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It is now 50 years since mankind took its first daring steps onto the moon – a moment that changed history (and the limits of possibility) forever.

On this golden anniversary, OMEGA is celebrating the occasion with a brand new Speedmaster that has a very special connection to the astronauts and the legacy of that Apollo 11 mission.

HOW OMEGA REACHED THE MOON

Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the read design, the Speedmaster became known first humans to walk on the lunar surface on as the “pilots’ choice” and was adopted by the 21st of July 1969. Their moonwalk lasted those in the U.S Air Force. Many of those just two and a half hours, but their achieve- aces became Mercury astronauts in NASA’s ments left a defining footprint on the history first manned space programme and, in 1963, of space exploration. one of those astronauts, Walter Schirra, took his own Speedmaster CK2998 on the Mer- cury-Atlas 8 mission. Orbiting the Earth six The OMEGA Speedmaster times, his privately-owned model became the first OMEGA watch worn in space. Professional became the first By 1964, NASA’s space programme was accel- watch worn on the moon. erating rapidly and it officially went in search of one watch that it could rely on for all of its It was during this iconic moment that the manned-missions. Flight Crew Operations Di- OMEGA Speedmaster Professional became rector, Deke Slayton, issued a request for wrist- the first watch worn on the moon. worn chronographs from different watch man- ufacturers around the world. Several brands, The Apollo 11 mission is certainly the most including OMEGA, submitted their timepieces celebrated moment in OMEGA’s consid- for the punishing tests – such as thermal, shock, erable space heritage. But the journey to vibration and vacuum examinations amongst reach that point began more than 10 years others. Only the OMEGA Speedmaster sur- earlier, in 1957, when the very first OMEGA vived these tests and, as a result, it was de- Speedmaster was launched. clared “Flight Qualified for all Manned Space Thanks to its robust, reliable and easy-to- Missions” on the 1st of March 1965. From that moment, OMEGA was the only lunar surface, then the only thing they had to supplier of watches for NASA’s Human Space rely on was the OMEGA watch they had on Flight Program. It was trusted throughout the their wrist. It needed to be there for them if following Gemini Program, and, of course, the they had a problem.” Apollo Program – which had its sights set on the moon. With the eyes of the world on Apollo 11 in 1969, every piece of technology and kit had James Ragan, the NASA engineer who qual- to be just right. There was no room for error. ified the Speedmaster in 1965 has spoken That’s why it is such an honour for OMEGA to about the importance of OMEGA by saying, look back and know that its watches were im- “The watch was a backup. If the astronauts plicitly trusted by everyone involved. 50 years lost the capability of talking to the ground, later, we are still incredibly proud to have or the capability of their digital timers on the timed mankind’s greatest hour. A TRIBUTE TO HEROES

The dinner was especially notable for a certain OMEGA Speedmaster that was presented to The original Speedmaster the astronauts in NASA’s space program. The BA145.022 watch, Speedmaster BA145.022, was crafted from 18K yellow gold and included a rare burgundy bezel, as well as an inscription on the caseback that read, “to mark man’s conquest The success of Apollo 11 was fervently cele- of space with time, through time, on time.” brated around the world in 1969. On the 25th of November that year, a special “Astronaut This gold Speedmaster housed the calibre 861 Appreciation Dinner” was held in Houston, and was OMEGA’s very first commemorative Texas, in tribute to the moon landing heroes. numbered edition, with only 1,014 models being produced from 1969 to 1973. The very first of these was created for US President, Richard Nixon, with number two allocated to the US Vice President Spiro Agnew. These watches, however, were later returned to OMEGA due to the US government’s strict gifting protocol.

Model numbers 3 – 28 were given to the NASA astronauts, including 19 of those who were present at the gala dinner in Houston. This also included three models that were awarded posthumously to the three crew members who died during Apollo 1 – Virgil Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee.

Watches 29 to 32 were offered to Swiss watch industry leaders and politicians, without any engraved number.

The public were given the opportunity to pur- chase model numbers 33 – 1000. Although It may also be interesting to know that model these models had a different caseback in- numbers 1001 – 1008 were later presented scription, reading “OMEGA SPEEDMASTER”, to the astronauts of Apollo 14 and 17, while “APOLLO XI 1969” and “Ω THE FIRST WATCH models 1009 – 1014 were reserved for other WORN ON THE MOON”, they remained highly personalities. sought-after due to their rarity and connection to space. They also came in an exclusive moon For true Speedmaster fans, the BA145.022 crater presentation box, which itself is a prized is one of the great highlights in the chrono- collector’s item today. graph’s iconic history. Not only is it a beautiful watch to look at, with its blend of gold and burgundy, but it also pays the highest tribute to the NASA astronauts who delivered mankind to the moon. 1969 2019

Material Material 18K (2N) Yellow Gold: case, bracelet & dial 18K Moonshine™ Gold: case, bracelet & dial

Case Case 4th generation, asymmetrical casebands, inspired by 4th generation, twisted lugs asymmetrical casebands, twisted lugs

Bezel ring Bezel ring anodised aluminium, ceramic [ZrO2], burgundy colour, burgundy colour, scaling in metallic grey colour scaling in OMEGA Ceragold™

Tachymeter scale Tachymeter scale Base 500 units per second Base 500 units per second Dot over 90 (DON) & Dot over 90 (DON) & dot diagonal to 70 dot diagonal to 70

Calibre Calibre 861 3861, certified Master Chronometer

Dial Dial vertically-brushed, vertically-brushed, with „OM“ indications next to with “OM” indication next to „Swiss Made“ (or massif = solid gold) “Swiss Made” (or massif = solid gold) “Au750” engraved above centre Indexes black onyx Indexes black onyx Minute track chrono division 5 per second, not in Minute track accordance with movement‘s frequency chrono division 3 per second, in accordance with movement’s frequency HM hands black varnished HM hands skeletonised and filled with black varnish Bracelet 5-arched-links-per-row design Bracelet 5-arched-links-per-row design 1969 2019

Caseback Caseback Full with sapphire crystal and special decorative inner ring

Inscriptions Inscriptions All in burgundy colour Burgundy touches, on caseback ring and on movement Apollo XI 1969 Apollo 11 – 50th Anniversary – 1969-2019 The First Watch Worn On The Moon The First Watch Worn On The Moon Watch number: numbered Master Chronometer Watch number: in limited edition form SPEEDMASTER APOLLO 11 50TH ANNIVERSARY LIMITED EDITION

Marking the golden anniversary of the first Case and Bracelet moon landing, OMEGA has produced a new The polished and brushed 42 mm case of this Limited Edition Speedmaster of 1,014 pieces, timepiece features the asymmetrical case- delivered with a five-year warranty. band of the 4th generation Speedmaster. Around the wrist, the brushed-polished Following the famous design of the Speedmaster bracelet bears the five–arched-links-per-row BA145.022, this new chronograph has been design and a grooved clasp with an applied crafted from an exclusive new 18K gold alloy vintage Ω. and is powered by a brand new manual-winding Master Chronometer calibre 3861.

18K Moonshine™ Gold The case, bracelet, dial, hour-markers and hour-minute hands have all been created in 18K Moonshine™ gold - a unique new alloy whose colour is inspired by the shining moon- light in a dark blue sky. In a paler hue than traditional 18K yellow gold, Moonshine™ gold offers high resistance to the fading of colour and lustre over time. Burgundy Ceramic [ZrO2] Bezel Remaining true to the historical piece of 1969, OMEGA has included a burgundy bezel ring – this time in ceramic [ZrO2], according to a special patent pending process, with its tachymeter scale in Ceragold™. Following the first generation of the Speedmaster tachymeter scale, which graduated to 500 units per hour, this new model features a marker dot above 90 (also known as “Dot Over 90” or “DON”).

Onyx and Black The vertically brushed step dial is marked “Au750” for the use of solid gold and is en- hanced by the facetted black onyx indexes set in the polished hour-markers, as well as • a matte-finish blue ocean that surrounds the hour-minute hands filled with black varnish a partial world map of the American con- and the black varnished central chronograph tinents (in polished finish), with a glimpse seconds and subdial hands. over the rocket’s lift-off site Cape Canaveral (known as Cape Kennedy from 1963 – 1973) The Unique Caseback The outer caseback ring features mechani- • a matte-finish black background which cally engraved markings: “1969-2019” and accentuates polished markings includ- the Limited Edition number highlighted in ing, “APOLLO 11 – 50th ANNIVERSARY” burgundy, as well as an uncoloured “Master and “THE FIRST WATCH WORN ON THE Chronometer”. MOON”. The inner decorative ring, also created in 18K Moonshine™ gold, has undergone two Finally, a domed lunar meteorite inlay repre- separate laser ablation processes, as well as senting the Moon has been delicately set into two PVD (Physical Vapour Deposition) colour the cavity of the ring. Interestingly, the Earth treatments in blue and black. This has pro- and the Moon on the inner ring have been produced the following exquisite results: duced in true proportion (3.67 : 1 in diameter). Movement Crater Box This Speedmaster is driven by the OMEGA A unique watch in a unique presentation box! Master Chronometer Calibre 3861 – a manual- Inspired by the original packaging of the winding movement with Co-Axial escape- BA145.022 model in 1969, OMEGA has cre- ment, silicon Si14 balance spring, Moonshine™ ated a new crater box that will house each gold-plated main plate and bridges and Limited Edition timepiece. The panels of the burgundy markings. box are in grey ceramic with 3D printing of the lunar surface. Since every panel is struc- Vintage Logos tured differently, no crater box will be alike. For fans of OMEGA history, there are a num- Furthermore, the top panel of every box is ber of vintage OMEGA logos to be found printed with the image of the Sea of Tranquil- throughout the design – including on the dial, lity and the landing position of Apollo 11. crown and bracelet clasp. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: OMEGA International Press Office Rue Jakob-Stämpfli 96 · 2500 Bienne 4 · Switzerland Tel. +41 32 343 9211 · Fax +41 32 343 9715 [email protected] www.omegawatches.com

OMEGA is a company of the Swatch Group, the largest manufacturer and distributor of watches and jewellery in the world.