Teddy Baldassarre
Omega Speedmaster Guide
The Omega Speedmaster, aka the Moonwatch, is one of the most legendary and collectible watch models in the world. Originally conceived as a wristwatch for race car drivers, it has since become much more associated with its pivotal role in history as the watch used by the astronauts on the Apollo 11 mission in 1969, thus making it the first watch worn on the moon. Now the undisputed centerpiece of the modern Omega watch portfolio, the original Speedmaster has not only changed very little from the timepiece that symbolized America’s Space Race supremacy more than 50 years ago; it has also given rise to dozens of special editions, innovative variations, and the use of bold new technologies and avant-garde materials in the pioneering spirit of early space exploration. 1957: A YEAR OF MASTERY The Space Race that dominated the 1960s had yet to kick off in 1957, the year that Omega, a Swiss watch manufacturer founded in 1848, released a trio of sport-oriented tool watches with “Master” in their names, all descended stylistically from the first Seamaster of 1948, one of the first waterproof dress watches. One was the Seamaster 300, an evolution of the original that was built for deep-sea diving (I explore the Seamaster collection in depth here). The second was the Railmaster, a watch aimed at scientists and technicians whose technical hallmark was its extreme magnetic resistance (more on the Railmaster here). The third, and most influential, was the Speedmaster, which as i...
