From racetrack to space race: how the Omega Speedmaster helped put man on the Moon

On 3 October, 1962, Schirra's Speedmaster unofficially became the first watch in space While the luminous material on its dial came off, the Omega Speedmaster was declared the winner as it was the only watch that didn't stop after any of the 11 tests On 1 March, 1965 the Omega Speedmaster was the first watch to be given NASA's 'Flight Qualified for all Manned Space Missions' certification.

Although many models of Speedmaster have come since, to retain NASA flight-qualified certification Omega has made very few changes to the basic design and movement since 1965 It is believed that Aldrin's Speedmaster was the first watch on the Moon - but, sadly, that watch went missing in 1970 while being transported to the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum in Washington, and was never seen again In the years since, Omega Speedmasters have been worn while driving the Lunar Rover, during man's last steps on the Moon, on flights of the Space Shuttle, aboard the International Space Station, and during space walks.

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing, Omega is offering two special editions of the Speedmaster. . Source