When Buzz Aldrin descended the ladder of the Lunar Module Eagle and stepped onto the dusty lunar surface 50 years ago on July 20, 1969, he became the second person, after Neil Armstrong, to walk on the moon. However, the second person was the first to do one thing on Earth's satellite: He wore a watch on his wrist – the legendary Omega Speedmaster Professional, now known as the "Moonwatch."
However, it was a long road to this pioneering achievement – even for the watch. NASA's far-reaching project, which was to culminate in the Apollo 11 mission landing on the Moon, was divided into three successive programs: Mercury, Gemini, and ultimately Apollo. Each of these programs benefited from the experiences gained in the preceding projects.
In 1962, astronaut Wally Schirra wore an early version of the Omega Speedmaster with the reference number (model number) CK2998 during his Mercury-Atlas 8 mission. The watch survived the weightlessness and the extreme stresses of launch and re-entry without any problems.
Until then, however, this watch was not part of NASA's official equipment. It wasn't until 1964 that an official procurement process was initiated to purchase, among other things, a robust watch with a stopwatch function for the subsequent Gemini and Apollo missions.
In extensive tests, NASA put watches from Omega, Rolex, Longines-Wittnauer, and Hamilton through their paces. After eleven endurance tests—including cold, heat, pressure, and vibration resistance—the Omega Speedmaster ultimately emerged as the winner.
Since June 1965, this model has been officially certified by NASA for use in manned space missions
The GcQ magazine Germany describes the history of astronaut watches as follows:
1. Buzz Aldrin and the Omega Speedmaster
The Omega Speedmaster, along with the Rolex Explorer—the name clearly says it all—is one of the most famous explorer watches. "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind" is a phrase everyone knows. It was on July 20, 1969, that Neil Armstrong became the first person to walk on the moon and uttered these words. His partner on the "Apollo 11" mission, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, had an Omega Speedmaster with him.
Since then, the watch has been nicknamed the "Moonwatch." The Speedmaster was introduced only about a decade earlier, in 1957. And just a short time later, it was already on the wrists of US Air Force pilots. Some of them were trained as astronauts on the manned "Mercury-Atlas 8" mission of NASA's "Project Mercury." The space program launched in 1962 under the leadership of Walter Schirra – who himself owned a Speedmaster CK2998. This very watch became the first Omega watch in space and orbited the Earth a total of six times with the astronaut .
As the world continues to look toward space—currently especially to Mars—Omega is naturally constantly evolving its watches. The latest addition to the brand's portfolio is the Speedmaster X-33 Marstimer, which is suitable for Mars exploration—perhaps this luxury watch, too, will soon make history.
