Omega is celebrating 55 years since it became the first watch brand to boldly go where no watch had gone before.
The Omega Speedmaster famously became the first watch to be worn on the moon, on the wrist of Buzz Aldrin on the Apollo 11 mission in July 1969.
But Omega’s moon story began five years earlier, when NASA began the official search for a space watch.
In 1964, NASA’s Deke Slayton issued a tender for a chronograph wristwatch that would have the necessary toughness and reliability for missions out of this world.
A few brands took part and the following year after a barrage of tests, the Speedmaster was declared “flight qualified for all manned space missions”.
Neil Armstrong also wore a Speedmaster on the Apollo 11 moon mission, but Aldrin’s was the only one to go on the surface as Armstrong left his watch in the lunar module during the moonwalk.
“With the eyes of the world on Apollo 11 in 1969, every piece of technology and kit had to be just right,” the brand said in a statement. “There was no room for error. That’s why it is such an honour for Omega to look back and know that its watches were implicitly trusted by everyone involved.”
Since then, Omega has rightly made much of its status as NASA’s space watch of choice.
Various iterations of the Speedmaster continue to be a big seller for Omega, and it has even made the Apollo 11 vibes more accessible by producing co-branded quartz Moonswatches in conjunction with parent company Swatch.
Collectors hoping that the 55th anniversary would be commemorated with a special edition Speedmaster have so far been disappointed, although the white dialed Moonwatch (above) launched earlier this year was an instant hit.