PERSONAL COLLECTION ~ OMEGA SPEEDMASTER MOON WATCH CHRONOGRAPH PROFESSIONAL CAL. 861 SPEEDMASTER IN SPACE
On 1st March 1965, OMEGA's Speedmaster chronograph was "flight-qualified by NASA for all manned space missions".
The OMEGA website also features a Speedmaster special site dedicated to the world’s most iconic chronograph. Click here for even more information about the OMEGA Speedmaster line and its legacy:
Witness over 50 years of history
Launch the Speedmaster site
Nearly half a century of adventures in space
It was the only wristwatch to have withstood all of the U.S. space agency's severe tests under conditions of zero gravity and magnetic fields, extreme shocks, vibrations and temperatures ranging from -18 to +93 degrees Celsius.
In the same month, the watch was the Speedmaster was worn on board the Gemini 3 mission. It was the first “official” trip for the rugged chronograph but it had already flown in space twice during Project Mercury.
The most memorable moment in the Speedmaster's history was undoubtedly 21 July 1969 at 02:56 GMT, when it recorded man's first steps on the Moon's surface. The Apollo 11 mission was a milestone in history and the Speedmaster became the first watch (and the only watch since) to be worn on the Moon. With this unique accomplishment came a unique nickname: the Moonwatch.
“. . . flight qualified by NASA for all manned space missions.”
In April 1970, the OMEGA Speedmaster contributed to the rescue of the Apollo 13 mission from a potential disaster, earning OMEGA the "Snoopy Award", the highest distinction awarded by the NASA astronauts. In another historical event, the Speedmaster was worn on the wrists of both the American astronaut Tom Stafford and the Russian cosmonaut Alexei Leonov during the historic Apollo-Soyuz space rendezvous. This was the first time the cosmonauts also wore the OMEGA Speedmaster. Ever since, the Speedmaster has been the official chronograph of all Russian manned space missions.
As space exploration continued to break through new frontiers, the OMEGA Speedmaster was again selected by NASA in 1978 as its official chronograph for the new Space Shuttle programme following a new series of harsh tests.
The Speedmaster was later subjected to additional gruelling tests on board the Russian space station MIR between July 1993 and July 1994. The success of these exceptional endurance tests was attested by a certificate initialled by the MIR crew. The OMEGA Speedmaster had become the most tested watch in the world.
Russia's pioneering space station MIR was again used as an orbiting test laboratory in 1998 for OMEGA's X-33 multifunction chronograph. After successful completion of the tests, MIR also offered a unique opportunity to introduce the watch to the public via a live satellite link-up with the Houston Space Center.
The Speedmaster X-33 has been flight-qualified by both NASA and the Russian space agency and is part of the standard equipment avaliable to all astronauts and cosmonauts. However, the legendary OMEGA Speedmaster Professional also remains the only watch certified for extra-vehicular activity.
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