To the Moon and Back: The Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch.
The Omega Speedmaster Professional was chosen by NASA for the U.S. space program in 1965; the model had been worn from the Gemini program into the early space shuttle years.
“Omega has always been the official watch of NASA,”
“That is particularly true when it comes to spacewalking. No other watch has ever been flight-qualified by NASA.”
space curator Jennifer Levasseur
In 1966, Speedmaster reference ST105.012 was updated to reference ST145.012. These two models would be the two Speedmaster references known to have been worn on the Moon by Apollo astronauts, the original “Moon watches.” Speedmasters were used throughout the early manned Apollo program, and reached the Moon with Apollo 11. Ironically, these and prior models are informally known as “pre-Moon” Speedmasters, since their manufacture predate the Moon landings and lack the inscription subsequent models carry: “The First Watch Worn on the Moon”.
Although Apollo 11 commander Neil Armstrong was first to set foot on the Moon, he left his 105.012 Speedmaster inside the lunar module as a backup, because the LM’s electronic timer had malfunctioned. Buzz Aldrin elected to wear his and so his Speedmaster became the first watch to be worn on the Moon. Later, he wrote of his decision:
It was optional to wear while we were walking on the surface of the Moon … few things are less necessary when walking around on the Moon than knowing what time it is in Houston, Texas. Nonetheless, being a watch guy, I decided to strap the Speedmaster onto my right wrist around the outside of my bulky spacesuit.
Aldrin’s Speedmaster was lost during shipping when he sent it to the Smithsonian Institution, its reference number being ST105.012, although it is sometimes erroneously reported as a 145.012.
