Mon, Dec 12, 2022
The last manned journey to the moon landed 50 years ago. On this special anniversary, OMEGA is remembering the achievements of Apollo 17, and the role its Speedmaster Moonwatch played during those famous hours.
Led by Commander Eugene Cernan, Lunar Module Pilot Harrison Schmitt, and Command Module Pilot Ronald Evans, Apollo 17 landed on the moon on December 11, 1972 at 19:54.58 GMT. With a heavy emphasis on science, the mission was a chance to explore our lunar neighbour like never before.
Raynald Aeschlimann, President and CEO of OMEGA, says: “The Apollo 17 astronauts stayed on the moon’s surface for approximately 75 hours, yet all these years later, their achievements are still fondly remembered by OMEGA. This was the sixth time in history that our Speedmaster was worn on the moon, and the final milestone of our incredible lunar story.”
Until his death in 2017, Gene Cernan remained a close friend of OMEGA. As well as appearing at multiple events and celebrations throughout the decades, he always spoke highly of the Speedmaster that accompanied him throughout his NASA career, once declaring, “that’s the commitment of your people at OMEGA, to make the finest watch piece, not only in the world, but in the entire universe."
Today, Gene Cernan’s Apollo 17 watch (ST 105.003) can be viewed at the OMEGA Museum in Biel, Switzerland. Worn by the last man to walk on the moon, it was used by OMEGA in 2019 to recreate the legendary Calibre 321.
Thanks to “tomography” technology, the team was able to look inside the historic timepiece to gain the exact specifications for the movement’s reconstruction.
To this day, the Speedmaster Moonwatch has been worn by astronauts on every moon landing in history. After being qualified by NASA for “all manned space missions” in 1965, the timepiece became official kit on all the successful Apollo journeys, beginning with Apollo 11 in 1969, and ending with Apollo 17 in 1972.
-
200 brands on show at Jewellery & Watch Show
Tue, Oct 10, 2023 -
New Montblanc timepiece honours Minerva
Sun, Oct 8, 2023 -
OMEGA's latest Seamaster salutes Emirates Team New Zealand
Mon, Sep 18, 2023 -
Bulgari reveals six new creations at GWD
Sun, Sep 10, 2023 -
Watches and Wonders Geneva in April
Sun, Sep 10, 2023 -
Excalibur blazes a new trail in blue
Wed, Aug 30, 2023 -
Breitling opens largest boutique in Middle East
Wed, Aug 16, 2023 -
Fabergé adds new ring to Game of Thrones collection
Sun, Aug 13, 2023 -
Jaeger-LeCoultre offers sparkling new timepieces
Thu, Aug 10, 2023 -
OMEGA celebrates summer with pop-up boutiques
Thu, Aug 3, 2023 -
Audemars Piguet offers Royal Oak Selfwinding in white ceramic
Tue, Aug 1, 2023 -
OMEGA celebrates an icon with 11-watch collection
Tue, Jul 18, 2023 -
Dates announced for next Watches and Wonders Geneva
Mon, Jul 10, 2023 -
Breguet offers Marine Hora Mundi at Only Watch
Mon, Jul 3, 2023 -
OMEGA’s three new watches to time the world
Wed, Jun 14, 2023