Page 58 - Sharp September 2025

W A T C H
SPACE AND TIME
HOW THE OMEGA SPEEDMASTER BECAME THE OFFICIAL
WATCH OF NASA’S APOLLO PROGRAM (AND THE WORLD’S
FAVOURITE CHRONOGRAPH)
By Jeremy Freed
ON JULY 20, 1969, THE WORLD WATCHED NEIL ARMSTRONG
ing TH ta he s fi wea ON ee TH “ ank in O 0 O M R i r d
ON JUL 0, MS it ig ig g f in the history of mechanical timekeeping. The Speedmaster is now
y t us e e ut kon ineers.
“We seconds…For scientists, TV and movie directors, athletes, and
che he first Speedm the (NASA wouldn’t start using the term until the following year),
he m t he m t e s i n anti-magnetic protection, and the world’s first tachymeter scale
th useful for timing laps, the accompanying stopwatch would prove an
of d
When 7, an l f t 3, Apo lo 3, Apo Ge me. pee pol o
13 m 13 mission, Lovell and his crewmates averted catastrophe by using
s to navig back to Earth.
64, p, w t - e watc hat ec w t - e r t rd
in g s o l a e w wis met sts d har ce jo ed
co thr eve su st ar t u o h 9 ASA r a declared th nth l
Man knows — is history.
re aste er as accom ASA’s cy ac s t o fu × t t p i of dm as d
s r a a r s a i but today, when a wristwatch is as much an accessory as a timing
device, its most impressive feature might be its near-universal appeal.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF OMEGA.
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 5
O H
Z A G A E S P I N A 8 0 8 1