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SPEEDMASTER APOLLO 11 50TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
In those few historic hours, mankind stepped
emphatically onto the moon and the world
IT WAS A TIME stood united together.
TO DREAM. OMEGA WAS THERE.
OUR SPEEDMASTER BECAME A PART
OF THE LEGENDARY STORY.
IT WAS A TIME
OF HEROES. On this golden anniversary of Apollo 11, we
are proud to relive our very first journey to the
lunar surface and celebrate the moments,
the people and the watches that will never
be forgotten.
2
THE BRIEFING
The Hours That Defined The Speedmaster
Apollo 11 Apollo 11 Moonshine™ Gold
p. 4 50th Anniversary Limited Edition
p. 20
OMEGA’s
Space Legends Reaching Today’s
p. 11 New Movement
p. 24
George Clooney
Meets His Heroes Evolution Of
p. 16 The Moonwatch
p. 28
3
THE HOURS
THAT DEFINED APOLLO 11
4
13:32:00 UTC
THE LAUNCH
Televised live in 33 countries around the world, and watched by one
million spectators from the nearby beaches and highways, the Apollo 11
Saturn V space vehicle was launched into space on the 16th of July,
1969, from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The three astronauts
were each officially equipped with an OMEGA Speedmaster, including
Commander Neil Armstrong, Command Module Pilot Michael Collins
and Lunar Module Pilot Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin.
Five years earlier, in 1964, NASA’s program office had gone in search
of one watch that it could rely on for all manned-missions. Flight Crew
Operations Director, Deke Slayton, issued a request for wrist-worn
chronographs from different watch manufacturers around the world.
Several brands, including OMEGA, submitted their timepieces for the
punishing tests – but only the OMEGA Speedmaster survived. As a result,
it was declared “Flight Qualified for all Manned Space Missions” on the
1st of March 1965.
5
20:17:40 UTC “ THE EAGLE HAS LANDED ” With less than a minute of fuel remaining, Armstrong and Aldrin landed at “Tranquillity Base” on the lunar surface on the 20th of July. Every piece of equipment had performed beautifully during the descent, including the trusted OMEGA Speedmaster. Of course, this was no surprise. The NASA tests in 1964 had conclusively demonstrated the Speedmaster’s robustness in all conditions. This included thermal tests (between 93° and -18° centigrade), shock, vibration and vacuum tests amongst others. There were 10 different environments that were tested individually for the Speedmaster – and it passed every single one. 6
02:56:15 UTC
FIRST STEPS
We all know the famous words spoken by Neil Armstrong when he took
mankind’s first footsteps onto the moon on the 21st of July 1969. In fact,
600 million people were watching the broadcast live on Earth. Before
stepping off the ladder, he described the lunar surface as “very fine-
grained” and “almost like a powder.” Of course, it was the following
“giant leap” quote that is remembered most.
Even before Apollo 11, the OMEGA Speedmaster had been a vital tool
aboard each of NASA’s manned missions, including those in the Mercury,
Gemini and Apollo programs.
7
03:15:16 UTC BUZZ TOUCHES DOWN Not long after Neil Armstrong, it was Buzz Aldrin who next stepped onto the moon. He described the view as “magnificent desolation” and even enjoyed some two-footed kangaroo hops in the low-gravity environment. In total, the first moonwalk lasted 2 hours and 36 minutes. It was during this historic time that Earth’s most famous chronograph - the OMEGA Speedmaster - became the first watch worn on the moon. By 1969, NASA had adopted the most recent versions of the Speedmaster, including the ST 105.012 and ST 145.012. It was these two models that were worn by the Apollo 11 astronauts during the mission. 8
17:54:00 UTC
GOODBYE MOON
On the 22nd of July, after more than 21.5 hours on the lunar surface,
Armstrong and Aldrin lifted off in Eagle's ascent stage carrying 21.55
kilograms of moon samples. They eventually reached Columbia in lunar
orbit, along with Michael Collins, who had been waiting for them while
flying solo around the moon. Collins later said, “Not since Adam has any
human known such solitude.”
The journey home, however, was not a farewell for the Speedmaster!
The watch returned to the moon for all of the future lunar landings.
This included Apollo 12, Apollo 14, Apollo 15, Apollo 16 and Apollo
17. To this very day, only 12 men have walked on the moon, yet the
Speedmaster has been there for every step.
9
16:50:35 UTC
SPLASHDOWN
Around seven minutes before hitting the Pacific Ocean on the 24th of
July, the Columbia’s drogue parachutes were deployed. When it finally
landed, the astronauts were winched aboard recovery helicopters
and flown to the USS Hornet where they began 21 days of quarantine
isolation.
As part of the Apollo 11 celebrations, OMEGA held a memorable
“Astronaut Appreciation Dinner” on the 25th of November that year. Each
of NASA’s serving astronauts was presented with a unique numbered
edition Speedmaster in 18K yellow gold. As you will see, this model has
been specially reborn this year!
10OMEGA’S SPACE LEGENDS
11Selected by NASA in 1963, Colonel Edwin Module Pilot on Apollo 11, he stood on
“Buzz” Aldrin quickly became known as the lunar surface in 1969 and forever cast
“Dr. Rendezvous” for his specialist docking his footprints in history. Since retiring from
and rendezvous techniques. These were NASA and the US Air Force, Buzz has
hugely critical to the success of the Gemini remained a tireless advocate for human
and Apollo programs and are still used in space exploration and has continually
spaceflight today. On his first mission, Buzz inspired the world to reach for the stars.
was the Pilot aboard Gemini 12 in 1966. As well as writing numerous books, he has
During that mission, he set a new EVA fervently promoted and developed his
record of 5.5 hours and also took the first vision for a permanent human settlement
ever “selfie” in space. Then, as the Lunar on Mars.
ON THE LAUNCH OF APOLLO 11: ON THE HUMAN NEED TO EXPLORE:
“and We suited up, marched out, got in the van
“ Wherever we started, we wanted to spread
waved to people. And then we went up the out. We wanted to find out what was on the
elevator. My crewmates went in and I stood out other side of the ocean. Once we found out
there for maybe five, ten minutes – it seemed that it’s not a flat world, we wanted to look
like quite a while – all by myself, looking out more and more. And then we started looking
and seeing the sun come up and the waves up. With propellers first. Then rockets to the
come in, and the frost come off the rocket. I moon. And we did a pretty good job there but
consciously said to myself, I want to remember now we’re looking even further. And you could
this moment. ” put that into other words. We explore, or we
”
expire. You’ve got a choice..
ON THE VIEW FROM SPACE:
“all the
You get to see wonderful sights. But in
flights, especially Apollo, we were in
orbit checking everything down. So we weren’t
sightseeing before we lit the third stage engine
BUZZ ALDRIN
again. We just left the Earth and headed toward
the moon.
”
12General Charles Duke served in five Module Pilot for Apollo 13, General Duke
different Apollo missions, including his role then served as Apollo 16’s Lunar Module
as a member of the astronaut support crew Pilot in 1972. On that mission, he and John
for Apollo 10, as well as the CAPCOM for Young landed at the Descartes Highlands
Apollo 11. It was during this mission that and conducted three EVAs, making Duke
he uttered the famous words, “you got a the 10th and youngest person to walk on
bunch of guys about to turn blue” after the moon. He famously left a photo of his
the crew had confirmed landing on the family on the lunar surface during the stay
moon. After standing in as backup Lunar of 71 hours and 14 minutes.
ON THE APOLLO 11 LANDING: ON HIS OWN MEMORIES
“Control
You can image the tension in Mission
during the Apollo 11 landing. It was
OF SPACE:
going through the roof. Everybody was glued “ There are two memories I will always
remember the most. The first is the breathta-
to their consoles, listening to Buzz as he was
king view of the Earth from 30,000km away.
talking them down. It got very very tense in
A beautiful sphere hung in the blackness of
Mission Control. ” space. The second was the dynamic landing on
the moon. Very thrilling! Landing in an area
that was very rough. Finding a level spot was
ON THE IMPORTANCE OF very demanding.
”
A WATCH IN SPACE:
“ It’s very important to stay on time
according to your checklist. Also, during the
rocket engine firing, you need to time the firing
to the second. So a watch is very important.
”
CHARLES DUKE
13In his 27 years as an officer in the United space flight commanding the Apollo-Soyuz
States Air Force, Lieutenant General Test Project in 1975 – a joint space flight
Thomas Stafford was a member of the culminating in the historic first meeting in
crew on four historic NASA missions in space between American astronauts and
space. His first role was aboard Gemini Soviet cosmonauts. After retiring in 1979,
6, where he achieved the first rendezvous Thomas Stafford worked as an advisor
with another spacecraft. After the Gemini for Space Station Freedom, the precursor
9 mission in 1966, he commanded Apollo to the International Space Station, and
10 in 1969, which orbited the moon and a technical advisor for the Shuttle-Mir
provided the “dress rehearsal” for the first program.
lunar landing. Stafford then logged his 4th
ON THE IMPORTANCE OF ON FIRST SEEING THE MOON:
A WATCH IN SPACE: “ When we were 40 to 50 thousand miles
out, we could see just a little eclipse of it.
“ Time is the basis of the flight plan and
trajectory. I carried two OMEGAs. One on
And then later, the sun went down and it was
just a black place in the sky. All the stars
Mission Elapsed Time and one on Houston were around us. And then the Earth went
time.
” down, Earth disappeared. So there we were
in blackness and suddenly, about a minute
before the time to turn on the engine, the
moon just appeared right underneath us. It
was an unforgettable experience. ”
THOMAS STAFFORD
14James Ragan was NASA’s man behind the extreme temperatures, vacuum, humidity,
Moonwatch. During his 36-year career in corrosion, shock, vibration, acceleration,
aerospace engineering, one of his vital pressure and much more. Mr Ragan was
responsibilities was to test and certify also in charge of selecting, testing and
the astronaut chronographs used on preparing flight crew hardware for the
NASA’s manned missions, starting with the Apollo, Skylab, and ASTP programs and a
Gemini Program. These were, of course, Senior Aerospace Engineer and manager
the OMEGA Speedmasters, which Ragan in support of the Space Shuttle program.
subjected to 11 severe tests including
ON THE CHRONOGRAPH TESTING: ON THE IMPORTANCE OF
“ Even I was surprised that I could get any A WATCH IN SPACE:
watches through those tests. The environments
were really made for pieces of hardware that “ Everybody wore a wristwatch back then.
But the astronauts wanted a chronograph to
you mount on vehicles. It was difficult. It was
the most extreme testing you could do to a wear so that they could do their own timing.
The watch was a critical backup. If the
piece of hardware. ” astronauts lost the capability of talking to
the ground, or the capability of their digital
timers on the lunar surface, the only thing
they had to rely on would be the watches they
had on. It needed to be there for them if they
had a problem. ”
JAMES RAGAN
15GEORGE CLOONEY MEETS HIS HEROES
16The 8-year-old boy who looked up at the
moon in 1969 has since become famous
in his own right. Today, however, the
OMEGA ambassador George Clooney
still gets awed in the presence of his
childhood idols. In two exclusive OMEGA
documentaries, you can witness the hours
he spent with Charlie Duke and Buzz Aldrin.
17“ THE LONGEST MINUTE ” WITH CHARLIE DUKE The sun was shining but the stars were out when George Clooney met Charlie Duke at the Kennedy Space Center earlier this year. Their 12-minute OMEGA documentary is more than just a movie. It is a fascinating conversation between two men who remember Apollo 11 in their own unique ways. As the voice of Mission Control during that historic first landing, Duke’s distinctive southern drawl has gone down in history on Apollo 11’s iconic mission “soundtrack.” The NASA veteran speaks fondly of his time behind the microphone when the crew made their “giant leap for mankind.” Clooney, on the other hand, was just a boy, standing outside in his back garden, hoping to spy the astronauts through his telescope. The documentary brings both sides of the story together. The film follows George and Charlie as they make their way from the Firing Room to the Saturn 5 Room to talk space. Their discussion goes deep into the technologies, nail-biting moments and emotions of the mission. For viewers, it is an incredible insight, as well as a delight to see such a genuine friendship formed. 18
“STARMEN”
WITH BUZZ ALDRIN
“Oh my goodness, I get to meet George,” says Buzz
Aldrin, in the opening seconds of OMEGA’s 6-minute
short film, Starmen. “Wow, you look good,” George
says in response. From that moment, the two men
bounce off each other with candid memories of the
historic space program, as well as plenty of quick-witted
humour.
The Starmen documentary shows George and Buzz
heading to the cinema, where they watch a historic
film about the NASA missions. With popcorn in hand,
they trade questions and share their own thoughts
about what it meant to reach the moon.
“As a kid, everything was about the space program,”
says Clooney. “We ate space food sticks and we
drank Tang. Everything was about the possibility of
the imagination.” Buzz sums it up perfectly when he
says, “It brought the world together.”
19APOLLO 11
THE SPEEDMASTER 50TH ANNIVERSARY
LIMITED EDITION
20In November 1969, just four months after the Apollo 11 landing, a unique OMEGA Speedmaster was launched to celebrate the mission's success. This was the brand’s first numbered edition Speedmaster and only 1,014 pieces were produced between 1969 and 1973. Numbers 3 – 28 and 1001 – 1008 were gifted to NASA’s serving astronauts and the watch has become a highly sought-after timepiece in OMEGA’s famous collection. This year, we are revisiting that golden design, with a Limited Edition of 1,014 pieces. It carries many of the same historical touches as the original, but also introduces some pioneering features of its own. 21
1969 2019
case, bracelet & dial in 18K Moonshine™ Gold -
a unique and exclusive new alloy with a paler hue than
MATERIAL case, bracelet & dial in 18K (2N) yellow gold
traditional 3N yellow gold, and offering high resistance
to fading over time
inspired by the 4th generation,
CASE 4th generation, asymmetrical casebands,
asymmetrical casebands, twisted lugs
twisted lugs
anodised aluminium, burgundy colour, ceramic [ZrO2], burgundy colour,
BEZEL RING
scaling in metallic grey colour scaling in OMEGA Ceragold™
graduated to 500, units per hour, dot over 90 (DON)
TACHYMETER graduated to 500, units per hour,
& dot diagonal to 70
SCALE dot over 90 (DON) & dot diagonal to 70
sapphire crystal glass, anti-reflective
GLASS Hesalite glass
treatment on both sides
221969 2019
CALIBRE 861 3861, certified Master Chronometer
vertically-brushed, with “OM” indication next
DIAL vertically-brushed, with “OM” indications
to “Swiss Made” (or massif = solid gold)
next to “Swiss Made” (or massif = solid gold)
“Au750” engraved above centre
INDEXES black onyx black onyx
chronograph division 5 per second, chronograph division 3 per second,
MINUTE TRACK
not in accordance with movement‘s frequency in accordance with movement’s frequency
HM HANDS black varnished skeletonised and filled with black varnish
BRACELET 5-arched-links-per-row design 5-arched-links-per-row design
sapphire crystal, with anti-reflective treatment inside,
CASEBACK Full
and special decorative inner ring
ON PUBLIC SALES MODELS burgundy touches on caseback & movement
all in burgundy colour “Apollo XI 1969” “Apollo 11 – 50th Anniversary – 1969-2019”
INSCRIPTIONS
“The First Watch Worn On The Moon“ “The First Watch Worn On The Moon” “Master
watch number: numbered Chronometer” watch number: in limited edition form
3D printed lunar surface on 5 sides, on structured
printed lunar surface on 4 sides,
CRATER BOX ceramic panels, the top panel with Apollo 11
on crater formed panels
landing site
23REACHING TODAY’S NEW MOVEMENT
24OMEGA’s new Speedmaster is powered
by the Master Chronometer Calibre 3861
- a descendent of the movement that
went to the Moon.
321 … LIFT OFF
1941
OMEGA’s legendary Calibre 321 was the direct descendent of the 27 CHRO C12
that was first designed and produced in 1941.
Renamed calibre 321 in 1949, the robust and elegant chronograph movement has
been a favourite ever since and is still highly sought-after by watch collectors around
the world. It stands out for its use of a column-wheel, a feature that was machined
1949
from a single piece and which added technical value. Generally, column-wheel
movements require very careful precision in design and build, making them popular
with collectors. The 321 powered the Speedmaster watches qualified by NASA for
use on all manned space missions and a modified version drove the chronographs
worn by Apollo 11’s astronauts.
25NEXT STAGE: 861
1968
In line with OMEGA’s continuing commitment to innovation and technical advancements,
the Calibre 321 evolved to become the Calibre 861, which was used between 1968 and
1997. Compared to the Calibre 321, the 861 had a number of modifications, including
a flat balance-spring and the replacement of the column-wheel by a shuttle cam that
offered even greater consistency. To improve precision the balance frequency was raised
1970s
to 21,600 v/h.
1997
From the early 1970s the steel chronograph brake was replaced by a brake in Delrin®,
a low-friction polymer that improved the movement’s longevity.
SMALL STEP: 1861
1990's
Two decades later in the early 90’s an extra jewel on the pivot clutch wheel increased
the movement’s overall jewel count from 17 to 18.
The calibre 1861 was the natural evolution of the calibre 861 which had previously
been used in many Moonwatch models. Made with rhodium-plating for greater stability,
its frequency remained the same as the calibre 861 at 21,600 v/h and it featured the
same shuttle cam and Delrin® chronograph brake designed to preserve the teeth of the
chronograph seconds wheel and avoid abrasion and fatigue.
26THE
MOVEMENT
EVOLVES: 3861
It took 4 years of trial-and-error to produce the calibre’s most recent incarnation.
OMEGA was determined to produce a movement that could be Master Chronometer
certified, yet perfectly match the dimensions of the 1861. That meant finding a way
to fit all of the new state-of-art componentry into a space more suited to an older
movement. A challenge certainly, but OMEGA’s engineers were up to the task,
improving power reserve, chronometric performance and magnetic resistance. As
a tribute to the 1861, the new movement’s frequency remained the same (21,600
v/h). However, the jewel tally was increased from 18 to 26, as eight extra jewels were
needed for the upgrade. Half of them to ensure the smooth running of OMEGA’s
revolutionary Co-Axial escapement, which had replaced the more traditional Swiss
Anchor - and four more for general technical improvements. Another significant
change was the complete removal of the frequency regulator. As a moving part, the tiny
lever added to the risk of accidental frequency shifts, so the decision was made to do
without it. On the new 3861, this was replaced by four adjustable screws on the balance
wheel. A stop second function was also introduced, allowing the wearer to stop the
seconds hand with a pull of the crown and reset the time with absolute precision.
Thanks to the inclusion of OMEGA’s Co-Axial escapement and silicon Si14 balance
spring, the 3861 offered extraordinary levels of magnetic resistance and was able
2019
to pass the industry’s toughest tests and achieve Master Chronometer certification.
The use of Moonshine™ gold-plated main plate and bridges marked another
first for the pioneering brand. The innovative new patent-pending material was
introduced in 2019, to coincide with the lunar landing’s golden anniversary.
27EVOLUTION OF THE MOONWATCH
28A brief look at the changing style
LAUNCHING
1959
of an OMEGA icon
INTO SPACE
From 1959, the Speedmaster CK 2998 came into production. The
most notable changes could be seen in the black aluminium bezel
(instead of steel-colour) and the “alpha” hands with a straight or
lollipop central chronograph hand. Eventually, the “base 1000” also
disappeared from the tachymeter scale and instead began at 500.
Most importantly, this model was responsible for OMEGA’s very first
venture beyond Earth.
1962
On the Sigma 7 mission of the Mercury program in October 1962,
astronaut Walter Schirra chose this Speedmaster as his personal
watch–making it the first OMEGA worn in space.
THE FIRST
1957 SPEEDMASTER
Long before it reached the moon, the original Speedmaster from
1957 was made to support auto-racing teams and engineers on
the track. For that reason, it was the very first watch to place
its tachymeter scale on the bezel. Along with the chronograph
function, this allowed racers to easily measure elapsed times and
calculate their speed. In design, these early Speedmasters featured
distinctive “broad arrow” hands; a steel-coloured bezel with a base
1000 tachymeter scale; and a symmetrical case with straight lugs. 29
Inside, each model was driven by the now-famous Calibre 321.NASA-QUALIFIED
1960s
As mankind drew closer to the moon in the 1960s, so too did the
OMEGA Speedmaster. When the Apollo program office went
in search of one watch that it could trust during its upcoming
manned missions, the Speedmaster ST 105.003 was the model they
successfully tested and qualified. In fact, it passed all of the 11
demanding examinations and won the unanimous approval of the
engineers and astronauts alike.
1964
In production from 1964, this model introduced the “baton” hands
and was eventually nicknamed the “Ed White” model after the first
American astronaut to walk in space (Gemini IV mission in 1965).
1964
FOURTH
GENERATION
When looking at the Moonwatch evolution, the ST 105.012 marks
a truly important milestone. First arriving in 1964, this model
introduced twisted lugs and a new asymmetrical case, designed to
provide added protection for the crown and pushers. It also included
the word “Professional” printed on the dial for the first time.
A few years later, from 1967, the ST 145.012 also appeared. Small
changes within this model included new pushers with slightly taller
1967
caps. Importantly, it was the ST 105.012 and ST 145.012 that were
worn during the Apollo missions, including those famous astronauts
who first walked on the moon!
30NEW
1968 MOVEMENT
With the introduction of the Speedmaster ST 145.022 in 1968, the
Moonwatch received its first significant internal upgrade. The new
Calibre 861 offered greater consistency and precision and paved
the way for future variations. Along with this extra innovation, it
featured a painted OMEGA logo instead of an applied one, and
was also the first Speedmaster, from 1970 onwards, to include the
famous words; “FLIGHT-QUALIFIED BY NASA FOR ALL MANNED
SPACE MISSIONS”, as well as “THE FIRST WATCH WORN ON THE
MOON”. From this model, we can clearly see a direct link to the
Speedmaster of today.
1997
MOONWATCH
OF TODAY
Today’s Speedmaster looks almost identical to the models that NASA’s
astronauts wore into space in the 1960s and 70s. Without doubt, it
combines the same pioneering spirit and distinguishing style. From
1997, the models were upgraded with Luminova detailing for better
visibility, as well as the new Calibre 1861 – built with more rhodium-
plating for greater stability. If there’s one watch that could tie you to
history’s greatest achievements in space, this is most definitely the
one you should own. Don’t worry about going into space, you can
choose your model from any OMEGA Boutique on the planet.
31FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
OMEGA International Press Office
Rue Jakob-Stämpfli 96
2500 Bienne 4
Switzerland
Tel. +41 32 343 9211
Fax +41 32 343 9715
press@omega.ch
www.omegawatches.com
OMEGA is a company of the Swatch Group, the largest manufacturer
and distributor of watches and jewellery in the world.
Moon landing images courtesy of NASA from nasaimages.orgYou can also read
