now a prized collector's item.
To celebrate the Golden Anniversary of the Moon landing, Omega recently launched a new limited edition 42mm Speedmaster in 18k Moonshine Gold. Almost identical to the legendary celebration watch, the 2019 chronograph boasts a case, bracelet and dial in a unique and exclusive 18k new alloy gold, whose colour is inspired by the shining moonlight in a dark blue sky.
The glass face and caseback are made with anti-reflective sapphire crystal while the indexes are crafted with black onyx. Carrying on the flair of the historical piece, the ring is made with burgundy bezel with tachymeter scale in Ceragold.
When it comes to the movement, the 2019 model boasts a certified new master chronometer calibre 3861 -- a manual-winding coaxial escapement movement built with rhodium-plating for greater stability and even better precision.
Each watch comes with a selection of inscriptions on the caseback and movement including "Apollo 11 – 50th Anniversary – 1969-2019", "The First Watch Worn On The Moon" and "Master Chronometer".
To complement the extraordinary timepiece is a unique presentation box. Inspired by the original packaging of the 1969 BA145.022 model, the new crater box boasts panels in grey ceramic with 3D printing of the lunar surface. Since every panel is structured differently, no crater box is alike. The top panel of every box is printed with the image of the Sea Of Tranquillity and the landing site of Apollo 11.
Combining historical touches and the pioneering spirit of the original with its own distinct style, the 2019 Speedmaster Apollo 11 50th Anniversary Limited Edition watch, again limited to 1,014 pieces, is now available at Omega boutiques throughout the galaxy.
