Astronaut’s Omega Gold Speedmaster commands astronomical price

A stellar Omega watch soared light-years beyond pre-auction expectations when it sold for a record $765,000 to lead Heritage Auctions’ Fine Watches & Timepieces Signature Auction June 1. The Gold Speedmaster Professional Wristwatch, No. 19 is an extraordinary timepiece given – ca 1969 – to Michael Collins, who flew the Apollo 11 command module around the moon in 1969 while fellow astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin made the first crewed landing on the lunar surface. Only 28 were made. While the first two were offered to President Richard Nixon and Vice President Spiro Agnew, the remaining watches were presented to the astronauts aboard Apollo 11.