20 JULY 1969 Special Edition
INTERNATIONAL
40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MOON LANDING
WE CHOOSE TO GO
TO THE MOON Above: The original Apollo 11 Mission Patch. Right: President John F. Kennedy delivers an inspirational speech at Rice University in 1962.
At 20:17:39 GMT July 20 1969, Neil Armstrong skillfully set the lunar module Eagle down in the Sea of Tranquility and reported: “Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.” In 1961, U.S. President John F. Kennedy had made a bold and seemingly impossible promise to the American people. In his original address to Congress he stated: “ I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth.” What followed was an unprecedented race between the Soviet Union and the U.S.A. which would culminate in the greatest technological achievement in the history of mankind. Just eight years after Kennedy’s optimistic challenge, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin Buzz Aldrin were opening the hatch on a lunar module resting on the moon. Armstrong climbed carefully down the ladder and placed his left foot on the gray powdery surface at precisely 02:56:15 GMT on July 21 (10:56:15 p.m. EDT July 20). A man of few words, Armstrong had prepared himself for the moment and proclaimed to a worldwide TV audience of approximately 600 million people: “That is one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” A perfect summation of an extraordinary moment in time.
Learn more by visiting the
John F. Kennedy
Presidential Library & Museum at www.jfklibrary.org
Buzz Aldrin followed 19 minutes later, calling the lunar landscape “magnificent desolation”. Attached with a strap fitted over his spacesuit was an Omega Speedmaster Professional Chronograph. Although the watch had been designed in 1957 without any presumption of its future use on the moon, it became NASA’s chosen device for 118 space missions. The Speedmaster was the only watch that successfully passed all NASA’s rigorous tests, which included exposure to extreme temperatures, acceleration, intense humidity, shock, corrosion resistance, vacuum, pressure, vibration and noise. Years later, Armstrong reflected on his experience on the moon saying: “Everything seemed to take place very, very slowly but our time scale was exactly the same and we
had a great deal to do. To us, everything seemed very compressed - it was like being part of a time-lapse sequence.” Time did not stand still for the astronauts as they measured their movements using Omega Speedmasters.
American flag and talked to the President by radio-telephone. The astronauts took photographs and collected 21.55kg of lunar rock and soil. They traversed a total distance of about 250 meters, each ranging up to about
THE GREATEST TECHNOLOGICAL ACHIEVEMENT IN THE HISTORY OF MANKIND A mix of science and ceremony ordered their busy agenda. The astronauts unveiled a plaque mounted on a strut behind the ladder and read the inscription aloud: “Here men from the planet Earth first set foot on the Moon July 1969, A.D. We came in peace for all mankind.” They put up an
100m from the Eagle. Aldrin returned to the Eagle first, after 1 hour 41 minutes on the lunar surface. Armstrong followed about 12 minutes later, at 05:09:32 GMT. The moonwalk ended at 05:11:13 GMT when the hatch was closed. Armstrong and Aldrin spent the next seven hours resting and checking systems. (Continued on back page)
40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MOON LANDING
13:32 GMT APOLLO 11 IS LAUNCHED FROM CAPE KENNEDY
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40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MOON LANDING
20:17 GMT THE EAGLE MODULE LANDS ON THE LUNAR SURFACE
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40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MOON LANDING
02:56 GMT THAT’S ONE SMALL STEP FOR A MAN, ONE GIANT LEAP FOR MANKIND
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40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MOON LANDING
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40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MOON LANDING
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40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MOON LANDING
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NASA FLIGHTQUALIFIED WITHOUT MODIFICATION
40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MOON LANDING
SPACE SUIT BY NASA WATCH BY OMEGA
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40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MOON LANDING
1957 Calibre 321 Ref: CK2915
1969 MARKII Calibre 861 Ref: ST145.014
1980 “Apollo 11” Calibre 861L Ref: BA145.0039
Called the “Broad Arrow” due to its distinctive hands, the Ref. CK 2915 was not only the first Speedmaster, it was also the first chronograph wristwatch with its timing-scale on the bezel as opposed to printed on the dial.
Created in 1969 to extend the Speedmaster line, this watch was available in stainless steel and gold-capped versions with various dial and timing scale combinations. The MARK II was the first Speedmaster with a sapphire crystal and was modified for the Alaska Project as “Alaska II”.
Launched in a very small numbered series in 1980 to celebrate the Apollo 11 mission, this watch was the first to use the 861L calibre and to have a glazed display back. The L following the calibre 861 indicated that the calibre was the “Luxury” version with a higher level of decoration than was normally afforded to the 861.
1959 Calibre 321 Ref: CK2998
1970 “Alaska I” Calibre 861 Ref: prototype
1984 “MARK V” Calibre 1045 Ref: ST376.0806
The second version of the Speedmaster, this reference differs from the “Broad Arrow” , CK2915, with its black aluminium bezel inset and “Alpha” hands. This reference went on to be the first OMEGA worn in space on the wrist of Walter Schirra on October 3rd 1962.
“Alaska I” is from a series of prototypes prepared at the request of NASA in 1970. “Alaska I” has a removable anodized aluminium outer case or “thermal shield” and a pure titanium inner case making “Alaska I” the first wristwatch in the world to be cased in pure titanium.
The last of the MARK series of Speedmasters, the MARK V was one of the “Smooth Line” Speedmasters and was intended predominantly for the Central European market.
19632 Moonwatch “1” Calibre 321 Ref: ST 105.003
1971 MARK III Calibre 1040 Ref: ST176.002
1985 “Moon-Phase” Calibre 866 Ref: ST145.0809/ST345.0809
Launched in 1963, this reference would become the first watch to be flight qualified by NASA and would be worn on Gemini and Apollo missions. Interestingly, the first reference to be certified would be the last worn on the moon.
Launched in 1971, the Speedmaster Mark III was Omega’s first self-winding chronograph. An advertisement from 1972 famously stated, “After six landings on the moon, there was only one thing we could teach the Speedmaster: to wind itself”
Twenty years after the Speedmaster began preparing to go to the moon, the moon came to the Speedmaster. This watch was produced in a series of 1300 pieces.
1965 Moonwatch “2” Calibre 321 Ref: ST105.012
1973 “ Speedmaster 125” Calibre 1041 Ref: ST178.002
1992 Calibre 864 Ref: BA148.0052/BA348.0052
Launched in 1963, this reference was the first with an asymmetrical case with an integral crown and pusher guard. In 1965 this reference became the second Speedmaster model to be qualified by NASA and from 1965 had the word “Professional” printed on the dial.
Made in an edition of 2000 to mark the 125th anniversary of the company’s creation, it was the world’s first automatic chronometer certified chronograph to be produced in series. This watch was the choice of the Russian cosmonaut Vladimir Dzhanibekov who spent a total of 145 days, 16 hours in space.
“Jubilee 27 CHRO C12”, created in 1992 to mark the 50th anniversary of the “27 CHRO C12” calibre. This reference was the Chronometer version and was produced in a limited edition of 250 pieces, all with a transparent case back.
1968 Calibre 861 Ref: ST145.022
1973 “MARK IV” Calibre 1040 Ref: ST176.009
1992 “Skeleton” Calibre 867 Ref: BA145.0053
Launched in 1968 with the new calibre 861, this reference was the first, from 1969, to have the now-famous engraving; “FLIGHT-QUALIFIED BY NASA FOR ALL MANNED SPACE MISSIONS, THE FIRST WATCH WORN ON THE MOON”.
Launched alongside the Speedmaster 125, the MARK IV used a similar construction technique for its case and housed the calibre 1040 which is the nonchronometer version of the 1041 used in the Speedmaster 125.
“Jubilee 27 CHRO C12”, created in 1992 to mark the 50th anniversary of the “27 CHRO C12” calibre. This reference was the skeletonised version and was produced in a limited edition of 50 pieces, each with a transparent case back.
1969 Calibre 861 Ref: BA145.022
1975 “Apollo-Soyuz” Calibre 861 Ref: ST145.0022
1995 “Apollo XIII” Calibre 861 Ref: ST345.0022.103
The first gold Speedmaster, created in a numbered edition. In 1969, the first watches in this series were presented to astronauts during a gala dinner in Houston, Texas on November 25th 1969 to celebrate the Apollo 11 moon landing.
Made in a limited edition of 500 pieces to mark the famous American-Soviet space rendezvous, this watch was the first of the “Patch” watches. It has the mission patch at 12 o’clock in place of the OMEGA logo and the words “Speedmaster Professional”.
Made in a limited edition of 999 pieces in 1995 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the ill-fated Apollo XIII mission, this watch was the first to have a mission patch on a sub-dial. It was the Speedmaster which provided the split-second precision required to ensure that the crew of the stricken craft got home safely.
A visual catalogue of 36 outstanding Speedmaster models created since 1957 (not to scale).
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1997 “Replica” Calibre 1861 Ref: SS145.0022
2003 “Snoopy Award” Calibre 1861 Ref: ST145.0031
2007 “50th Anniversary, Red Gold” Calibre 3201 Ref: CI147.1957.035
Based on the famous “Broad Arrow” of 1957 this watch was the first to be included in the “Missions” set of 1997 which marked the 40th anniversary of the Speedmaster and which contained, along with this watch, 22 other Speedmasters each with a different mission patch on the dial.
Created in a limited edition of 5441 pieces to commemorate OMEGA’s receiving the “Snoopy Award” for its contribution to getting the Apollo XIII team home safely in 1970, the watch has a representation of the “Eyes on the Stars” patch on the subsidiary small seconds dial as well as reverse-printed on the sapphire crystal case back.
Created in a limited edition of 57 pieces, each watch has its individual number printed on the dial at 12 o’clock. These watches use a manually-wound chronograph calibre with a Co-Axial Escapement which was specially created for the anniversary watches.
1998 “X-33” Calibre 1666 Ref: TS369.1998
2004 “From the Moon to Mars” Calibre 1861 Ref: ST145.0228
2007 “50th Anniversary, White Gold” Calibre 3201 Ref: BV147.1957.035
The result of five years of collaborative development between OMEGA and the world’s major space agencies, as well as the USN “Blue Angels” and the USAF “Thunderbirds”, the X-33 is known as the “Mars Watch” due to its futuristic design. In 1998, the X-33 was also certified by NASA.
Launched in 2004 to coincide with the American announcement that they planned to build a permanent space station on the moon before 2020 to act as a launch site for future manned missions to Mars, the watch has counters printed with images of the moon, Earth and Mars.
Created in a limited edition of 57 pieces, each watch has its individual number printed on the dial at 12 o’clock. These watches use a manually-wound chronograph calibre with Co-Axial Escapement which was specially created for the anniversary watches.
1999 “Apollo 11” Calibre 1866 Ref: BV145.0055
2004 “Apollo 11” Calibre 1861 Ref: SU145.0227
2007 “Chocolate Dial” Calibre 1863 Ref: ST145.0811
Launched in 1999 to mark the 30th anniversary of Apollo 11, this reference was the second Speedmaster Professional to have moon-phase indication and was only produced in white gold.
Created to mark the 35th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission, and produced in a limited edition of 3500 pieces, the watch has the date July 20, 1969 printed in red in the upper half of the dial and the Apollo 11 patch reverseprinted on the sapphire case back.
Created in 2007, the distinctive chocolate colour of the dial is inspired by a colour change effect found on some early examples of the Speedmaster. It is not known for certain what caused this change to happen on the earlier watches; however, watches with “chocolate” dials are amongst the most sought after by collectors.
2000 “Apollo-Soyuz” Calibre 1863 Ref: BU145.0056
2005 “First Space Walk” Calibre 1861 Ref: SU145.0229
2008 “Alaska Project” Calibre 1861 Ref: SU145.0302
A gold watch created to mark the 25th anniversary of the landmark joint US - Soviet mission of 1975. The watch was limited to 50 pieces with the mission name in English and Cyrillic in the counter at 6 o’clock and a special dedication inscription on the case back.
Created in a limited edition of 2005 pieces to mark the 40th anniversary of the Gemini IV mission on which Edward White became the first American astronaut to walk in space. The dial of the watch has the date of the mission printed in red in the upper half and the Gemini IV patch reverse-printed on the sapphire case back.
Created in a limited edition of 1970 pieces in 2008, this watch is based on the “Alaska II” project which used a “standard” Speedmaster with modified dial and hands in conjunction with an outer anodized aluminium “thermal shield”. This allowed the watch to withstand temperatures, in lunar or spatial atmospheres, ranging from -148C to +260C.
2002 “Moonwatch Deluxe” Calibre 1863 Ref: ST145.0811
2006 “Apollo 15” Calibre 1861 Ref: DG145.0300
2009 “Apollo 11” Calibre 1861 Ref : SU145:0303
Launched in 2002, this watch uses a sapphire display back to showcase the “Deluxe” calibre 1863 which is rhodium plated, angled and polished with the “Geneva Stripes” by hand.
Created in a limited edition of 1971 pieces to mark the 35th anniversary of the Apollo 15 mission on which the Lunar Rover Vehicle was used for the first time. Its special details include 18-carat red gold push buttons and a mission patch etched on the sapphire crystal case back with three birds representing the astronauts.
Made in a limited edition of 7969 pieces to mark the 40th anniversary of man’s conquest of the moon, this version in stainless steel has a sterling silver medallion which represents in high relief, the mission patch of Apollo 11 on the small seconds at 9 o’clock and has a stainless steel commemorative case back.
2002 “Last Man on the Moon” Calibre 1861 Ref: ST145.0226
2007 “50th Anniversary Patch” Calibre 1861 Ref: SU145.0301.350
2009 “Apollo 11” Calibre 1861 Ref : AU145:0303
Created in a limited edition of 3000 pieces to mark the 30th anniversary of Eugene “Gene” Cernan’s, and mankinds, last steps on the moon, the watch has a special dedication inscription on the case back and the mission patch in high-relief.
Created in a limited edition of 5957 pieces to commemorate the “Birth” of the Speedmaster in 1957, this watch has a golden hippocampus printed on the dial above 1957 over the Omega name and logo in red.
Made in a limited edition of 69 examples to mark the 40th anniversary of man’s conquest of the moon, this version in platinum, has a yellow gold medallion representing, in high relief, the mission patch of Apollo 11 on the small seconds counter at 9 o’clock as well as on the case back.
40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MOON LANDING
Above: Omega’s original 1969 Speedmaster press advertisement.
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40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MOON LANDING The Eagle lifted off from the moon at 17:54:00 GMT on July 21 after 21 hours, 37 minutes on the lunar surface. After docking with the Command Module, piloted by Michael Collins, at 21:35:00 GMT, the Eagle was jettisoned into lunar orbit at 00:01:01 GMT on July 22. The fate of the historic Eagle is still unknown. In the early morning hours of July 24, 8 days, 3 hours, 18 minutes, and 35 seconds after leaving Kennedy Space Center, Columbia splashed down into the Pacific Ocean about 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers) south of Johnston Island. Recovery crews from the U.S.S. Hornet arrived quickly and the three heroes spent the next 21 days in quarantine at an American military base a procedure dropped in subsequent missions since no alien organisms were found. Kennedy’s vision had become a reality. The moon landing had inspired selfconfidence in all mankind. In the 40 years since, an explosion of technological innovation has arguably been fueled by the singular, unforgettable achievement of landing a man on the moon. Thirty-five years later, Steven Dick, NASA’s chief historian at the space agency’s headquarters in Washington D.C., said that, a thousand years from now, that step may be considered the crowning achievement of the 20th century.
THE FIRST AND ONLY WATCH WORN ON THE MOON Top Left: The Speedmaster was fitted with a Velcro strap so that it could be worn over the bulky spacesuit. Top Right: The Speedmaster undergoes a series of temperature endurance tests ranging from +14°F to +200°F (-10°C to +93°C). Right: Celebration at Mission Control, Houston, moments after the three astronauts had returned safely to Earth.
“Putting a man on the moon not only inspired the nation, but also the world,” Dick said. “The 1960s were a tumultuous time in the U.S. and the moon landing showed what could be accomplished at a time when much else was going wrong.” In the midst of this wondrous period of human endeavor a Swiss watch marked the hours, minutes and seconds of each step into the future. Perhaps the only piece of technological hardware on board to be flight qualified without modification, it was the only watch in which NASA placed its unbounded confidence. Omega’s designers, wishing to acknowledge the watch’s newly iconic status, made one tiny change to the Speedmaster. They added an extra word to the striking black dial: “Professional.”
UNCHANGED SINCE 1957 Although the Speedmaster is synonymous with human technological advancement, it is ironic that the original design was virtually unchanged since 1957. Perhaps it was one of those rare occasions where such competence was achieved that it was unnecessary to improve upon the original. Manufacturing a Speedmaster is an extremely complex business. It takes 14 months to prepare all the separate component parts prior to actual assembly. It requires 80 manual operations to assemble the base plate alone. Not one part of the process is automatic. Every part, every precise assembly, is created with the skilled, delicate touch of a master craftsman. It’s fitting that it should all come down to a person and not a machine. As we look back at the rockets, computers and science that we have placed our faith in, we should always remember one simple fact: it was human ingenuity and skill that took us to the moon. When we trust science and technology, we are actually saluting ourselves and our own remarkable ability to turn remote possibilities into reality. July 20, 1969 will forever be remembered as one of mankind’s great moments in time.
See this and more stories about the Speedmaster’s pivotal role in some of the world’s most historic events at omegawatches.com/speedmaster
The first and only watch worn on the moon The first and only watch worn on the moon 20 JULY 1969
20 JULY 1969