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Lot Essay
In 1969, to commemorate the success of the Apollo XI mission and mankind’s first steps on the Moon, Omega created an exceptional solid gold version of the Speedmaster Professional, reference 145.022-69. Produced in a limited edition of 1,014 pieces, it represented a particularly prestigious tribute to one of the defining achievements of the 20th century.
The first two watches of the series were intended for U.S. President Richard Nixon and Vice President Spiro Agnew and are today preserved in the Omega Museum. The following 28 examples were presented at a gala dinner in Houston to astronauts who had participated in the Apollo programme and earlier space missions. Their casebacks were individually engraved with the recipient’s name and the inscription: ‘To Mark Man’s Conquest of Space with Time, Through Time, on Time’. Further examples were presented to Swiss politicians and prominent figures within the watch industry, while the majority of the remaining pieces were made available to the public.
These watches bear the caseback inscription ‘OMEGA SPEEDMASTER – APOLLO XI 1969 – THE FIRST WATCH WORN ON THE MOON’ together with an individual limited-edition number. Three principal styles of engraving can be distinguished: thin and unpainted lettering on approximately the first 100 examples, followed by thicker unpainted lettering and, finally, thicker lettering filled with burgundy colour to complement the watch’s distinctive burgundy bezel. The present example belongs to this latter version, with its bold, burgundy-filled engraving. Two principal dial variations are also known. Earlier examples feature an oval-shaped ‘O’ in the Omega signature, while later watches, including the present example, display a fuller and more rounded ‘O’.
The first two watches of the series were intended for U.S. President Richard Nixon and Vice President Spiro Agnew and are today preserved in the Omega Museum. The following 28 examples were presented at a gala dinner in Houston to astronauts who had participated in the Apollo programme and earlier space missions. Their casebacks were individually engraved with the recipient’s name and the inscription: ‘To Mark Man’s Conquest of Space with Time, Through Time, on Time’. Further examples were presented to Swiss politicians and prominent figures within the watch industry, while the majority of the remaining pieces were made available to the public.
These watches bear the caseback inscription ‘OMEGA SPEEDMASTER – APOLLO XI 1969 – THE FIRST WATCH WORN ON THE MOON’ together with an individual limited-edition number. Three principal styles of engraving can be distinguished: thin and unpainted lettering on approximately the first 100 examples, followed by thicker unpainted lettering and, finally, thicker lettering filled with burgundy colour to complement the watch’s distinctive burgundy bezel. The present example belongs to this latter version, with its bold, burgundy-filled engraving. Two principal dial variations are also known. Earlier examples feature an oval-shaped ‘O’ in the Omega signature, while later watches, including the present example, display a fuller and more rounded ‘O’.