Omega Speedmaster – The racing watch that went to the moon
Perhaps no watch in history is more legendary, Omega's racing chronograph that became NASA's official watch for space flights, and that went along with Armstrong and the boys to the moon in 1969. The Speedmaster is still sold today, technically updated but visually all but unchanged. At 65 years old, it is time for a feature!
Text: Filip Ericsson
Perhaps there is no more legendary watch in history, Omega's racing chronograph that remained NASA's official watch for space flights – and that tagged along with Armstrong and the boys to the moon in 1969. The Speedmaster is still sold today, technically updated but visually almost unchanged. At 65 years of age it is time for a feature! Eqotime untangles the Speedmaster's impressive history.
History
The Omega Speedmaster was presented 1957 in the form of a sporty chronograph developed for various measuring activities in car racing, at the time a watch niche in growth and popularisation.
The very first Speedmaster watch (ref. CK2915) was part of the trilogy of professional wristwatches that Omega released at the same time. The other two were the Railmaster and the Seamaster 300.
The first Speedmaster measured barely 39mm across the case and stood out through its tachymeter scale which was placed on the outside of the watch, on the bezel, an unusual thing since the customary way was of course to place it under the crystal on the dial.
Inside the new Speedmaster ticked the today so myth-shrouded movement Caliber 321, a hand-wound chronograph unit that descends from Lemania (Caliber 2310) which had been introduced already in 1942. It was an elegant movement with an advanced so-called column wheel-construction and was considered reliable as well as accurate.
Development
1963 the updated ref. 105.003 came out which among other things got new hands, with the slim “baton” design that we still see today. It was this Speedmaster that was sent to NASA for tests ahead of the agency's procurement of wristwatches for its astronauts. And it was the only watch that passed the tests.
The astronaut Ed White wore this Speedmaster reference during his spacewalk on the Gemini IV mission in 1965.
1964 the modified Speedmaster Professional (ref. 105.012) was presented with a newly designed case enlarged to 42mm as well as a discreet crown guard, which was missing before. It was this variant that Buzz Aldrin wore on the outside of his spacesuit when he stepped down onto the moon.
Neil Armstrong also wore this reference during the moon flight, but it should be mentioned that his watch stayed behind in the spacecraft when he stepped out! The third astronaut on Apollo 11, Michael Collins, wore the minimally updated ref. 145.012 during his moonwalk. Two different Speedmaster generations have thus been worn on our moon.
With the 105.012 from 1964 the Speedmaster had in terms of looks developed into what we recognise in modern times', and today's, Speedmaster. Note that this generation received the additional name “Professional” which has also followed along to our days.
1968 the Speedmaster was updated again (ref. 145.022), mainly with a new movement (Omega Caliber 861). It consisted of a modified variant of the Lemania Caliber 1873 and meant a simplified construction compared to the outgoing Caliber 321. The elegant column wheel-construction was namely abandoned then in favour of a so-called shuttle cam-mechanism, which was simpler, cheaper and more hard-wearing.
The 145.022 was manufactured until 1988 when Omega changed the coding for its reference numbers. The successor 3590.50 was in principle identical and was manufactured until 1996.
That year the updated Speedmaster Professional ref. 3570.50 came out with a newly shaped steel bracelet and where Caliber 861 was replaced by Caliber 1861. The new calibre was almost identical but had rhodium-plated parts for better durability/more corrosion resistance.
Variants of Caliber 861/1861 were incidentally the 863/1863 which were identical in construction but had a more luxurious finish. These calibres were namely intended for versions with a case back of glass.
The Speedmaster 3590.50 was sold all the way until 2020 when a new Speedmaster Professional with a completely new movement saw the light of day.
Over the years the Speedmaster series grew like an avalanche, among other things with versions in gold during the 1960s, the more modern Mark II (1969), the Speedmaster Reduced (1988) with a 39mm case as well as a long string of special models that came and went.
NASA
So how did the Speedmaster become the chosen instrument watch for NASA's astronauts? The story is quite unassuming, and is exclusively about something as dry a tale as an agency's procurement of equipment.
Because when NASA was to supply its astronauts with an instrument for the coming space flights in the form of a wristwatch with a chronograph function, they set to work entirely accordance applicable regulations.
This meant that the NASA engineer James H. Ragan sent requests for cost proposals to the general agents for a number of watch manufacturers. Four of them answered: Longines, Omega, Rolex and Hamilton. After that an extensive test programme with eleven points was started which included various forms of extreme strain regarding temperature, humidity, air pressure, shocks, jolts and vibrations.
When the dust had settled it was only the Omega, a Speedmaster, that had survived the extreme strains. In March 1965 NASA thus declared the Speedmaster “operational for space exploration and flight certified”.
The Omega Speedmaster was unofficially up in space already in 1962 but it was with the mentioned Gemini programme in 1965 (intended for practice ahead of the moon flight) that the Speedmaster for the first time took part as official NASA equipment in space.
The Apollo space programme started in 1961 after a decision by the Kennedy administration with the purpose of putting the first human on the moon. During the moon flight (Apollo 11) in the summer of 1969 Neil Armstrong as well as Buzz Aldrin each wore an Omega Speedmaster. Armstrong however left his watch in the space shuttle when he was going to walk out on the moon, so the first Speedmaster on the celestial body thereby became Aldrin's ref. ST105.012 which had been strapped on on top of his right spacesuit sleeve.
Today the Speedmaster Professional is only one of several watches that have been qualified for NASA's space flights, but the Speedy is the only one that is approved for EVA – Extravehicular Activity (space walk). Apart from pure toughness, the watch's antimagnetic properties are decisive for its suitability as a NASA instrument, since the running of the movement is not affected by strong magnetic fields.
Omega Speedmaster today
It was a thoroughly updated Speedmaster Moonwatch Professional (ref. 310.30) that was introduced in January 2021, even if it hardly showed – thank goodness. But appearances deceive because the news items were many.
First and foremost a completely new chronograph movement ticks inside the latest moon watch. It is a unit developed entirely inhouse, with Omega's famous Co-Axial construction and certified according to the brand's own Master Chronometer standard, which promises outstanding precision as well as toughness and antimagnetic properties. The movement, Caliber 3861, is however still hand-wound (with 50 hours power reserve). Exactly right for all the Speedy enthusiasts out there.
The new Speedmaster is offered just as before with orthodox plexiglass or alternatively modern sapphire crystal. If the latter is chosen a glass case back is also included. For the Speedmaster purists it is of course plexiglass and a steel case back that applies. For the one who wears a Speedmaster every day, perhaps as their only watch, the sapphire version can surely instead appear as a more suitable choice. Lovely that you get to choose!
The Professional still measures 42mm across the case but is somewhat thinner than before. The plexiglass variant measures 13.6mm (down from 14.3) while the sapphire version is a touch flatter at 13.2mm (previously 13.7). Appealingly slim height measurements for chronographs thus.
Another central update is the steel bracelet which is newly designed but without losing its Speedmaster DNA. Pleasingly it is also clearly better made than previous generations' bracelets. Leather or composite straps can be chosen for the one who wants.
As before the Speedmaster is water resistant to the equivalent of 50 metres which means it can stand being exposed to plenty of splashing water. Whether you can bathe with it there are divided opinions about, but there are owners who have swum with their watches without them taking any damage. The debate will surely continue.
Large selection – Not just a moon watch
Today we focus mainly on the Speedmaster Moonwatch Professional, the most classic variant and the very successor to the Professional watches that were certified by NASA. This series includes twelve different variants with cases in steel or gold, metal bracelet, leather or composite bracelet. The Speedmaster however spans a further five series in the form of the following:
-Heritage (including Caliber 321, Speedmaster ‘57 and Anniversary Series).
-Dark Side of the Moon.
-Speedmaster 38.
-Two Counters (including Chronoscope, Racing and Moonphase).
-Instruments (including X-33 Marstimer, Skywalker, Regatta as well as Z-33 Spacemaster).
The programme is thus very substantial and will surely suit most people's wishes and needs, at least for those who are after a tough and ultra-legendary chronograph in the luxury segment.
The prices have risen considerably in recent years and the very most classic and pared-down model, the Speedmaster Moonwatch Professional with plexiglass (and steel bracelet), lands at the time of writing at 77 400 kronor according to the Swedish list price. The sapphire crystal version with a glass case back is at 87 900 kronor.
That can however hardly be anything to make a fuss about when a Breitling Premier Chronograph is just as expensive and a Rolex Daytona sets you back 156 900 kronor. The latter can however not even can be bought over the counter by an ordinary mortal and is thereby even more expensive in reality. In that context the Speedmaster suddenly appears to be a bargain.
Epilogue
The Omega Speedmaster is one of few watches that can be labelled with the so worn-out expression “icon” without you having to be ashamed. It must be one of the absolutely best known wristwatches in history, a title that derives almost entirely from it being given the honour of coming along to the moon.
Omega has of course made the most of this, because better advertising no one can get. At the same time they have preserved the model and its original design with an extremely careful hand, which has made sure to also preserve its star shine and icon status all the way up to today.
If you peel away all this brand veneer and look at the Speedmaster purely as a watch, you are not disappointed either. The quality and finish on the watch and the movement is impeccable and that is also what you should expect at the price levels where the Speedmaster watches find themselves.
The shape then, must be described as completely brilliant, with distinctiveness and beauty in a seldom before seen union. No one can mistake a Speedmaster for anything else and you lose yourself so easily in its industrial work of art of a dial. Technical, over-explicit and artful.
The Omega Speedmaster has with its enthralling history created a global community of enthusiasts and collectors, but even those who only appreciate the shape and are looking for a luxury watch with a chronograph function can find their way home. A more usable wristwatch built for eternal wear is hard to find.
That they withstood NASA's rock-hard tests and worked as a decisive instrument for the astronauts who made it all the way to the moon, is if nothing else screaming proof of that.
NASA's tests 1965
High temperature: 48 hours at 160 °F (71 °C) followed by 30 minutes at 200 °F (93 °C)
Low temperature: Four hours at 0 °F (−18 °C)
Temperature cycling in near-vacuum: Fifteen cycles of heating to 160 °F (71 °C) for 45 minutes, followed by cooling to 0 °F (−18 °C) for 45 minutes at 10−6 atm
Humidity: 250 hours at temperatures between 68 °F (20 °C) and 160 °F (71 °C) at relative humidity of 95%
Oxygen environment: 100% oxygen at 0.35 atm and 71 °C for 48 hours
Shock: Six 11 ms 40 g shocks from different directions
Linear acceleration: from 1 to 7.25 g within 333 seconds
Low pressure: 90 minutes at 10−6 atm at 160 °F (71 °C), followed by 30 minutes at 200 °F (93 °C)
High pressure: 1.6 atm for one hour
Vibration: three cycles of 30 minutes vibration varying from 5 to 2000 Hz with minimum 8.8 g impulse
Acoustic noise: 30 minutes at 130 dB from 40 to 10,000 Hz
