1959: The Omega Speedmaster, in its historical design, is born. While the original model sported a steel bezel, sword-shaped hands and a diameter of 39 mm, the 1959 version came with a black tachymeter around the bezel, Dauphin hands and a diameter of 40 mm.



A Noteworthy Purchase

From a horological perspective, the seeds of the 1969 American moon landing were planted years before the actual event. At the beginning of 1962 in Houston, Texas, two men walked into an upscale watch store and pur-chased a number of chronographs produced by different companies. The two gentlemen who showed up at the well-known “Corrigan’s” watch and jewelry store were National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) employees. At the time, John F. Kennedy was president of the United States, which as a nation was still recover-ing from the humiliation of seeing the Soviet Union, believed to be inferior in every way, steal the international show by being the first country to venture into space.

There are unusual watches, outstanding watches, unique watches, and watches that deserve various other superlatives. But there is only one watch, although its design is not exceptional, that can claim something that no other watch can claim. The Omega Speedmaster is the only watch to visit the moon.

By Gerhard Claußen