MoonSwatch 1965 celebrates a milestone achievement for Omega from 60 years ago. With the Gemini flight programme including the first spacewalk (outside the capsule), NASA required an official watch that had been appropriately tested for the astronauts to wear. On 1st March, 1965, NASA Program Director James H. Ragan declared that the Omega Speedmaster was the only watch that survived and was officially certified as “Flight Qualified for all Manned Space Missions”.
The original NASA space flight qualified Omega Speedmaster (top) and the MoonSwatch 1965 below.
Before the Speedmaster, watches differed in procurement over every other piece of space equipment, as NASA simply bought them from retail outlets from 1957 to the mid-1960s. To be officially commissioned as the watch for space, in response to a memo from Flight Crew Operations Director Deke Slayton, manufacturers were invited to submit their timepiece for consideration.
Left, James H. Ragan putting a Speedmaster to the test in the centrifuge. © NASA. Right, from NASA’s Gemini Program documentation certifying that Speedmaster 105.003 satisfies flight qualification requirements. © Omega.
Out of the short list of firms that were approached, only three submitted: a Longines-Wittnauer 235T, a Rolex chronograph reference 6238 and last, an Omega Speedmaster reference 105.003. The battery of tests each was subjected to ranged from severe temperature differences, pressurisation extremes (including being placed in a vacuum), shock impacts to the case, acceleration to variations in gravity, vibration, sound, and changes in the oxygen/air mix. The Omega Speedmaster was the only watch to pass all the tests and was certified as the one permitted to be used for Extra Vehicular Activities (EVAs). It was duly engaged for the first time on 3rdJune, 1965, when astronaut Ed White left the capsule of Gemini 4 for 23 minutes.
One of NASAs most iconic images: Edward H. White II, pilot for Gemini-Titan 4, floats in space during the EVA, timed with the Omega Speedmaster on his left wrist. © NASA
The MoonSwatch 1965 celebrates the certification achievement. Housed in a light grey bioceramic case, similar to the colour of moon dust, the latest model has a white dial, reminiscent of the prototype Alaska II Speedmasters, with the Omega logo, hands and typeface used at that time, echoing the style of the original watch, and giving it an appealing vintage aesthetic.
The MoonSwatch 1965 in bioceramic grey, with matching strap, black bioceramic bezel, and white dial.
What makes this chronograph different from others are the minute and hour counters. For the MoonSwatch 1965, the counters have been modified to 19 hours (subdial at 10 o’clock) and 65 minutes (subdial at 2 o’clock). In this way, 19 and 65 are highlighted on the dial, making it possible to read 1965, as well as 60 at the small second subdial at 6 o’clock. With the addition of Super-LumiNova, the year and years since being flight qualified can be clearly seen.
Pronounced visibility under UV light. The number “19” appears on the counter at 10 o’clock, the number “65” on the counter at 2 o’clock, with the number “60” on the counter at 6 o’clock.
The chronograph therefore functions differently, and Swatch has created a small complication to allow the normal reading of time. The hands of both counters operate as follows: the 10 o’clock counter (19 hours) and the 2 o’clock counter (65 minutes) make a “lap of honor” at the end of the 64th minute. The 10 o’clock counter rotates once and displays 1 hour (or rather, one additional hour). The 2 o’clock counter rotates once and displays the 5th minute. Otherwise, the time is read normally.
The black bioceramic bezel has a white tachymeter scale to match the original Speedmaster. The grey velcro strap has contrasting light grey stitching, with a grey bioceramic loop, to match the case. One other nice feature for the 1965 MoonSwatch is the watch box, which mirrors the design of the cases the astronauts carried into the space capsule. With the last two releases, Swatch is being very clever in harnessing NASA history and adapting the Omega Speedmaster in the MoonSwatch series to produce different complications.
Available only at selected Swatch stores worldwide, only one watch can be purchased per person, per day. £240.
Author: Andrew Hildreth
If you are a fan of the MoonSwatch collection, you may like to read about the MoonSwatch Mission to Earthphase.
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