Aside from its primary time-keeping function, the watch’s third hand has a stopwatch or chronograph function.  The Speedmaster also has three extra dials found on its face.  There is one dial each for every second, minute and hour elapsed.  These dials are all in keeping with the watch’s chronograph functions.

In 1962, NASA started purchasing watches for evaluation and that is how the Speedmaster received the honor of being the first watch on the moon.  During these evaluations, various watch models were tested in conditions that NASA professionals believed they would be subjected to, especially during EVA or Extra-vehicular activity.  The Speedmaster came out on top among the other models.  The watch was worn the conventional way when on Earth or inside the space shuttle.  However, when the astronauts were suited up, the watch is fitted with a Velcro strap designed to be worn on the wrist outside the space suit.

Omega Speedmasters were worn by Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong during the moon expedition.  Soon after this historical event, the Speedmaster became better known as the Moonwatch.  Only Buzz Aldrin’s Speedmaster made the trip back to Earth.  This is because Neil Armstrong left his own in the Lunar Module during an EVA, as the in-cabin time malfunctioned and he actually used the watch as a replacement.

Upon his return to Earth, Buzz Aldrin agreed to loan his Moonwatch to the Smithsonian Institution as part of its exhibit.  Unfortunately, the watch disappeared on transit and its exact whereabouts is unknown.  This event was documented in Buzz Aldrin’s book, “Return to Earth”, published in 1973.  There, he clearly stated that he packed the watch for pick-up by the Smithsonian.  But by the time it arrived at its destination, the package was empty and the watch was nowhere to be found.

Several years ago, a certain Stephen Morley claimed that the old Omega Speedmaster he bought from a weekly publication seller was the long-lost Buzz Aldrin Moonwatch.  He filed a lawsuit to determine if either NASA or the Smithsonian would confirm its authenticity.  Neither of them would confirm nor deny if the Speedmaster kept by Morley was the authentic first watch on the moon.  However, they stated that if the watch was indeed authentic, then ownership of the item should be held by the US government.

Until this day, the whereabouts of the original Moonwatch is still under dispute.  But that doesn’t change the fact that the Omega Speedmaster made a very significant contribution to scientific history.

Iconic watches has a fantastic range of Speedmasters click here to see…

Louis Brandt was an unassuming man who put up a one-man assembly line of pocket watches in 1848.  It was the norm in those days to buy movements from other manufacturers and put them in casings and brand them as the jeweler’s.  Such was the set-up of Brandt. When he died, his sons took over the thriving pocket watch assembly line and  later went into full production themselves because of the unreliability of movements suppliers and inferior quality of said parts. Thus in 1879, the assembly line turned into full production.

Calibre-C, called Labrador, was the shop’s first mass-produced watch in 1885. In 1894 the small company came out with its innovative and high precision Calibre 19. The movement was by Francois Chevillat and it became the protocol of other Swiss watch companies. The 19-line Caliber OMEGAwas the name given to the movement. In 1903, the family-owned company adopted the name OMEGA and established its first factory in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland.

OMEGA came to be known as the brand to contend with when referring to wristwatches. The 24th letter of the Greek alphabet brand became synonymous with excellence, perfection, completion and accomplishment.

In the last 160 years, OMEGA aspired to be the best in its trade. It has won numerous awards and acclamations all through its existence. The first award it ever received was at the Paris World Fair Grand Prix in 1900. In 1936 OMEGA was given the world precision record of 97.8 at the Kew Observatory in London.

OMEGA has been known for its pioneering and sporting spirit. In 1932, OMEGA came out with the first diver’s watch aptly named Marine. It was also the year that OMEGA became the official time keeper of the Los Angeles Olympics. The bar was set for the many other brands that followed. In 1934, OMEGA was with Amelia Earhart as she flew across the Atlantic.  OMEGA was at the six lunar landings of the Apollo project and it was with the Apollo 11 crew in the very historic leap of mankind in 1969.

To date, OMEGA had officiated 25 combined Summer and Winter Olympics with the recently concluded 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada as its latest Olympiad. In 2012, it will be in London, for the Games of the XXX Olympiad.  Its love affair with the Olympics was sealed when OMEGA introduced the first electronic timekeeping at the 1952 Helsinki Summer Olympics.  That same year OMEGA was awarded the Olympic Cross of Merit for its contribution to sports.

At present, OMEGA has four collections for both men and women: Constellation; Seamaster; Speedmaster and De Ville. An added collection is the Specialties. OMEGA Constellation evolved from the Centenary models. It is the flagship brand of the company with its very first model designed by Rene Bannwart, Omega’s famous designer.

The OMEGA Seamaster has been used in James Bond movies since 1995. It is a quartz watch and an automatic winding chronograph.

NASA chose the OMEGA Speedmaster for its lunar expeditions back in the 1960s. OMEGA can righty claim that Speedmaster was the first “watch” on the moon.
The Deville Collection has a chronograph movement that is self-winding, a co-axial escapement and a column wheel mechanism that makes for better and greater stability, precision and durability of the movement.

Specialties are commemorative time pieces from the Olympics and other special events. The latest are from the 2008 Beijing Olympics.  Jewelry watches fall under this category too. An exemplary sample is the White Gold on White Gold, a diamond encrusted time piece for women using caliber Omega 1376. Water resistant and with a 32-month power reserve, this watch is not just a dress watch.
After more than 160 years OMEGA is still continuously developing and challenging itself by its conception of the “hour-vision” – the movement that finalized the co-axial revolution.

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