Omega Focus
Commemorating the first lunar landing, Omega issues a special edition of the watch that took NASA’s astronauts to the moon in 1969, and it’s a masterpiece
There are many watches that can claim links to great moments of human endeavour and adventure—whether it be mountaineering, deep-sea diving, athletics, motor racing or aviation. But it’s fair to say that insofar as legendary feats go, no watch can match the Omega Speedmaster.
The first timepiece on the moon, the Speedmaster didn’t simply help man climb to the top of a mountain or descend to the bottom of the ocean. It took us into orbit — and crucially, helped bring us safely back down to earth again.
The race that the Speedmaster kept time over didn’t take place on any terrestrial track. Instead, this was the watch that helped the United States win a much larger competition: the Space Race. The story begins in 1964 when, gearing up for their attempt (successful, as it turned out) to beat the Soviet Union’s cosmonauts to the moon, NASA sent a request to various leading watchmakers for chronograph timepieces to test as potential US astronaut kit.
Among NASA’s rigorous list of specifications were requirements that the watches be highly accurate, preferably not gaining or losing more than two seconds over a 24-hour period. Four renowned watch companies submitted timepieces for trial, but only Omega survived the punishing tests that resulted in the Speedmaster being used by all US astronauts.
It became the first watch on the moon in 1969 when it was worn by Neil Armstrong and Edwin ‘Buzz’ Aldrin during their historic lunar landing of Apollo XI. It was “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” — and an amazing moment for Omega.
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