Omega Speedmaster Professional

NASA supplied each of the Apollo astronauts with a standard issue Omega
Speedmaster Professional manual-wind wristwatch (pictured above) together
with Velcro strap. Unlike almost all other Apollo equipment, the watch was not
manufactured for use specifically by NASA or in space but had been on sale in
retail outlets in Houston and all of the United States from 1957-c1966 as the
"Speedmaster" and as the "Speedmaster Professional" thereafter. Beginning in
about 1962, NASA purchased examples of a number of commercially available
watches for evaluation.

Aside from its primary and obvious function, the Omega Speedmaster
Professional also incorporated a chronograph (stopwatch) via the large third
hand on the watch dial. The three interior dials on the face provided respectively
a) a second-hand, ancillary to the conventional time function b) a minute
elapsed counter for the chronograph and c) an hour elapsed counter, again
related to the chronograph function. The outside of the dial included a fixed
bezel incremented to act as a Tachymeter (to measure miles per hour) in
conjunction with the stopwatch function, hence the title "Speedmaster".

The timepiece was intended to be worn for intra and extra vehicular activties including the moonwalks on all the missions.
Inside a pressurised environment the watch was worn conventionally but during EVA (extra vehicular activity) the astronauts
wore the watch on the outside of their pressure suits, the long Velcro strap was designed to accommodate this change in 'wrist'
dimension.

The Speedmaster had initially been worn on many of the pre-Apollo NASA manned space missions after satisfactorily passing
exhaustive tests aimed at determining performance reliability in the conditions likely to be experienced during EVA. The first
American to walk in space Edward H. White wore a Speedmaster during his Gemini 4 spacewalk and there are some
unconfirmed reports that suggest the manufacturer only discovered its use by NASA after that event.

This model is still worn by many present day astronauts on Shuttle missions.

Full records are not available on the present whereabouts of all the Speedmasters worn on the moon but the list set out below
is believed to be the best record available.Of special note, it is understood that Buzz Aldrin's watch was lost in transit in or about
1971 whilst en route to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum whilst Buzz was attempting to loan the item for display. Its
current whereabouts are not therefore known. It may well be the first watch worn on the moon. Buzz recounted in his
autobiography that, during the EVA, Neil Armstrong left his own Speedmaster in the Lunar Module as a replacement for the in-
cabin timer which had malfunctioned.The following table combines information from Robert Pearlman's CollectSpace website
with additional information provided by Ulrich Lotzmann.

Flown Omega Speedmaster Professional Chronographs currently on public display

Serial Last Known Location

Mission Crewman
Number (2004)
044 Apollo 8 Bill Anders U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis
060 Apollo 8 Jim Lovell Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago
027 Apollo 10 Tom Stafford National Air and Space Museum, Washington DC
046 Apollo 11 Neil Armstrong National Air and Space Museum, Washington DC
073 Apollo 11 Mike Collins National Air and Space Museum, Washington DC
057 Apollo 12 Dick Gordon The Omega Museum, Bienne, Switzerland
068 Apollo 13 Fred Haise Penn-Harris-Madison Planetarium, Mishawaka, Indiana
 075 Apollo 14 Alan Shepard Kansas Cosmosphere, Hutchinson
077 Apollo 14 Ed Mitchell US Astronaut Hall of Fame, Titusville
045 Apollo 15 Al Worden on loan from Worden to the Smithsonian
047 Apollo 15 Jim Irwin Penn-Harris-Madison Planetarium, Mishawaka, Indiana
061 Apollo 17 Ron Evans Kansas Cosmosphere, Hutchinson

Ed Mitchell's Flown Speedmaster. Displayed at the Astronaut Hall of Fame, Titusville, Florida.
Photo by Ulli Lotzmann.

The following table includes information from Omega, from Amanda Young at the National Air and Space Museum, and from
other sources. It is used with permission from its authors.

Copyright 2006 by Ricciardo Canova and Gino Balbi

All rights reserved.
Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves, or we know where we can find
information upon it. -Samuel Johnson-
NASA flown Speedmasters
Deliver
NAS y
Watch M picture product Omega
(NASA Cat. availab Astrona Mission Missio ion (N.M.C.
S/N) No. ility ut (s) Case Ref.no. movement Serial no. n Date Location date ) SEB no.
?? Grissom Gemini 3/23/1
 3 965
Gemini 3/23/1
?? Young 3 965
Mc Gemini 6/3/19
?? Divitt 4 65
presente
Gemini d by
4, 6/3/19 NASA to
?? Y White Apollo 1 105,003 65 family
Armstro Gemini 3/16/1
?? ng 8 966
Gemini 7/18/1
?? Young 10 966
Gemini 7/18/1
?? Collins 10 966
Gemini 9/12/1
?? Conrad 11 966
1/27/1
?? Grissom Apollo 1 967
1/27/1
?? Chaffee Apollo 1 967

National
Air and
Space
Museum
1977- -
1137- Gemini 12/4/1 Washing unkno 6/26/1 SEB1210
2 000 Y Lovell 7 105,003 20.525.xxx 965 ton wn 964 0039-001
National
Air and
Space
Museum
1977- -
1138- Gemini 7/18/1 Washing unkno 6/26/1 SEB1210
3 000 Y Young 10 105,003 20.525.xxx 965 ton wn 964 0039-001
National
Air and
Space
Museum
1977- -
1139- Gemini 12/4/1 Washing ??/??/1 6/26/1 SEB1210
4 000 Y Borman 7 105,003 20.525.xxx 965 ton 964 964 0039-001
Gemini 3/16/1
8 Scott (?) 8 966
National
Air and
Space
Museum
9 1977- -
(CF5503 1140- Gemini 8/21/1 Washing ??/04/ 4/23/1 SEB1210
3) 000 Y Cooper 5 105,003 22.082.xxx 965 ton 1965 965 0039-001
National
1977- Air and
1141- Gemini 8/21/1 Space 4/12/1 4/23/1 SEB1210
10 000 Conrad 5 105,003 22.082.xxx 965 Museum 965 965 0039-001
 -
Washing
ton
National
Air and
Space
Museum
1977- -
1142- Gemini 11/11/ Washing SEB1210
15 000 Lovell 12 UNABLE TO OPEN 1966 ton 0039-001
National
Air and
Space
Museum
1977- -
1143- Gemini 12/15/ Washing SEB1210
19 000 Schirra 6 105,003 29.115.xxx(?!) 1965 ton 0039-001
National
Air and
Space
Museum
1977- -
1144- Gemini 12/15/ Washing 4/23/1 SEB1210
20 000 Stafford 6 105,003 22.082.xxx 1965 ton 965 0039-001
National
Air and
Space
Museum
1977- -
1145- Gemini 11/15/ Washing SEB1210
23 000 Aldrin 12 1966 ton 0039-001
National
Air and
Space
Museum
1977- -
1146- TRAINI Washing 12/6/1 SEB1210
24 000 NG //////// 105,012 22.089.xxx ton 965 0039-001
15/12/
1965 on loan
Gemini 03/06/ to
1977- 6 & 9, 1966 Omega
27(CF55 1147- Apollo 145022 (!?)1 18/05/ Museum 12/20/ SEB1210
033) 000 Y Stafford 10 05.003-64 27.324.xxx(!?) 1969 - Bienne 1965 0039-001
on loan
to
1977- Omega
28(CF55 1148- Gemini 6/3/19 Museum 12/6/1 12/20/ SEB1210
033) 000 Y Cernan 9 105,003 22.089.xxx 66 - Bienne 965 1965 0039-001
National
Air and
Space
Museum
1977- -
1149- 10/11/ Washing
32 000 Schirra Apollo 7 1968 ton
1977- National
1150- 10/11/ Air and
34 000 Eisele Apollo 7 1968 Space
 Museum
-
Washing
ton
National
Air and
Space
Museum
1977- -
1151- Cunning 10/11/ Washing
35 000 Y ham Apollo 7 105,012 1968 ton
National
Air and
Space
Museum
1977- -
1152- Apollo 11/14/ Washing 8/12/1 SEB1210
36 000 Y Conrad 12 105,012 24.003.xxx 1969 ton 966 0039-002
National
Air and
Space
Museum
1977- -
1153- Skylab 11/16/ Washing 8/12/1 SEB1210
37 000 Y Carr SL4 105,012 24.003.xxx 1973 ton 966 0039-002
National
Air and
Space
Museum
1977- -
1154- Apollo- 7/15/1 Washing 8/12/1
39 000 Brand Soyuz 975 ton 966
National
Air and
Space
Museum
1977- -
1155- Apollo 5/18/1 Washing 8/12/1 SEB1210
40 000 Y Young 10 105,012 24.003.xxx 969 ton 966 0039-002
National
Air and
Space
Museum
1977- -
1156- Apollo 5/18/1 Washing 8/12/1 SEB1210
41 000 Y Cernan 10 105,012 24.002.xxx 969 ton 966 0039-002
National
Air and
Space
Museum
1977- -
1157- Apollo 7/26/1 Washing
42 000 Scott 15 971 ton
Apollo 11/16/ unknow
43 Aldrin 11 145012 (?) 1969 n
on loan
to him
12/21/ from the
44 Anders Apollo 8 105.012 (?) 1968 Smithso
 nian
on loan
to him
1977- from the
1158- Apollo 7/26/1 Smithso
45 000 Worden 15 971 nian (?)
National
Air and
Space
Museum
1973- -
1247- Armstro Apollo 7/16/1 Washing ??/07/ 8/12/1 SEB1210
46 000 Y ng 11 105,012 24.002.xxx 969 ton 1966 966 0039-002
National
Air and
Space
Museum
1977- -
1159- Apollo 7/26/1 Washing
47 000 Irwin 15 971 ton
National
Air and
Space
Museum
1977- -
1160- Apollo- 7/15/1 Washing 8/12/1 SEB1210
48 000 Y Brand Soyuz 105,012 24.002.xxx 975 ton 966 0039-002
National
Air and
Space
Museum
1977- -
1161- Apollo 4/16/1 Washing
49 000 Y Young 16 105,012 972 ton
National
Air and
Space
Museum
1977- -
1162- Matting Apollo 4/16/1 Washing 8/12/1 SEB1210
50 000 ly 16 105,012 24.003.xxx 972 ton 966 0039-002
National
Air and
Space
Museum
1977- -
1163- Skylab 7/28/1 Washing 8/12/1 SEB1210
51 000 Bean SL3 105,012 24.002.xxx 973 ton 966 0039-002
National
Air and
Space
Museum
1977- -
1164- Skylab 7/28/1 Washing SEB1210
52 000 Garriott SL3 973 ton 0039-002
National
1977- Air and
1165- Skylab 7/28/1 Space SEB1210
53 000 Lousma SL3 973 Museum 0039-002
 -
Washing
ton
National
Air and
Space
Museum
1977- -
1166- Apollo 4/16/1 Washing SEB1210
54 000 Duke 16 972 ton 0039-002
National
Air and
Space
Museum
1977- -
1167- Schweic 3/3/19 Washing 11/7/1 SEB1210
55 000 kart Apollo 9 105,012 24.957.xxx 69 ton 967 0039-002
National
Air and
Space
Museum
1977- -
1168- Apollo- 7/15/1 Washing 11/7/1 SEB1210
56 000 Slayton Soyuz 105,012 24.957.xxx 975 ton 967 0039-002
on loan
to
1977- Omega
1169- Apollo 11/14/ Museum 9/14/1 11/7/1 SEB1210
57 000 Y Gordon 12 105,012 24.957.xxx 1969 - Bienne 967 967 0039-002
National
Air and
Space
Museum
1977- -
1170- Apollo- 7/15/1 Washing 11/7/1 SEB1210
58 000 Slayton Soyuz 105,012 24.957.xxx 975 ton 967 0039-002
National
Air and
Space
Museum
1977- -
1171- Skylab 11/16/ Washing 11/7/1 SEB1210
59 000 Gibson SL4 105,012 24.957.xxx 1973 ton 967 0039-002
Museum
of
Science
&
1977- Industry
1172- 12/21/ - SEB1210
60 000 Y Lovell Apollo 8 1968 Chicago 0039-002
National
Air and
Space
Museum
1977- -
1173- Apollo 12/7/1 Washing SEB1210
61 000 Y Evans 17 145.012 (?) 972 ton 0039-002
1977- Apollo 11/14/ National 9/15/1 11/7/1 SEB1210
62 1174- Bean 12 105,012 24.957.xxx 1969 Air and 967 967 0039-002
 000 Space
Museum
-
Washing
ton
National
Air and
Space
Museum
1977- -
1175- 12/21/ Washing 9/15/1 11/7/1 SEB1210
63 000 Y Borman Apollo 8 105,012 24.957.xxx 1968 ton 967 967 0039-002
National
Air and
Space
Museum
1977- -
1176- 3/3/19 Washing SEB1210
64 000 Scott Apollo 9 69 ton 0039-002
National
Air and
Space
Museum
1977- -
1177- Apollo 12/7/1 Washing SEB1210
65 000 Schmitt 17 972 ton 0039-002
National
Air and
Space
Museum
1977- -
1178- McDivit 3/3/19 Washing SEB1210
66 000 t Apollo 9 69 ton 0039-002
National
Air and
Space
Museum
1977- -
1179- Apollo 12/7/1 Washing SEB1210
67 000 Cernan 17 972 ton 0039-002
National
Air and
Space
Museum
1977- -
1180- Apollo 4/11/1 Washing SEB1210
68 000 Haise 13 145.012 (?) 970 ton 0039-002
National
Air and
Space
Museum
1977- -
1181- Apollo 4/11/1 Washing
69 000 Swigert 13 145.012 (?) 970 ton
National
Air and
1977- Space
1182- Apollo 4/11/1 Museum SEB1210
70 000 Lovell 13 145.012 (?) 970 - 0039-002
 Washing
ton
National
Air and
Space
Museum
1977- -
1183- Apollo 1/31/1 Washing SEB1210
71 000 Roosa 14 971 ton 0039-002
National
Air and
Space
Museum
1977- -
1184- Skylab 11/16/ Washing 3/19/1 SEB1210
72 000 Pougue SL4 145,012 20.552.xxx(!?) 1973 ton 964 0039-002
National
Air &
Space
Museum
1990- -
0272- Apollo 7/16/1 Washing ??/12/ 12/6/1 SEB1210
73 000 Collins 11 145,012 26.552.xxx 969 ton 1968 968 0039-002
Kansas
Cosmosp
here &
Space
1977- Center -
1185- Apollo 1/31/1 Hutchins SEB1210
75 000 Y Shepard 14 145,012 971 on 0039-002
National
Air &
Space
Museum
1977- -
1186- Apollo- 7/15/1 Washing 3/19/1 SEB1210
76 000 Stafford Soyuz 145,012 20.552.xxx(!?) 975 ton 964 0039-002
U.S.
Astrona
1977- ut Hall of
1187- Apollo 1/31/1 Fame - SEB1210
77 000 Y Mitchell 14 145,012 971 Titusville 0039-002
National
Air and
Space
Museum
1977- -
1188- Apollo- 7/15/1 Washing 3/19/1 SEB1210
79 000 Stafford Soyuz 145,012 20.552.xxx(!?) 975 ton 964 0039-002
National
Air and
Space
Museum
1977- -
1189- Skylab 5/25/1 Washing
80 000 Weitz SL2 973 ton
1977- National
1190- Skylab 5/25/1 Air and 3/19/1 SEB1210
81 000 Conrad SL2 145,012 20.552.xxx(!?) 973 Space 964 0039-002
 Museum
-
Washing
ton
National
Air and
Space
Museum
1977- -
1191- Skylab 5/25/1 Washing 3/19/1 SEB1210
82 000 Kerwin SL2 145,012 20.552.xxx(!?) 973 ton 964 0039-002

Mercur
y Omega
(Sigma 10/3/1 Museum 11/15/
none Y Schirra 7) CK2998 962 - Bienne 1961 none
National
Air &
Space
Museum
-
??????? 5/15/1 Washing
??? Stafford ???? 145,022 27.324.xxx 969 ton
Notes:
(*)
in BL
UE:
N.A.S (**)
.M. in RED:
sourc Omega
e source
(***) All rights reserved.
in This chart may not
BLAC be used or
K: reproduced without
other permission of the
sourc authors. wwww.spe
es edmaster.it

Omega Speedmaster, ST105.012

Copyright 2004 by Lee Bailham and Eric M. Jones,with addition information provided byUlrich Lotzmann, Ricciardo Canova,
and Gino Balbi.All rights reserved.

Accoding to Imai's Time Capsule:

Speedmaster's relationship with outer space began when NASA's flight

equipment buyer went to Corrigan's watch shop in Texas to purchase a
chronograph. This was in 1961. At that time, the NASA flight equipment buyer
purchased five chronographs, all of different brands, including the Omega
Speedmaster. The intended use for the chronographs was not made clear. What
brought the NASA equipment buyer to a jeweler's on a Texas street comer was
most likely none other than President Kennedy's speech.

NASA procured a large number of Speedmaster's during the 1960's for use
as an Space Flight Crew chronograph after extensive testing prior to the
first Gemini flight.

Note: We don't know the number or specific model(s) that were acquired but
this was done before the switch over to c.861 movement.

In 1966 Omega added the term "Professional" to the Speedmaster after

becoming aware of NASA's adoption of the Speedmaster. I have previously
written a companion TZ Classic: 1278 : It was 35 years ago today - (4 June
1965 - 4 June 2000) which details the events leading up to Ed White's
space walk.

There are really only two people that are really in a position to know
which movement was the first watch worn on the moon for certain: Neil
Armstrong and Edwin (Buzz) Aldrin.
It has been documented that Armstrong did not wear his
Speedmaster on his walk on the moon. An instrument had
malfunctioned during the LEM's Decent and his Speedmaster was
left in the LEM to serve as a replacement.

[Armstrong, from the 1969 Technical Debrief - "Now, a preliminary

comment (on the EVA Preps) has to do with the longer time
that it took than during our simulations. It is
attributable to the fact that, when you do simulations of
EVA Prep, you have a clean cockpit and you have all the
things that you're going to use there in the cockpit and
nothing else. In reality, you have a lot of checklists,
data, food packages, stowage places filled with odds and
ends, binoculars, stop watches, and assorted things, each
of which you feel obliged to evaluate as to whether its
stowage position is satisfactory for EVA, and whether you
might want to change anything from the pre-flight
plans. For example, our mission timer was out, and we
decided we had better leave one wristwatch inside in case
it (the one taken outside) got damaged. We would have at
least one working watch to back up the mission timer or to
use in place of the mission timer, in case we could not get
it going again."] ... [The astronauts each had an Omega Speedmaster
Professional.]
 Source: Apollo 11 Lunar Surface Journal: EVA Prep...

Later on in the log the following conversation transpires:

108:54:54 McCandless: Neil, this is Houston. Will you

give us hack when you start your chronometer. Over.
108:55:03 Armstrong: Roger.
108:55:08 Aldrin: Give it to them later.
108:55:12 Armstrong: Okay. Okay, let's go to dump.
108:55:17 Aldrin: Dump.
108:55:18 Armstrong: Go to dump. (Long Pause)
108:55:40 Aldrin: Houston, I'll set my watch at 56. Over.
108:55:50 McCandless: Roger.
[Buzz is wearing his watch on his suit sleeve and,
apparently, is setting his at 56 minutes after the hour,
corresponding to the upcoming Ground Elapsed Time of
108:56.]
108:56:00 Aldrin: 3, 2, 1.
108:56:02 Aldrin: Mark.
[Buzz reopened the dump valve on his mark. This is the
start of the EVA.]
[Aldrin - "I'm sure that Neil didn't wear his watch out
on the surface. I'm sure he put it with the Velcro strap up
in the AOT."]
[Armstrong - "Someone, perhaps in correspondence, asked
me about that. And I could not remember, although it seems
quite logical, given the mission timer situation, that we
would have left one watch inside."]

Thus it is apparent that Aldrin's Speedmaster was the first

worn on the moon.

It has also been documented that Aldrin's Speedmaster was lost

and presumed stolen in transit to the Smithsonian for inclusion in
it's displays:

[Aldrin - "I wasn't sure what the reason was, but I

thought it was okay. It was your watch, if you wanted
to leave it inside. I remember that specifically at
that time, because I reflected back on it a little
later when I shipped my watch to the Smithsonian and
it turned up missing. That's when it refreshed in my
mind, years ago, that you had left yours inside and
mine was the only one out on the surface."]
Thus we cannot point to the actual watch to determine it's
movement.

Photos of Moon Mission Astronaut watches:

The Time Capsule book has pictures of two of the Moon Astronauts
Speedmaster's (Alan Sheppard, commander Apollo 14 [a moonwalker], and
Ron Evans [CM Pilot for Apollo 17].
 Exhibit 1, Alan Sheppard's Speedmaster:

This watch, manufactured in 1966-1967 is almost certainly a c.321. It

couldn't be anything other than a c.321.

Exhibit 2, Ron E. Evan's Speedmaster