We all dreamed of becoming astronauts as children, and the mere thought of owning one of these iconic objects keeps alive in me the dream of becoming one of them sooner or later…

Which and how many commemorative Omega Speedmasters are there?

Which was the most important one?

Have you ever heard of the famous model given to US President Richard Nixon?

If so, on what occasion?

Welcome back friends of IWS, as you may have guessed, today’s topic is beautiful, tough and stimulating: how could it be otherwise when dealing with one of the topics that contributed to changing the history of humanity, raising mankind’s ability to deal with and overcome its limits by conquering those that were once unimaginable horizons.

And what better way to celebrate this event than through the creation of exclusive pieces specially created by the Bienne maison to acclaim, through the only watch ever qualified by NASA for space flight, the success of the Apollo missions?

Let’s dive deep into it, today we will have fun together by discovering  the first and most important commemorative Omega Speedmaster in history, the prestigious reference BA145.022.

A Tribute To Heroes 

In the collective imagination we have always associated heroes with masks, cloaks, superpowers and villains to fight. All these connections are also valid for the astronauts of the Apollo missions, linking a space suit and helmet to a mask and cloak, associating superpowers with the abilities through which they faced the unknown, and considering the villains, given the cold war in full swing, to the Soviets, unique rivals in the space race.

The ’69s feat was therefore epic and its success was eagerly celebrated throughout every country of the world, that crowned astronauts as true heroes of the time, sources of inspiration towards breaking through human limits. One of the many occasions to glorify these extraordinary men took place on November 25th of that magical year for the American colors. The location, needless to say, was Houston Texas, home of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, better known as NASA.

The event, to the delight of many, was a gala reception with a somewhat evocative name “Astronaut Appreciation Dinner” planned to celebrate not only the heroes of the moon landing but of the entire American space program who contributed to the operation over the years.

The gala event, in itself already a success given the fame that has accompanied the astronauts in recent years, was further embellished by the homage that the Swiss maison made to the protagonists of the event, the very first Speedmaster celebrating the lunar landing, the reference entirely made of 18 Kt gold BA145.022.

A limited edition of 1014 timepieces

Turning to the numbers, the circulation of this splendid example of Speedy was 1014 pieces. Number 1 and number 2 were intended for President Richard Nixon and Vice President Spiro Agnew, who, unfortunately for them, due to the strict laws that high public officials in America must abide by in terms of homage, had to decline.

Don’t worry, the pieces were not lost or locked in a casket and hidden in the dungeons of the White House together with the Templar treasure sought by the good Nicolas Cage in the homonymous movie, let alone added to the US gold reserves crammed in Fort Knox. The two examples were in fact transferred to the Omega museum in Bienne where they are still on display today to the delight of visitors from all over the world

Taking a quick overview of the destination of the remaining pieces produced, we see that the numbers from 3 to 28 were distributed to the real protagonists of the Apollo enterprises, the astronauts, including the deceased of the tragic Apollo 1 mission.

Same destination for the pieces from number 1001 to 1008 , assigned between 1972 and 1973 to the astronauts of the Apollo 14, 15, 16 and 17 missions. The pieces from 29 to 32, although not bearing the engraved numbering, were assigned directly to managers and employees of the Omega house, while large part of the production, from number 33 to number 1000, was destined for the international market. The pieces from 1009 to 1014 were eventually assigned to NASA personnel and other insiders of the American space industry.

The President of the Moon

Although the race to the moon was launched and developed by its predecessors Kennedy and Johnson, Republican Richard Nixon, 37th president in American history, was the one who not only reaped the rewards, but kept steady on the path to space exploration.

In office from January 1969 until August 1974, he had the privilege of enjoying as the first, and most interested spectator, all the moon landings, from Apollo 11 to Apollo 17, so as to earn the title ad honoris causa of “President of the Moon” and with it the right to be honored with the precious celebratory Speedmaster n ° 1 made on the occasion of the “Astronaut Appreciation Dinner”.

The main features that enhance the uniqueness of this extraordinary piece undoubtedly lie in the customization of the caseback. In fact, near the edge and along the entire circular perimeter, it is possible to admire not only the production number, in this specific case the number 1, but also the name of the receiver Richard M. Nixon and the position held within the mission “President of the United States“.

The center of the caseback – and here the inscription found throughout the whole production destined for the VIP parterre –  is embellished with the famous phrase “to mark man’s conquest of space with time, through time, on time” literally “To mark the conquest of space by the man over time, over time, and over time”.

Actually, we had this exact timepiece in our hands a few years ago during the presentation of the 50th Anniversary.

Find the differences

Although the materials used, the movement, the bracelet, the carrure, and the bezel were identical, the main differences found between the President’s Moonwatch, the pieces assigned to the astronauts and the numbers destined for the market, reside exclusively in the manufacture of the caseback.

Having previously described the particularities that distinguish the Nixon timepiece, let’s discover together the distinctive elements that characterize the other productions. To begin with, a distinction must be made between the numbers intended for astronauts and those intended for the market.

The former show all the elements that can be found on the back of the US president: name of the astronaut, position carried out, specific Apollo mission in which he had taken part, production number and evocative phrase in the center.

The production destined for commerce, on the other hand, was decorated with the more generic central engraving “The first Watch Worn On The Moon” found in almost all the Speedmaster references produced, accompanied by the all-around circular inscription “Omega Speedmaster Apollo XI 1969“.

For the sake of completeness of information, the very first models destined for the market bear the mentioned words only engraved, while within the following models the engraving takes on a more decorative function, becoming colored and echoing the burgundy tone of the tachymeter bezel.

Technical specifications

After reliving the history of this splendid reference, examining the differences that make the various productions unique, and getting to know the president of the moon Richard Nixon, the time has come to discover together the main technical characteristics that distinguish this iconic object.

The caliber 861

To begin with, to pick up on the heavy legacy left by the caliber 321, predecessor of the calibers mounted on the Speedmaster, we find the famous 861. Introduced with the reference 145.022, the iconic manual-winding automatic remains in service, albeit with some minor changes in the course of its history, from 1968 until 1997.

Its 27 mm in diameter and 6.87 in thickness harbor the three classic chronometric functions, hours, minutes and seconds, sorted by shuttles with lateral coupling and not column as for the caliber 321. The smooth balance wheel, no longer with adjusting screws like its predecessor, oscillates at 21,600 vibrations / hour while the power reserve is around 50 hours.

The case

The case of the iconic reference BA145.022 features all the classic distinctive elements we know and appreciate of the Speedmaster. The 42 mm diameter in 18 Kt yellow gold distinguished by asymmetrical carrure and curved lugs, highlight all the beauty of the brushed solid gold dial.

The faceted indexes are made of black onyx, lacquered also for the main hour and minute hands made of gold, as well as those of the three small dials of the chronograph.

At 12 o’clock both the Ω symbol of the family and the Omega Speedmaster Professional inscription stand out. To certify the solid gold used to make the dial we find the wording OM, “Or Massif” at six o’clock accompanied by the word Swiss Made.

The bezel ring, showing the classic tachymeter scale, is made of anodized aluminum with a metallic gray shade on a wonderful burgundy background. The convex glass can only be in hesalite.

The bracelet

All production numbers, from 1 to 1014, were equipped with the very elegant gold bracelet with mixed links, internal hollow and external in solid gold, with references 1116 and 575 for the terminals. The peculiarity that makes it so refined I find lies entirely in the silhouette that distinguishes it, going from 20 mm between the lugs up to 14 in proximity to the grooved closure where the logo of the Bienne maison stands out.

Conclusions

What to add guys? After diving deep into the history that surrounds the most important and prestigious celebratory reference of this splendid timepiece and discovering its technical peculiarities, I take a writing permission in order to better understand the meaning that this reference carries with it.

Broadly speaking, whether it is the classic model or some commemorative reference, we can all agree that a single book would not be enough to praise the charm, features, stories and anecdotes that accompany the iconic moon watch.

From its birth in 1957 as a sports racing chronograph, in fact, up to the very first Mercury missions of the early 1960s, with severe endurance tests specially designed by NASA’s engineer James Regan and brilliantly surpassed, up to its definitive consecration as a moon watch, the Speedmaster represents for us watch addicted one of the cornerstones of world watchmaking.

Going further however, the thing that makes me madly in love with the Moonwatch is the almost “human” connotation that distinguishes it, making it in my eyes a faithful, infallible and therefore essential companion in the splendid adventure of life, whether it is a space mission or daily routine.

In confirmation of this, the engineers of NASA in fact certified it not only as a space timepiece, but went further, presenting it to astronauts as a tool on which to rely on, both in case of any default of the digital instrumentation of edge, and to accurately time the various maneuver times in orbit.

And it is precisely for these reasons, dear friends of IWS, in addition to the very justified albeit cold business motivations, that I like to think that Omega has decided to dress up this immense protagonist of the space enterprise for a party, celebrating him with this legendary reference. 

Translated by: Enrico Della Guerra