July is the month of Omega’s Speedmaster watches. Not only the Moonlanding will be celebrated (on the 21th of July 2:56 GMT), also the last Apollo mission which dates back to July 1975 is celebrated. The ASTP (Apollo-Soyuz Test Project) consisted out of a number of joint scientific experiments, but was – of course – mainly meant to see whether combined (manned) missions between two super powers would be possible in the future. Mission ASTP started on the 15th of July and returned on the 24th of July 1975.

Now, I think that my track record on blogging and writing about the Omega Speedmaster models is something I can be  a bit proud of, but I never took the time to document the Apollo-Soyuz special editions. If you are looking for a story on the ‘actual’ moonwatches, please make sure to read my article on the Speedies that have been used during the moon landing on the 21st of July 1969 (you can find there articles here and here).

Omega has commemorated the Apollo-Soyuz in 1975 with a Speedmaster Professional ref. 145.0022 restricted to a number of 500 pieces. This model had an inscription (engraving) on the back in both English and Russian. The dial had the red and blue Apollo – Soyuz logo at 12 o’clock. Once in a while, a vintage Apollo-Soyuz Speedmaster Professional pops up and can be had for approx. 10.000 Euro. Later on, in 1995 and 2000, Omega created another Speedmaster Professional Apollo-Soyuz special. Below the Speedmaster that Omega introduced in 1975, featuring the handwound Lemania based cal.861 movement:

As you can see, nothing much different from the original Moonwatch, except for the logo and the case back. The bracelet looks a bit like an Oyster bracelet from Rolex, but it is in fact an original Omega bracelet by the reference of 1168.

This year, Omega commemorates the 35 anniversary of the combined space mission by another Speedmaster Professional, ref. 311.30.42.30.99.001. An ‘ordinary’ stainless steel Moonwatch, but this time with an incredible looking dial made out of meteorite and a very impressive engraving in the case back of the watch. My friends over at Watch-Site (on-line dealer) lend me this amazing Speedmaster Pro Meteorite to play with and – of course – take some pictures of it.

This watch has all the features of the current stainless steel Moonwatch, including a sapphire crystal instead of the more ‘authentic’ Hesalite crystal. As you can see, the dial is made out of a dark coloured piece of meteorite and the sub dials have this grey-ish colour. Also made out of meteorite of course. The dial is just stunning, unfortunately the blue-ish glare on the picture above is caused by the anti-reflective coating. Below, you can see a close-up of the dial from a high-res picture I took:

The cool thing about a meteorite dial is that no dial has the same structure. Of course, we’ve seen dials made out of meteorite before (like the Rolex Daytona as you can see here at Hodinkee) but this time it makes a bit more sense. The case back of this Speedmaster Professional Apollo-Soyuz, keeping the hand wound caliber 1861 safe and sound, has been engraved with the two space crafts from both the USA and the Sovjet Union and the names of the cosmonauts and astronauts involved (Alexey A. Leonov, Valery N. Kubasov, Thomas P. Stafford, Vance D. Brand and Donald K. Slayton).

The two astronauts and the cosmonaut on the front row are clearly wearing Omega Speedmaster watches on the picture above. At least I could identify them on the full size version of this picture, without a doubt. Below you can see the case back bearing the engraving of the space crafts as pictured above as a ‘model’ in front of the flight crew.

Omega really makes this Apolly-Soyuz or ‘Speedy Meteorite’ stand out from the regular models, the box has this meteorite colour and has a nice leather interior. You need to push a button before the box will open, and then the watch is located on a leather pillow on the left and the Apollo-Soyuz emblem is located on the right part of the box.

I didn’t photograph the white card board outer box, as you probably can imagine what it looks like. The booklet and papers of this watch are located in the card board box, as well as the certificate stating the unique number of the watch (of a total of 1975 pieces world wide).

The watch wears very comfortable, and I actually find it more comfortable than the original Moonwatch with Hesalite crystal. I own a 145.012ST (caliber 321) from 1967 which weighs significantly less than this sapphire crystal model (the bracelet of the modern versions are also heavier of course).

For the rest, the watch wears and behaves like any other similar Speedmaster model. The Lemania based movement is hand wound and based on the original 861 caliber (now 1861), which has proven itself over the years of its use (since 1968). The crown winds very easy and softly and the watch immediately starts to run. The chronograph uses this shuttle cam system (as opposed to a column wheel construction) and starts, stops and resets by pressing the buttons gently.

After studying the watch for a couple of hours, I realized that I actually like the red printing, as well as the applied logo (old school style!). This watch could easily be mine, without a doubt. And its price? It lists for 6150 Euro here in The Netherlands (check your own local dealer for a price, although it probably does not differ much) which I think is quite steep for a Moonwatch with a meteorite dial. Does the 3000 Euro extra is justified for a special dial and engraving, limited to 1975 pieces?

If you are a collector of Speedmasters, it probably is. Watch-Site offers this BNIB model for 5250 Euro which is already making it a bit easier to decide. One could say the regular ‘Moonwatch’ is priced below its real value, which I tend to under write. The regular ref. 3570.50.00 retails for just over 2700 Euro, with a Hesalite crystal that is. The Speedmaster is one of the most (or is it just the) iconic chronograph watches there is. In my opinion, it is even a more ‘clean’ and interesting chronograph than the famous Rolex Daytona. The classic design of the Speedmaster is impeccable and has proven itself for over 50 years now.

As I am writing this, I realize that I am trying to find enough arguments to justify the approximately 5K for this superb Speedmaster Pro ‘Meteorite’, but you know what? I don’t have to. It simply rocks.

If you already have an Omega Speedmaster (pre-Professional) in your collection, make sure to wear it the next coming days.

Although the moon landing was years before I was even born, I always had an interest in the space race. The fact that the Omega Speedmaster Professional was the first watch worn on the moon, probably has a role as well in that interest. Last year, when we celebrated the 39th anniversary of the moon landing, I wrote an extensive blog post on the moon landing, NASA and the role Omega played in it with their Speedmaster Professional watches.

a Dutch (Rotterdam) newspaper from 21 july 2969 covering the moon landing

This year, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the moon landing, Omega introduced the 40th anniversary Speedmaster Professional watch during the BaselWorld 2009 expo. After seeing it in the flesh, I wasn’t very enthusiastic to be honest. The red tip at the chronograph second hand is too loud to my taste. The sterling silver Apollo 11 patch in the 9 o’clock subregister is very nicely done though.

However, this is ofcourse not the watch that is similar to the one that landed on the moon in 1969. As written before, the Speedmaster Professional watches with reference numbers st105.003 (Aldrin), st105.012 (Armstrong) with serial number 24002981 and st145.012 (Collins) with serial number 26552506 were the first watches worn on the moon, all with movement caliber 321. If you want something modern but yet similar, I suggest you get the regular Speedmaster Professional watch with hesalite crystal and stainless steel caseback (not the transparent one that is), ref 3570.50. Milking out the moon landing to market a new limited edition Speedmaster every 5 years (and other limiteds in between) has become a bit sad, and I think I am not alone on this one.

If you are going to spend 3850 euro on the Speedmaster Professional 40th Anniversary edition, you can actually better spend it on a REAL moon watch, like the aforementioned 145.012, 105.003 or 105.012. These vintage beauties with movement caliber 321 (column wheel chronograph manufactured by Lemania) can be had for 2500-3000 Euro in good condition. Some years ago, I wrote this article about the different Speedmasters through the years (1957 till modern models) and how to identify them correctly. It might be useful when looking for a vintage Speedy.

My friend Chuck Maddox, has written excellent articles about these vintage Speedmasters and was an absolute space freak himself, one of the articles which is definately a classic is the one that tries to definatley answer the big ‘which watches have been worn on the moon’-question. You can read the entire article by clicking here.

Although I am not wearing my vintage Speedmaster Professional 145.012 on a daily basis anymore, it does get wrist time at times like these, to commemorate the moon landing in 1969. I also think this watch is one of the nicest chronographs around, even nicer than, let’s say, a Rolex Daytona for example. However, for the Rolex fans there is the GMT-Master ref.1675 that is known to be the favorite of astronauts in their private/spare time. As the Speedmaster watches were official NASA equipment and had to be returned, the Rolex GMT 1675 was the way to go for most astronauts.

The Speedmaster is one of the purest chronographs around in my opinion, an incredible readible dial, bulletproof handwound movement, a plastic crystal that magnifies the superb dial and – ofcourse – an incredible history. NASA did only choose official for the Omega Speedmaster Professional after running several exhaustive tests.

Oh yeah, if you want to take a peek at one of the most special Speedmasters around, make sure to check out the gold Speedmaster Professional that was produced between 1969 and 1972. Only 1014 pieces were ever made, with a box in the shape of a moon rock. The one below is owned by a friend of mine, who proudly wears it! I covered this rare Speedmaster in this article last year. The first 28 pieces were given to the president of the United States (Richard M. Nixon at the time, who received number 1), the vice-president and the active NASA astronauts.

To all Speedy owners, enjoy this day!

Just a few minutes before I have to catch my train and flight to Basel! Together with my friend Frank from Monochrome, I’ll be visiting a lot of brands and will give you quick updates from location. Make sure to keep an eye on Perpetuelle, the watch forum by Kyle Stults, who made it possible for Frank and me, to get so much appointments with all the big names.

My old love, Omega, has quite a few suprises this year! Besides the Omega Speedmaster Professional 40th anniversary edition (which I already have in pre-order at my friend Alon from Acejewelers.com), there is also the new PloProf (Plongeuer Professionnel) re-edition. To be honest, this re-edition looks mighty cool on the press pictures. The old one, dating 1971, is becoming scarce and prices are raising ever since the OmegaMania auction. The new Omega Seamaster PloProf will be water resistant up to 1200 meters and feature the inhouse Omega caliber 8500 movement.

Below you’ll find the press photo of the new PloProf and a picture of the Speedmaster Professional 40th Anniversary edition by James Dowling (Rolex Moderator at TZ).

Oh yeah, the introduction of the Speedy 40th Anniversary edition will be done by the astronauts who have walked on the Moon ?��Ǩ��� Buzz Aldrin, Charles Duke, Harrison Schmitt and Eugene Cernan ?��Ǩ��� and another, Thomas Stafford, who has orbited it. This impressive line-up will also include Gerald Griffin, one of the lead flight directors for the Apollo missions and Jim Ragan, the aerospace engineer who was responsible for the chronograph tests which led to the selection of the Speedmaster as the only watch qualified for every manned space flight.

Enough with the everlasting enthusiasm, I have to go… Keep an eye on us for more BaselWorld 2009 Omega news.

Omega has this almost irritating habit of introducing Limited Edition Speedmasters for about every event. However, try to get a NASA patch model (such as the Snoopy Award edition or any of the Apollo 11 editions) and you probably feel stupid for not see that one coming

Speedmasters are, besides being linked to the NASA programme, also connected to racing. Initially, the Speedmaster was created as the watch for car drivers, as you can see on the picture below (pre-NASA programme).

In 1968, Omega even produced a Speedmaster Professional with a so called ‘racing’-dial. Not to be confused with the later 1970s Speedmaster Professional Mark II with racing dial. This 145.012 (1968) model is printed in the Time Capsule (by Imai) book and in the Omega Journey Through Time book (page 604 in the English version). I found a low-quality picture of this particular model somewhere on the web, so forgive me for being unable to credit and being unable to provide you with a better picture:

This was the first and last Omega Speedmaster Professional with a racing dial. Later on, as I wrote before, a Speedmaster Mark II was equipped with a racing dial and muchos later on, Omega introduced the Speedmaster Reduced series. These series were focussed on Racing as well. Just recently, when the Omega – Schumacher connection was established, Omega started to create some ‘Racing’ / Schumacher Legend models with caliber 3303 (Broad Arrow caliber). However, non of these are marked as a ‘Professional’ model.

In 2004, Omega produced a limited number of 2004 Speedmaster Professional (ref. 3570.40.00) watches with a racing dial. Compared to the original 145.012 with racing dial, the hands are ‘inverted’. The hour and minute hands are orange of the Japanese model, as where the original model’s hour and minute hands are white and the chronograph hand is orange. The same goes for the hands of the chronograph subregisters.

Pictures by JK.

If you are a Speedmaster collector, this piece might be missing in your collection, as I think 2004 pieces are really limited. I wonder how many actually left Japan, as Japan is a Speedmaster-collectors country. There is currently one for sale on Chrono24, for approx 3000 euro.

I hope you don’t get tired of my Speedmaster posts and rants..

The Omega Speedmaster Professional is the watch that seems to be the back bone of my watch collection and interest in mechanical wrist watches. It is the watch that started the whole madness for me. That’s probably why it is in the header picture of this website anyway I have to admit though, that there are periods that I almost never wear mine and that it gets almost no attention at all. However, with the slightest trigger the whole obsession with this watch start all over again. The latest trigger has been a small GTG with a few long time watch friends. One of the guys was wearing this very rare Speedmaster Professional ref. BA 145.022. He also brought the original box which is a relief “Lunar surface” box which is probably even more rare. Although this watch is not considered to be Omega’s holy grail Speedmaster, it is highly sought after.

In 1969, after the moon landing, Omega created a gold version of the Speedmaster Professional (caliber 861) to commemorate this spectacular event. This watch has been produced in only small numbers (1014 in total), from august 1969 till somewhere in 1972. The first 28 pieces were given to the president of the United States (Richard M. Nixon at the time, who received number 1), the vice-president and the active NASA astronauts. According to Omega’s Journey through Time book, Richard Nixon refused the watch because it was a gift of too high a value. I guess the White House had a Compliance department in 1969 already.

The first 28 pieces had the following inscription in its caseback: “to mark man’s conquest of space with time, through time, on time”. Including the number of the watch and the name of the recipient. The other watches had the “the first watch worn on the moon” text (horizontally) engraved.

During a gala dinner on the 25th of November 1969, at the Hotel Warwick in Houston, approximately 26 pieces were offered to the NASA astronauts. The number 1 and 2 watch, offered to the president and the vice-president (Spiro Agnew), is on display in the Omega Museum since 1999.

Last saturday I had the opportunity to observe one of these 1014 special time pieces, and its original box. Please see the pictures below. This model has the “First watch worn on the Moon” engraving, filled with the maroon color. The first time pieces with this engraving, had a smaller font type and were only engraved (not filled-in).

The owner of this watch wants to remain anonymous. Inquiries are not appreciated.