This was followed by a test for acoustic stress caused by a sonic bombardment at 10,000 hertz. There was also a simulated rocket launch, in which the timepieces were subjected to a gravitational force of 7.25 G over a period of 333 seconds. The three finalists had to endure a battery of rigorous tests including temperature fluctuations from -18 to 100 degrees Celsius alternated with wildly fluctuating humidity and various shock tests in which the watches had to withstand forces of 40 G for 11 milliseconds without damage. Rolex entered the race to the moon with the Valjoux 72 calibre, Longines with the Calibre 13 ZN and Omega with the legendary Calibre 321.
Omega, Longines and Rolex were ultimately pitted against one another as finalists.
#Omega moon watch manual#
NASA began testing a wide variety of manual winding chronographs for use in space around the same time.
#Omega moon watch trial#
Without any prior testing of the watch, Schirra brought his Omega with him on the mission as a backup for the on-board instruments and unknowingly subjected the Speedmaster to a trial by fire. 2998), on the "Mercury-Atlas 8" mission on Octo– without the knowledge of NASA or the watch's manufacturer.
#Omega moon watch professional#
The Speedmaster and what would later become known as the "Moonwatch" made its debut in space secured to the wrist of Walter Schirra, when he took his personal wristwatch, an Omega Speedmaster Professional (Ref. In other words, the Speedmaster was not originally developed for space travel, but rather for car racing. All of a sudden, almost every well-known luxury watch manufacturer had at least one chronograph for motorsports in its product range – and Omega was no exception. When motorsports enjoyed its heyday in the middle of the 20th century and became enormously popular with the general public, luxury watch manufacturers also took notice of this high-performance sport. The story of why the Speedmaster was developed in the first place is quite interesting. That helped establish the Speedmaster's special place in the world of wristwatches from the very beginning, but would not be limited to this one special feature. When it was first introduced on the market in 1957, it immediately brought with it one of the greatest innovations for chronographs: a bezel with a tachymeter scale, which is somewhat taken for granted nowadays. The so-called "Moonwatch" stems from the popular Speedmaster Professional collection. Let's take a look at the history of the legendary Moonwatch and explore the numerous Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch models in more detail.Ī look at the history of the Omega Moonwatch Often, this truth demystifies a legend – but that's not the case with the models of the Omega Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch Chronograph. In many models, this is the manual‑winding OMEGA Calibre 3861, the latest Master Chronometer certified version.Ĭhoose your Moonwatch with classic hesalite glass or sapphire crystal, either featuring a stamped caseback with the OMEGA seahorse medallion, or a sapphire crystal caseback to see the movement within.There's a grain of truth to every legend. Inside, the timepieces are powered by a movement descended from the OMEGA Calibre 321 that went to the moon. On the bezels, you’ll find the legendary tachymeter scale, which includes the famous “dot over 90” on some models, adding some vintage flair to the design. The black or silvery dials are graced by a small seconds subdial, 30‑minute recorder, and 12‑hour recorder along with a central chronograph hand. These can be worn on metal bracelets, leather straps or nylon fabric straps.
Today, the iconic Swiss watch collection features a range of choices in classic stainless steel or 18K gold. Since its earliest years, it has been a part of the greatest explorations of space, and most notably, became the first watch worn on the moon during the Apollo 11 lunar landing in 1969. The OMEGA Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch is the most famous chronograph on Earth and beyond, having been chosen by NASA in 1965 for all manned space missions.
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