Timeless Timepieces #10: Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch

Who would have believed that the lunar exploration plan announced by the US President in 1961 would actually come to fruition? Moreover, who could have predicted that an ordinary, commercially available chronograph watch would be used for mankind's first moon landing? This "ordinary wristwatch" would become an essential part of mankind's first mission. This is the true value of the OMEGA Speedmaster, and it is for this reason that it has become a valuable witness to the history of human science in the 20th century.

The first mechanical watch to be worn on the moon and still evolving today

　On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Socialist Republic (now the Russian Federation) successfully launched Sputnik 1, the world's first artificial satellite. News of this success sent shock waves through the United States and other Western nations. This was known as the "Sputnik Shock."

　That same year, Omega released the Speedmaster (first model) with the reference number CK2915. Two years later, in 1959, the second model, CK2998, was released. The movements used in all models, including the first one, were developed and manufactured by Lemania, a movement company that was part of the SSIH (later SMH Group, now Swatch Group) consortium led by Omega, and were designed by chief watchmaker Albert Piguet. The watch was released in 1942 with the caliber number 27CHRO C12. In 1957, it was designated 321.

　In May 1961, the 35th President of the United States, John F. Kennedy, delivered a speech to a joint session of Congress, pledging his support for the Apollo program, saying, "We will land a man on the moon within the next decade." At this point, the die was cast.

　In 1964, NASA ordered chronograph watches from several companies for testing to select official equipment. NASA engineer James Ragan reportedly purchased watches from three companies that met the requirements. NASA then sent Omega a request for bids for 12 Speedmaster watches for testing. The request stated, "12 high-precision chronographs conforming to the attached specifications (without bands)." In addition to the previous testing, these 12 watches underwent 11 additional, rigorous tests (high and low temperature environments, temperature and pressure, relative humidity, oxygen atmosphere, shock, etc.). Despite the rigorous testing, the Speedmaster passed all tests with flying colors. In March 1965, the Speedmaster was selected as NASA's official watch.

　Then, at 2:56 a.m. (GMT) on July 21, 1969, Apollo 11 successfully completed the first human landing on the moon. Commander Neil Armstrong stepped out of the lunar module Eagle into the Sea of ​​Tranquility on the moon's surface, turning a new page in human history. Commander Armstrong had stored his watch on board just in case, but Buzz Aldrin, the second astronaut to land, was wearing one. This was the Speedmaster ST 105.012 (4th generation model).

　In the 80s, NASA promoted the Space Shuttle Program (until 2011). Eventually, space evolved from a single nation to a multi-nation international collaborative project. This led to the ISS (International Space Station) program, which began in 1998. Omega developed a new model for the program, the Speedmaster Professional X-33. This multi-function watch features a large digital LCD display on the dial, and that same year was officially certified by NASA as the wristwatch for use on board the ISS. In 2015, Omega released the Speedmaster Skywalker X-33, a model developed in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA), which was also worn by the SpaceX Falcon 9 crew in the United States in 20.

　In recent years, Omega has been releasing a series of new models that could be called the standard for the 21st century in order to honor this historic masterpiece. First, the masterpiece movement, Caliber 321, was reissued in January 2019. In January 2020, the regular model, the Speedmaster Moonwatch 321 Stainless Steel, was released in a stainless steel case, causing a frenzy among watch enthusiasts.

　Meanwhile, the caliber lineage evolved from the 321 to the 861 and then to the 1861, and in 1921 the 3861, equipped with a Co-Axial and converted into a Master Chronometer, was released. This movement, with an ultra-high magnetic resistance of 15,000 gauss, was installed in the Speedmaster Moonwatch, and, bearing the name "Moonwatch" - the first wristwatch to land on the moon - it declared the company's intention to pioneer a new chapter in watchmaking history.