Lot 494

Omega "Speedmaster Moon Watch", Movement No. 31328862, Ref. 145.022-69 ST, Cal. 861, 42 mm, circa 1971
A vintage wristwatch with chronograph, 30 min. and 12h counter, auxiliary seconds and tachy bezel, produced on April 30th, 1971 and delivered to Singapore - with Omega extract of the archives
Case: steel, screw back with engraving, Hesalite crystal, riveted "Omega" steel flex bracelet with deployant clasp, reference 1039, stamped 1/71, endlinks stamped 516, bracelet length 150 mm, total length 190 mm. Dial: black.
The Omega Speedmaster model - affectionately called "Speedy" by its legion of fans - was the first timepiece on the moon and is still the only watch ever to reach the moon. Since that day, the same standard version of the Omega Speedmaster Professional has accompanied all American astronauts during their flights in space and reconnaissance missions to the moon – from the Gemini spacecraft to Apollo and the spacelab missions and eventually today’s Space Shuttle program. This legendary wrist chronograph was developed in 1942 and declared "spaceworthy" by NASA in 1965. The story goes that a number of NASA employees bought several standard watches of different brands to test them in rigorous conditions such as temperature, vibration, shock, absence of gravity and magnetic fields - and the Speedmaster was the only one that proved to be up to the job. The "chosen one" finally set foot on the moon on July 21, 1969 on the wrist of Neil Armstrong (some say Buzz Aldrin), during the first manned mission to land on the moon. This exceptional, classic timepiece and its unique history will remain forever unrivalled - even Elon Musk's Tesla in space is unlikely to ever reach the Speedmaster's cult status. Roadsters come and go but the Moonwatch stays…

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