About this watch

/**overwrite**/ The legendary Omega Speedmaster is one of those few watches that can actually boast true heritage, having been the only watch to have ever been certified for extra vehicular activity (EVA) in space by NASA. Such was the Speedmaster’s success with NASA that the Speedmaster Mk1 was used by them for twenty-two missions, from Gemini V in 1965 through to Skylab III in 1974. The Speedmaster continues to serve NASA in its most recent X-33 form.

To celebrate the Speedmaster’s lengthy service history, as well as its 40th anniversary, Omega released a limited run of forty special edition box sets in 1997 containing all twenty-two mission-patch Speedmasters. For every one of the NASA’s missions where the Speedmaster was worn, the dial was emblazoned at nine o’clock with the mission patch, and so too are the watches in this collection. The set also includes a replica of the very first Speedmaster, commonly known as the ‘broadarrow’ due to its distinctively shaped hands.

When Omega sent the 1957 Broadarrow to NASA for assessment, several recommendations were made by NASA regarding the hands and bezel, which they wanted changed for legibility reasons. This is why you see the differences between the original and those used in the NASA missions. The Speedmaster was also put through extreme condition testing such as temperature testing from 93°C down to -18°C, humidity testing at 95%, shock testing at 40g, high pressure testing at 1.6atm, vacuum testing at 0.000001atm, vibration testing at 2000cps and noise testing at 130dB. Of all the watches tested by NASA, the Speedmaster was the only one to survive unscathed.

The first official mission of the Speedmaster with NASA was Gemini V in 1965, however it had already been used as a personal preference by Walter Schirra in 1962 on board the one-man spacecraft Sigma 7 for the Mercury-Atlas 8 mission, where he flew six orbits around the Earth.

Completing the Missions box set is a Bergeon loupe with which to view the intricacies of the collection, plus an encased Cal. 861, the Omega-tweaked Lemania movement used in post-1965 Speedmasters. The box itself is wrapped in the same materials used in the space suit, a man-made polymer that protects astronauts from the harsh space environment.

Many of these forty sets are squirrelled away in collector’s safes, but very occasionally one appears for sale. This rare, exclusive and impressive set is complete with all the manuals and represents an uncommon opportunity to own a piece of history. This is what Omega had to say about it here:

“On 15 April 2007, 300 lots of Omega watches were auctioned by Antiquorum. Two original Speedmasters were sold for 30 times more than the current retail price, and a rare “Speedmaster Missions Collection” comprising 22 Omega Speedmaster Professionals and a replica of the first Omega Speedmaster ever made, sold for CHF368,900 (€227,716; $312,627).”

Space exploration may be on hold during this financial slump, but the memory of the golden years of space exploration remains very much alive.

The watches in the collection are as follows:

3598.50, Reissue of CK2915, 1957 3597.03, Gemini 5, 1965 3597.04, Gemini 6, 1965 3597.05, Gemini 7, 1965 3597.06, Gemini 8, 1966 3597.07, Gemini 9, 1966 3597.08, Gemini 10, 1966 3597.09, Gemini 11, 1966 3597.10, Gemini 12, 1966 3597.11, Apollo 7, 1968 3597.12, Apollo 8, 1968 3597.13, Apollo 9, 1968 3597.14, Apollo 10, 1969 3597.15, Apollo 11, 1969 3598.16, Apollo 12, 1969 3597.02, Apollo 13, 1970 3597.17, Apollo 14, 1971 3597.18, Apollo 15, 1971 3597.19, Apollo 16, 1972 3597.20, Apollo 17, 1972 3597.21, Skylab 1, 1973 3597.22, Skylab 2, 1973 3597.23, Skylab 3, 1974

This Omega has undergone a thorough inspection of accuracy, functionality and condition at our Omega certified service centre to determine the level of reconditioning required to meet our strict standards. It has also been checked against our records to ensure authenticity. All our watches have a 12-month warranty for your peace of mind.