Marking the golden anniversary of the first moon landing, OMEGA has produced a new Limited Edition of 1,014 pieces of the Speedmaster – which has a very special connection to the astronauts and the legacy of the Apollo 11 mission – delivered with a five-year warranty
Following the famous design of the Speedmaster BA145.022, the original OMEGA that became the first watch worn on the moon, this new chronograph has been crafted from an exclusive new 18K gold alloy and is powered by a brand-new manual-winding Master Chronometer calibre 3861.
The case, bracelet, dial, hour-markers, and hour-minute hands have all been created in 18K Moonshine gold – a unique new alloy, trade-marked by OMEGA, whose colour is inspired by the shining moonlight in a dark blue sky. In a paler hue than traditional 18K yellow gold, Moonshine gold offers high resistance to the fading of colour and lustre over time. The polished and brushed 42 mm case of this timepiece features the asymmetrical caseband of the 4th generation Speedmaster. Around the wrist, the brushed-polished bracelet bears the five–arched-links-per-row design and a grooved clasp with an applied vintage Ω.
Remaining true to the historical 1969 piece, OMEGA has included a burgundy bezel ring – this time in ceramic [ZrO2], according to a special patent pending process, with its tachymeter scale in Ceragold. Similar to the original watch, which graduated to 500 units per hour, this new model features a marker dot above 90 (also known as “Dot Over 90” or “DON”).
The vertically brushed step dial is marked “Au750” and is enhanced by the facetted black onyx indexes set in the polished hour-markers, as well as the hour-minute hands filled with black varnish and the black varnished central chronograph seconds and sub-dial hands.
The outer caseback ring features mechanically engraved markings: “1969-2019” and the Limited Edition number highlighted in burgundy, as well as an uncoloured “Master Chronometer”. The inner decorative ring, also in 18K Moonshine gold, with two laser ablation processes and two PVD colour treatments, has yielded the following results:
- a matte-finish blue ocean that surrounds a partial world map of the American continents (in polished finish), with a glimpse over the rocket’s lift-off site Cape Canaveral (known as Cape Kennedy from 1963- 1973)
- a matte-finish black background with the legend, “APOLLO 11 – 50th ANNIVERSARY” and “THE FIRST WATCH WORN ON THE MOON”.
A domed lunar meteorite inlay representing the Moon is set into the cavity of the ring, with the Earth and the Moon on the inner ring produced in true proportion (3.67 : 1 in diameter).
This Speedmaster is driven by the OMEGA Master Chronometer Calibre 3861 – a manual- winding movement with co-axial escapement, silicon Si14 balance spring, Moonshine gold-plated main plate and bridges and burgundy markings. For fans of OMEGA history, there are a number of vintage OMEGA logos to be found throughout the design – including on the dial, crown and bracelet clasp.
A unique watch needs a unique presentation box. Inspired by the original 1969 packaging of the BA145.022, OMEGA has created a new crater box that will house each timepiece. The panels of the box are in grey ceramic with 3D printing of the lunar surface. Structured differently, no two crater boxes will be alike. The top panel of every box is printed with the image of the Sea of Tranquillity and the landing position of Apollo 11.
How OMEGA reached the Moon
Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the lunar surface on July 21, 1969. Their moonwalk lasted just two-and-half hours, but left a defining historical footprint. It was during this iconic moment that the OMEGA Speedmaster Professional became the first watch worn on the moon.
But OMEGA’s space journey began much earlier, in 1957, when the first OMEGA Speedmaster – soon known as the “pilots’ choice” – was launched. In 1963, Walter Schirra took his Speedmaster CK2998 on the Mercury-Atlas 8 mission, which orbited the Earth six times, thus making it the first OMEGA watch worn in space.
By 1964, when NASA issued a request for wrist-worn chronographs; several brands, including OMEGA, submitted their timepieces for the punishing tests. Only the OMEGA Speedmaster survived these tests and was declared “Flight Qualified for all Manned Space Missions” on the March 1, 1965.
The original Speedmaster BA145.022
The success of Apollo 11 was celebrated worldwide in 1969. On November 25 that year, a special “Astronaut Appreciation Dinner” was held in Houston, Texas, in tribute to the moon-landing heroes, with a certain OMEGA Speedmaster presented to the astronauts. The watch, Speedmaster BA145.022, was crafted from 18K yellow gold and included a rare burgundy bezel, as well as an inscription on the caseback that read, “to mark man’s conquest of space with time, through time, on time.” This gold Speedmaster housed the calibre 861 and was OMEGA’s very first commemorative numbered edition, with only 1,014 models.
