This luxurious watch from platinum is ideal for wearing on Instagram and sharing on #SpeedyTuesday with #SpeedyTuesday, boasting a very hefty weight and price tag.
In 1994, to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Apollo 11’s maiden voyage and first moon landing, only 69 platinum versions of its limited edition were made.
Stainless steel
Stainless steel is an ideal material for watchmaking because of its resistance to corrosion and mechanical properties, including high tensile strength and fatigue resistance. This makes stainless steel an excellent choice when subjected to strain – such as when the Apollo 11 40th Anniversary Omega Speedmaster was worn on the moon before returning home intact in excellent condition. Two special edition versions were produced; one in stainless steel and one made of platinum; however, only 69 platinum models were ever produced making them much rarer and valuable than their stainless steel counterparts.
OMEGA reached out to Buzz Aldrin in 2009 with the goal of creating a limited edition watch commemorating his historic 1969 lunar landing and its role played by his Speedmaster watch. Engraved with “To mark man’s conquest of space with time, through time and on time”, this unique timepiece boasts gold-plated bezel and case band featuring laser-engraved image of Buzz Aldrin’s footprints on the moon along with unrivalled precision from OMEGA Master Chronometer calibre 3861 movement.
At its initial release in 2014, the Apollo 11 40th anniversary omega Speedmaster was limited to 7,969 pieces in stainless steel and only 69 in platinum. Equipped with a black dial featuring the Apollo 11 mission patch on its 9 o’clock subdial and designed to be as accurate as possible; its black PVD coating makes for both durability and aesthetics; minute/second markings, logos, numerals, subdial scales are all slightly raised which creates an eye-catching 3D effect in this watch.
The case back of this watch features an Apollo 11 Eagle mission patch in bas relief, the words “THE FIRST WATCH WORN ON THE MOON,” and its limited edition number (00/699). Additionally, its blackened decorative inner caseback honors Apollo-era booster covers which featured cork ablators protection to reduce launch heat levels.
Platinum
The Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch Apollo 11 40th Anniversary Limited Edition was introduced in 2009 to commemorate 40 years since Neil Armstrong landed on the Moon. Two models were available – one made of stainless steel (7,9669 pieces) and another in platinum (69 pieces). Both watches feature black dials with luminescent hands and luminometer scale bezels as well as white luminescent luminescent indexes on both models, and their case backs feature engraving of Apollo 11 mission patch in gold on them.
Omega’s platinum model also boasts an exceptional dial that stands apart from traditional Speedmaster dial printing. To create this effect, Omega used a laser to remove material around logo, model name and sub-dial numerals on its dial – creating an elegant minimalistic appearance. Due to its platinum construction it may feel top heavy on your wrist; however it still wears well and features 42mm case size which gives this watch its iconic Moonwatch aesthetic and design features.
This anniversary edition stands out with its Hesalite crystal, which is extremely scratch-resistant and antireflective. Additionally, its bezel is constructed of Hesalite to further improve clarity and durability of watch while remaining hypoallergenic and stain-proof – ideal for sensitive skin conditions.
This limited-edition watch comes with a certificate of authenticity and black presentation box, along with an Apollo 11 mission patch-engraved 42mm sterling silver medallion and black polishing cloth that feature information about their space flight mission patch – powered by OMEGA’s caliber 1861 movement.
Neil Armstrong made history during the lunar landing with his iconic performance at 02:56 GMT on July 20, 1969 by donning his Speedmaster Professional watch as backup timekeeping system of Lunar Module malfunctioned, so that only watch had ever worn to surface of Moon and named by Time magazine as world-famous watch. It became part of his legend. Time magazine recognized it as such an achievement.
Rose gold
Omega has released various versions of the Apollo 11 watch to commemorate its historic flight. These watches showcase different materials and designs, all honoring Buzz Aldrin. The original gold Speedmaster Professional model featured 18k yellow gold case and bracelet as well as an Apollo 11 mission patch on its dial; only 1,014 pieces were made; some were given out to astronauts, President Nixon as gifts as well as to people involved with the program.
Omega introduced their Speedmaster Pro Apollo 11 40th Anniversary Edition watch in rose gold in 2014. This new model boasts a titanium case and black ceramic bezel, along with black PVD coating on both dial and bezel, with raised indexes, numerals, and logo for an eye-catching design element. In addition, its caseback includes an Apollo 11 mission patch engraving.
Omega’s Speedmaster Pro Apollo 11 40th anniversary edition watch boasts a caseback engraved with its mission patch and the words, “The first watch worn on the moon.” Producing such a piece in yellow gold seems an audacious move given how steel has increasingly taken precedence; but Omega seems confident that fashion trends will eventually return towards yellow gold as seen with their production of this watch.
Another notable element of this watch is that its movement is coated in Moonshine gold – an alloy with paler hue than traditional yellow gold, it adds a lovely accent color and adds character. Furthermore, the ring around its movement also features beautiful graphics printed onto it for a unique aesthetic touch.
The Speedmaster Pro Apollo 11 40th Anniversary Edition comes complete with a certificate of authenticity and box that honors astronauts by featuring their names etched onto it, making this watch worthy of its place in history. It is truly beautiful timepiece.
Black
Omega Speedmaster’s 40th anniversary apollo 11 moonshine gold Omega Speedmaster features two applications to commemorate the incredible Apollo 11 mission: one sub-dial depicts astronaut Buzz Aldrin descending the lunar landing ladder; while another small seconds hand features red hands and markers to indicate exactly when astronauts landed on the Moon (02:56 GMT).
The watch features a stainless steel bracelet and is powered by an Omega Calibre 1861 manual-wind movement, featuring the Mission Patch as well as “APOLLO 11 40th Anniversary”. Finally, an aluminium bezel completes its look.
At the start of NASA’s space program, NASA astronauts were allowed to wear only the Speedmaster Professional watch during missions. Not only was it put through rigorous thruster tests on spacecraft thrusters but astronauts would often keep one aboard as an emergency backup in case electronic devices became dysfunctional during flight.
OMEGA celebrated the 40th anniversary of manned lunar landing with several limited edition watches, one being their platinum Speedmaster Apollo 11 Limited Edition which was limited to only 69 pieces. This model is similar to other Apollo 11 models produced by OMEGA such as having 42 mm case, screw and pin bracelet as well as platinum push pieces and medallion on small seconds hand.
Apollo 11 40th anniversary omega speedmaster watches come in limited editions featuring an Apollo 11 40th anniversary Omega speedmaster made of an uncommon material called Hesalite, similar to sapphire but much harder. Used extensively on spacecraft windows to protect them from scratches, this special version includes a hesalite crystal case back.
Omega is proud to have played an instrumental role in celebrating 40 years since man first set foot on the moon – an event they are especially commemorating with this special edition Speedmaster Professional which honors this historic achievement with a limited production run and distinguished name – making this watch ideal for collectors.