I’m not trying to overdo the Speedy Pro thing…I’m really not, I promise! That said, I did write about it the other day…so, why another tribute? (Hint: July 20, 1969!) The Omega Speedmaster, the Moonwatch to be specific , is a very special watch–indeed, a nearly cult-level object–that transcends collector proclivities, generations, and even sticker shock snobbery. (It just might be the watch that unites humanity…and in these times, that’s no mean feat.) And it was just over 52 years ago this day that Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin left their quasi-eternal footprints on the dusty surface of our moon, and stepped into the human collective consciousness of all that was conceivably possible, all while doing so with Omega’s now illustrious black dialed, luminous dialed, stainless steel chronograph strapped to their life-preserving spacesuits.
Yesterday, another cosmic milestone was achieved as Jeff Bezos and his vaunted Spaceflight venture rocketed the controversial entrepreneur and a small crew of lucky individuals into the periphery of space, paving the way for future endeavors in broader human travel beyond the Earth. The watch on their royal blue (Origin) wrists, clearly visible in the many press photos, is none other than the trusty Omega Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch…a piece with direct lineage back to those pioneering days of the Kennedy-era space program. Accidental choice by Bezos and company? Surely not, but again…this is a watch that somehow–beyond its gears, levers, cogs, and far removed from its classic styling and chronograph and time telling functions–represents the best that humanity is capable of. You might say it carries the promise of what The Twilight Zone’s legendary host Rod Serling would intone in his unforgettable narrative tone….”imagination.”
The Omega Speedy Pro is also a repository of stories, and legends–most of them growing from profound seeds in the era from which it was birthed. Stories such as the manner in which it was chosen–not by committee or submission, but by a random walk by a NASA employee into a jewelry store tasked to buy various chronographs that might suit the arduous needs of astronauts; afterwards, not only was the Omega Speedmaster chronograph the only candidate which passed the torturous tests of extreme G forces and other hazards, it was the only one to survive fundamentally intact! The rest, as they say, “was history.” And how about Apollo 13 in 1965, the mission that was supposed to make it to the moon originally, but couldn’t quite get there? Facing extreme danger from various equipment failures in their shuttle, the crew valiantly made do with what they had to return home, and among other improvisations, used the chronograph function of the trusty Speedy Pro to time rocket ignitions to aid safe re-entry into Earth’s orbit, a feat earning the Omega brand the now-famous “Snoopy Award” from NASA (and….giving Omega real legs for hot special editions of their Speedmaster in years to come–including possibly the hottest Snoopy Omega Speedmaster ever, here.)
Greater than a watch, the Omega Speedmaster Professional is a piece of history, accomplishment, adventure, and even more than that, Hope. How many objects can claim similar? I’ve known people who–very much unlike myself–had virtually zero interest in mechanical (or “luxury”) watches particularly, yet somehow they knew–well, in fact!–the Speedmaster Professional story, and wanted one–either because they loved tales of high-striving 20th century innovation, enjoyed nerding out on the specifics of the US space program, or found some deeper connection with the lore this piece holds. The fact that the “Man on the Fuckin’ Moooooon!!!!”–as the incomparable luxury watch raconteur ArchieLuxury calls it–has masculine great looks, timeless design, and is probably the strap monster of all strap monsters (looking good with just about any strap fixed between its 20mm lugs, and I mean ANY), is just frosting on the cake.
Humanity may disappoint, often. But!… the Omega Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch–and by connection, its close relatives within the Omega Speedmaster collection–keeps us looking to the skies. And on that note, I’ll raise my glass to many more commemorations for Omega’s historic, triumphal space chronograph.
Very inspiring.