Buzz Aldrin's Lunar Speedmaster ref. 105.012

Edwin 'Buzz' Aldrin became the second person to walk on the Moon on 21 July 1969 (Neil Armstrong was first). Aldrin wore his Speedmaster on his lunar EVA. Armstrong left his in the lunar module as a backup, the cabin clock having failed earlier in the mission.

Aldrin had a Doctor of Science in Astronautics from MIT (1963), the first astronaut with a PhD. The Speedmaster's full mission-readiness, hand-wound, hesalite crystal, manual chronograph for backup timing, suited his engineering temperament as well as the broader NASA-issued standard.

The watches

Omega

Speedmaster Professional ref. 105.012

Reference 105.012 · cal. 321 · NASA-issued

Aldrin's Speedmaster was a NASA-issued ref. 105.012 powered by the Cal. 321 (Lemania 2310). After the Apollo 11 mission, Aldrin sent the watch to the Smithsonian for archival display, but it was lost in transit and has never been recovered. Modern Speedmaster Professional models still trace their lineage directly to that 105.012.

Omega

Speedmaster Professional 'Moonwatch'

Reference 310.30.42 · cal. 3861 · current

Modern Speedmasters carry the 'Moonwatch' name on the dial precisely because of Aldrin's 1969 wear. The current Cal. 3861 traces directly back to the Cal. 321 that flew on his wrist.

The qualification testing

NASA tested chronographs from multiple makers in 1965 (under engineer James Ragan's leadership). Speedmasters survived freeze-thaw, vacuum, decompression, vibration, shock, and chemical-corrosion testing where competitors failed. Result: NASA flight-qualified the Speedmaster for all manned space flight in March 1965.

Multiple Speedmasters in space

By the time of Apollo 11 the Speedmaster had already flown on Gemini missions through 1965-1966 and on the early Apollo flights. Aldrin's was simply the first to leave the lunar module; subsequent Apollo astronauts wore Speedmasters on EVAs through Apollo 17 in 1972.

Why the lost watch matters

Aldrin's specific watch was his second NASA-issued unit (the first having been swapped in maintenance). Its loss in transit to the Smithsonian in the early 1970s is one of horology's better-known mysteries. Omega has periodically expressed interest in finding it; it has not surfaced.