Omega Speedmaster Ref. 145.022 Tritium dial incl. B&P

The moonwatch!

It was back in 1957 when Omega launched the first Speedmaster, originally as a racing chronograph. Little did they know that the Speedy would acquire world fame and a legendary status for a very different reason…

In the sixties, NASA started testing a number of watches for their space-going endeavors. These tests included heavy shocks, rapid temperature changes and many more grueling challenges. The Speedmaster came out surviving all of it and was selected as the official watch for the Apollo missions. Mind you, Omega was at this point still completely unaware. So this is no strategic commercial venture like the later James Bond cooperations, but a selection on merits alone.

The Speedy was then worn on all Apollo moon missions and many later projects as well. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin wore theirs on that very first moon landing (although Armstrong left his in the cabin during the very first steps we have all seen tons of times). It even played a crucial role in bringing back Apollo 13 safely, for which it was later celebrated with a Snoopy award.

The Speedmaster Professional has remained virtually unchanged since those days. Sure, the 321 movement was replaced by the 861 in the late sixties, but functionally and aesthetically, the watch has been maintained in its pure form. And amazingly, it looks just as fresh and contemporary today as it did back then. The hallmark of a truly great, timeless design.

The one on offer here is from 1990 and comes complete with box and papers. It also features the more classical bracelet, which drapes around the wrist more narrowly than the current model does. This optically shrinks the watch far below what its 42mm girth would suggest, making it suitable for pretty much anyone.

You just cannot go wrong with a Speedmaster Professional. Is this yours?