The Speedmaster and the Moon: Why Space Made a Watch Famous

Few watches have a story as famous as the Omega Speedmaster. It started as a racing chronograph and ended up on the Moon.

Omega introduced the Speedmaster in 1957 as a chronograph for motorsport, with its tachymeter scale printed on the bezel. It was an unusual choice to put the scale there rather than on the dial, and it became a signature of the design.

In the early 1960s, NASA needed a reliable chronograph for its astronauts. It tested several watches under extreme conditions of temperature, vibration, shock, pressure and humidity. In 1965, the Speedmaster was qualified for use in manned space missions.

On 21 July 1969, Buzz Aldrin wore a Speedmaster on the lunar surface during Apollo 11. The watch became known as the Moonwatch, and the model has remained in production with only small changes ever since.

The Speedmaster Professional traditionally uses a manually wound movement, which suits its tool-watch heritage. Over the years, Omega has also offered versions with different crystals, movements and special editions linked to space missions.

Its story is a reminder that a good tool watch is defined by reliability, not complexity. If you like the history, a Speedmaster is a classic first chronograph, with plenty of collecting depth.