Moonwatch Only, The Ultimate Omega Speedmaster Guide, 3rd edition by WATCHPRINT.COM

Grégoire Rossier Anthony Marquié l

MOONWATCH ONLY The Ultimate OMEGA Speedmaster Guide

3 r d edi t i o n

watchprint com publications on jewellery and watches

Grégoire Rossier Anthony Marquié l

MOONWATCH ONLY The Ultimate OMEGA Speedmaster Guide 3 r d edi t i o n

watchprint com publications on jewellery and watches

© 3rd Revised and Expanded Edition 2019, Watchprint.com Sàrl., La Croix/Lutry, Switzerland All rights reserved. Any reproduction of this work in whole or in part is forbidden. Any copy or recording by any process including photocopying and photography and on any medium including microfilm, magnetic tape, discs or other storage devices constitutes an infringement of authors’ rights punishable by copyright laws. ISBN 978-2-940506-30-9 Publishing Managers: Fabrice Mugnier and Suzanne Wettstein English Translation: Susan Jacquet, Transcribe Photographs: Luca Garbati and Michael Repetto Photographs of space and astronauts are from the NASA collection. Photographs of advertisements and catalogs are from either the OMEGA archives, or the authors’ personal collections. Printing: Daneels Graphic Group, Belgium See our publications on watches and jewelry on our website, www.watchprint.com 4

CONTENTS

Foreword Raynald Aeschlimann, President and CEO of OMEGA . . . . . . 7 Foreword Captain Eugene Cernan, Commander of Apollo 17 . . . . . . . . 9

Why a Speedmaster Moonwatch guide? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Speedmaster History

Major Dates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Speedmaster and NASA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Main Components and Accessories

3 4

Astronauts and their Speedmasters

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

An Original Approach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 The Caliber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 The Caseband . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 The Dial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 The Bezel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119 The Hands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139 The Caseback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153 The Crown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169 The Pushers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177 The Glass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183 The Bracelet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189 The Presentation Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215 The Documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

239

The Models

1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256

2 Standard Production . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Special and Limited Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Personalized Models and Special Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 The Alaska Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

261 371 517 549

How to Start Collecting Speedmasters

1 Budget . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 564

Choosing a Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 565

Appendices

1 Model Codes . . . . 2 Tables & Bibliography 3 Contributions . . . . 4 Identification Aid . .

. . . .

570 575 588 594 5

FOREWORD The first watch worn on the moon. Such an incredible legacy must be shared! There are very few timepieces in the world that deserve a definitive and comprehensive book such as this one. But I’m proud to say that the OMEGA Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch is one of them. As these pages show, our most cherished chronograph has not only made its mark within watchmaking, but also within history. The 20th century was a time of courage, innovation and belief. That spirit put astronauts on the moon. It was also inherent in the watches they wore. We created the Speedmaster in 1957 using the best of our expertise and craftsmanship. Our aim was to revolutionize watch design. Like all OMEGA watches, we also wanted to reach perfection. The result was a watch that NASA couldn’t fault. Eight years after it was born, the Speedmaster was qualified for all manned space missions. The journey it has taken since then has helped to launch the watch into legend. It ventured out with Ed White on the first American spacewalk and it served on all six lunar landings with space pioneers such as Buzz Aldrin and Eugene Cernan. It helped to save lives on Apollo 13 and it helped to forge bonds during the Apollo-Soyuz rendezvous. Without doubt, the Speedmaster has been relied upon and loved by many. But let’s not forget the most basic fact. Simply put, the OMEGA Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch is a beautiful and wonderfully crafted watch. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to see that. The materials and movements may have evolved, but the original design has endured for decades. For collectors, it is an icon. For watch fans, it’s a timepiece they aspire to own. Even this book was carefully researched and written by two Speedmaster enthusiasts, which proves the incredible impact this watch has had. Today, the Moonwatch is still as important as ever. In recent times, our “Dark Side of the Moon” models introduced sleek new materials including ceramic, while our Moonphase Master Chronometer models took precision, performance and magnetic resistance to the industry’s highest certified standard. Yet no matter the changes, the Speedmaster DNA is always at the heart of every piece. This book provides an extensive insight into the design and achievements of a true watchmaking titan. Its story has been wonderfully brought to life and I am certain you will enjoy it.

Raynald Aeschlimann, President and CEO of OMEGA 7

FOREWORD It makes perfect sense to publish a book called Moonwatch Only. The OMEGA Speedmaster Professional – the Moonwatch – has done things that no other timepiece has done and its been worn in places that only a few human beings have been. When Apollo 11 landed on the Moon, the Speedmaster was there. And a little over three years later, when I left the last footprint on the lunar surface, I had a Speedmaster strapped to the outside of each wrist of my spacesuit. It’s worth mentioning that both those watches still work more than 40 years later. But the Speedmaster’s space saga didn’t start with the lunar missions. I wore my first Speedmaster on Gemini 9 and walked in space with it for over two and a half hours. That same watch was also with me on Apollo 10 when we orbited the Moon, along with another Speedmaster on my other wrist. Of course, on the Apollo 17 mission, those two Speedmasters lived on the Moon for over three days. And my very first Speedmaster looks a bit beat up, the crystal is cracked, it has never been cleaned or repaired and to this day, more than 45 years after I first wore it in space, I can wind the watch and it still keeps great time. Much has already been written about why the OMEGA Speedmaster Professional was qualified for use on every one of NASA’s manned space flights from 1965. It all boils down to one thing: it was the only watch that passed the stringent tests that were set up to ensure that the chronograph chosen could perform well in space. Two points that I would add to this: the Speedmaster Professionals worn by the astronauts were, with the exception of the Velcro straps used to fit around the outside of our spacesuits, not modified by NASA – they were the same watches bought and cherished by OMEGA fans around the world. Secondly, the Speedmaster Professional chronographs remained virtually unchanged throughout the entire Apollo program – no other piece of mission-qualified equipment can make that claim. None of us know today what the future of human space travel will be but I still believe in the indomitable will and courage, the passion, and the inspiration in the hearts and minds of dreamers – dreamers who want to go once again where we’ve never gone before, see things we’ve never seen before and do things that have never been done before. And when that spirit takes humankind to the limits of our imagination, I have no doubt that the OMEGA Speedmaster will be part of the journey.

Captain Eugene Cernan, Commander of Apollo 17 9

Main Components and Accessories The Caliber

A3. 321 – 2nd Generation (1964-1969) Main references examined: 105.002-62 105.003-63 ST 145.003 105.012-63 145.012-67

(?) to -65 to -66 and -68

Features: •• •• •• •• ••

18,000 v/h Copper colored Column-wheel Stretched lozenge index Asymmetrical clutch bridge

A4. 321 – 2nd Generation New Original (from 2019) Main references examined: 311.93.42.30.99.001

Features: •• •• •• •• ••

18,000 v/h SednaTM gold plated Column-wheel Stretched lozenge index Asymmetrical clutch bridge

2 /2

Category B. Calibers 861 (1968-1997) and 1861 (from 1997)

Yellow-plated

Copper colored

Steel brake

Delrin brake

17 jewels

18 jewels

B1. 861 Copper – Steel Brake (1968-1974)

B2. 861 Copper – Delrin Brake (1971-1987)

B3. 861 Yellow – 17 Jewels (1987-1995)

B4. 861 Yellow – 18 Jewels (1995-1997)

Rhodium-plated

B5. 1861 Rhodium (from 1997)

The caliber 861 was fitted from reference

were fitted with movements having num-

ST 145.022 (sub-reference 145.022-68)

bers below 32.85x.xxx. These are in fact

in late 1968 to reference PIC 3570.50 in

movements that were produced sever-

1997, when it was designated caliber 1861.

al years before the final assembly of the

Compared to the caliber 321, the 861 had

watch.

a number of modifications, including a

The caliber 861 was initially plated with

flat balance-spring and the replacement of

copper color, as in the caliber 321. (in fact

the column-wheel by a shuttle cam that

there is no gold in the plating). In 1987,

offered greater consistency and cost less

the caliber 861 with yellow-plating (type

to produce. The balance frequency was

B3) appeared; the first movement number

raised to 21,600 v/h to improve precision.

observed was around 48.224.xxx.

A number of modifications ensued during its production. During the first half of the 1970s the steel chronograph brake (type B1) was re-

The chronograph brake of caliber 861, initially in steel (left), was replaced by one

placed by a brake in Delrin® (type B2), the

made of Delrin®, a polymer with a low coefficient of friction, in order to reduce wear.

trade name for polyoxymethylene, a lowfriction polymer with a high resistance to abrasion and fatigue. The main aim of this change of material was to preserve the teeth of the chronograph seconds wheel and not the brake itself. The first movements with the new brake were seen around numbers 32.849.xxx in subreferences 145.022-69 and 145.022-71 towards the end of 1971. Paradoxically, models made in 1975 (145.022-74) can be found with the steel brake, because they 49

Main Components and Accessories The Dial

A1. Oval O – Sharp m (1957-1958/59) Main references examined: 2915-1 to -2 (?)

Main distinctive features:

Dial

OMEGA

•• Professional inscription absent •• Sharp m in Speedmaster •• Small gap between Ω and OMEGA (< half the height of OMEGA)

•• •• •• ••

•• Light typeface •• Slightly flattened O •• E with long middle stroke (about the width of the letter) •• G with long horizontal stroke (about 65% of the width of the letter)

Flat dial Applied Ω logo Radium hour markers Minutes counter with short secondary markers (< half the length of the main markers) •• Minutes counter with short main markers (about 130% of the length of the 1 of 10 minutes) •• No Ts flanking SWISS MADE

Speedmaster •• •• •• ••

S with wide lower loop p with short tail Short, low ligature between S and p r with a low long loop extending to the right

2 /4

A2. Oval O – Low OMEGA (1957/58-1959) Main references examined: 2915-1 to -3

Main distinctive features:

Dial

OMEGA

•• Professional inscription absent •• Flattened O in OMEGA •• Wide gap between Ω and OMEGA (> equal to the height of OMEGA)

•• •• •• ••

•• Ultra-light typeface •• E with short middle stroke (about half the width of the letter) •• G with short horizontal stroke (about 35% of the width of the letter)

Speedmaster •• •• •• •• ••

S with wide lower loop p with long tail Long and high ligature between S and p m with rounded first arch r with a low long loop extending to the right

Astronauts and their Speedmasters / Gemini March 3, 1965: Gemini III astronaut John Young winding his NASA-issued OMEGA Speedmaster 105.003-64 chronograph during a preflight training exercise. (Photo: NASA)

August 29, 1965: After recovery by the crew of the USS Lake Champlain, Gemini V pilot Charles “Pete” Conrad tweaks the eightday growth of beard of command pilot Gordon Cooper. Both are wearing their ST 105.003. (Photo: NASA)

February 2, 1965: Mercury veteran astronaut Walter Schirra was backup command pilot for the first two-man Gemini III mission. It’s interesting to see that Schirra was still wearing his personal OMEGA Speedmaster CK2998-4 chronograph, as the official NASA-issued Speedmasters had been given to John Young, Gus Grissom and Thomas Stafford. Note that Schirra’s CK2998-4 Speedmaster was missing its bezel, but was still going strong after becoming the first OMEGA in space in October 1962. (Photo: NASA)

242

3 /1

June 3, 1965: Gemini IV astronaut Ed White was tethered to the capsule on an eight-meter-long umbilical during the 20-minute spacewalk. He used a hand-held maneuvering unit equipped with a Zeiss Ikon Contrarex 35 mm camera with a 50mm lens. Both NASA-issued Speedmasters can be seen at his left forearm. (Photo NASA)

243

The Models Special and Limited Series

To celebrate 50 years, a golden anniversary, what could be better than a gold Speedmaster, especially

Numbered series in 18K Moonshine gold of 1,014 watches

one inspired by a gold Speedmaster from 1969? (see

Production year: 2019

pages 373-379). The original 1969 was made of solid yellow gold.

Popularity: unspecified

2019

Apollo 11 50th Anniversary – Moonshine Gold

For this 2019 edition, OMEGA created a special gold alloy, called Moonshine Gold, which is brighter and supposedly more resistant to fading over time. The dial, almost identical to the original is also in

PIC 14

310.60.42.50.99.001

markers.

Numbering

x/1014 to xxxx/1014 on the caseback bevel

The bezel insert is made of burgundy ceramic. The

Caliber

Type F2. 3861 Gold

Caseband

Base type B1. Asymmetrical – Twisted Lugs,

18K Moonshine gold, and bears faceted onyx hour

hour and minute hands were black on the original, they are now in gold, with black inserts.

18K Moonshine gold

The caseback bevel wears several (burgundy painted or unpainted) engravings and its black inner ring

Dial

1969 version, hour markers in black onyx

shows some Apollo-related wordings, part of the Americas and a Moon made of a real lunar meteorite fragment. The central part of the caseback is made of sapphire glass to show possibly the most important compo-

Model-specific dial in Moonshine Gold, inspired by the

Bezel

Base type B1. Dot Diagonal 70, in Moonshine gold, burgundy ceramic insert, Ceragold inscriptions

Hands

Model-specific hands, baton hours and minutes in

nent: the new hand-wound caliber 3861. Decorated

gold with black insert, straight black chronograph

and plated with gold in this version, this new caliber

second hands, baton black small hands

is a significant evolution of the 1861, notably Master Chronometer certified (precision, power reserve,

Caseback

inner ring with anniversary wording, depiction of

magnetic fields resistant).

the Americas and the Moon. Bevel with burgundy

The watch, limited to 1,014 numbered pieces - as

engravings 1969 – 2019 and x/1014 and

the original - is housed in a crater box, like the super rare box of the 1969 model.

Model-specific caseback with a sapphire display,

unpainted engravings MASTER – CHRONOMETER Crown

Base type A1. 24 – Narrow Ω Flat Feet, in gold

Pushers

Base type 4. Wide & Tall in gold

Glass

Category B. Sapphire crystal

Bracelet

18K Moonshine gold, vintage style

Box

Crater box

Accessories

Usual papers / certificates provided with limited editions

510

4 /3

Apollo 11 50th Anniversary â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Moonshine Gold The Speedmaster Moonshine Gold is a fabulous tribute to the gold Speedmaster that was presented to astronauts in 1969, also produced in a 1,014-piece run.

511

The Models Personalized Models and Special Projects

RAID It was a project initiated in 2018 by Antoine de Macedo, a renowned Parisian watch retailer and keen OMEGA enthusiast, that led in 2019 to a very special edition of 250 watches for the RAID. This elite unit of the French National Police, founded in 1985, whose acronym stands for Research, Assistance, Intervention, Deterrence, operates on French territory for interventions during serious crime, terrorism and hostage-taking events. In collaboration with the RAID teams on the one hand, and OMEGA’s Product Department in Switzerland on the other, this model not available to the general public features certain specific characteristics of this institution.

In particular, the background reproduces the RAID’s motto – SERVIR SANS FAILLIR (to serve unfailingly) – as well as its badge in a central medallion. It is numbered XXX/250. The dial has no distinctive features and only the color of the hands is specific: the small hands are respectively blue, white and red, three colors which are included in the arrow on the central chronograph hand. The case is also customized with the name of the RAID. It includes a unit medallion and two NATO-type straps. This model bears reference number 311.30.30.42.30.01.007. 524

4 /4

525

Initially designed for automobile racing teams and engineers, the OMEGA Speedmaster embarked on a very different trajectory when NASA chose it to accompany astronauts heading for the Moon in 1965. Its involvement in the space adventure has propelled the Moonwatch to the top of the list of celebrated timepieces. After years of research and observation, the authors present a complete panorama of the Moonwatch in a systematic work that is both technical and attractive, making it the inescapable reference book for this legendary watch. This third edition has been enriched with 17 new models, revised information and a new chapter featuring pictures of astronauts and their Speedmasters.

ISBN 978-2-940506-30-9