OMEGA Speedmaster Professional Watches

About OMEGA Speedmaster Professional Watches

The history of the OMEGA Speedmaster Professional began when NASA named OMEGA the official watch brand of the space program. Before the Speedmaster Professional, there was the original Speedmaster. It debuted in 1957 with the Ref. CK2915. This sports and racing chronograph was the first model to feature the brand’s now iconic triple-register dial.

Just five years later in 1962, the Speedmaster gained widespread attention. That year astronaut Wally Schirra wore the Ref. CK2915 on the Mercury Atlas 8 flight. This prompted NASA to test a number of watch brands under extreme conditions in order to determine which would be best to use in future space missions. Ultimately, OMEGA was the winner.

When NASA approved the Speedmaster for space missions, the brand decided to rename the model. It was then that the Speedmaster Professional was born. In the years that followed, the Speedmaster Professional would continue to be NASA’s official watch. It served on the Gemini missions in 1965 and the Apollo missions throughout the remainder of the 1960s.

In 1969, the Speedmaster Professional made history by being the first watch to land on the moon. An important instrument called the mission timer had failed in the Apollo 11 spacecraft. As a result, Neil Armstrong had to use his Speedmaster Professional in its place. Over six hours later, he and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin took their first steps on the moon. Aldrin wore his Speedmaster Professional, but Armstrong did not. They felt it best to leave one of the watches inside in case any damage occurred upon exiting the vessel. Since then, it’s been on board each subsequent Apollo mission and lunar landing. Today, we call the Speedmaster Professional by its affectionate nickname, the Moonwatch.

Part of what continues to make the Speedmaster Professional so remarkable to this day is that it’s remained largely unchanged. Through the years, OMEGA has made very few modifications to the original version that once walked on the surface of the moon. Still, the brand continues to partner with NASA to refine the Speedmaster Professional. Over the course of the next several decades, they have two major missions on the horizon. First, they plan to return to the moon for the proposed trip in 2024. They’re also working on a variation of the Speedmaster Professional that can withstand the conditions on Mars for a mission set for 2030.