First Watch on the Moon -The Omega Speedmaster.

The Omega Speedmaster Chronograph - seen here worn by Neil Armstrong in his lunar pod, just minutes before making history on the face of the moon. Buzz Aldren was wearing his Speedmaster Chronograph when he stepped foot on the moon, forty years ago today. Since that date in 1969 ,Omega has been promoting the Speedmaster chronograph as the "first watch on the moon". NASA had chosen the Swiss-made timekeeper for all its astronauts four years prior to this momentous date.

NASA did not simply pick Omega out of a hat, the Speedmaster and its rivals were subjected to rigorous testing. The watches simmered for hours at 93 degrees then were immediately frozen at - 18 degrees. The watches were steeped in pure Oxygen for two days, struck with tremendous blows, compressed then decompressed, vibrated, subjected to incredible speeds and numerous other experiments. The only watch to emerge virtually unscathed within the allowed deviations of 5 seconds per day was the Speedmaster.

Till today, the Speedmaster is the preferred choice for astronauts. The Russians too came to favor the Omega Speedmaster when they discovered the Watch in 1975 during the Apollo-Soyuz link-up.

As a watch leaves the confines of earths atmosphere, it is subjected to elements never experienced on earth. The atmospheric pressure within a watch might explode as the watch experiences zero-gravity. Omega with its ingenuity has affixed a clamp ring to the glass of the Speedmaster, enabling the watch to withstand five times the amount of pressure the watch will experience in space. The internal pressure of the watch has to remain constant in order to prevent the lubricating oil ,which adheres to the moving parts of the watch, to leak, obscuring the glass and preventing the watch mechanisms from working properly. Alternatively, a vacuum inside the watch may cause the watch to run to quickly as it would prevent the balance wheel from effectively working.

Omega Speedmaster's glass is sufficiently thick and elastic to withstand the great tempreture differences that occur while exiting the earths atmosphere and traveling through space.

In addition the Watch needs to be extremely accurate as the depketion of an Astronauts Oxygen Supply occurs in minutes and seconds rather than in volume. Other Luxury Watch Companies have tried and tried again to vanquish the Omega Speedmaster, and capture the NASA contract; however, the Speedmaster has always defeated the rivals, and till today, still remains the Watch in Space.

Omega, now has its eyes on Mars.

As to what happened to the original Watch that Buzz Aldren wore on the moon; it disappeared in the early 1970's on its way to the Smithsonian Institution. What happened to it remains a mystery until today. Neil Armstrong was on the moon, but he was not wearing his Omega Speadmaster Chronograph, his watch did not leave the lunar module. The module's electronic counter had failed, and Armstrong left the Watch on board as a back-up. It is thrilling to know that the Omega Speedmaster was used as a back up for an instrument on a lunar module.

Forty years today Since Omega on the Moon

In July of 1969, Apollo 11 rocketed through the atmosphere on a mission to the moon. Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Micheal Collins were on board. The world sat with baited breath as Apollo 11 shot through space. For three days the spacecraft headed in the direction of the moon, finally after 384,399 km, on July 20th 1969, Apollo 11 had reached its destination. Although the moon was in sight, the adventure for the three astronauts had just begun. Even the slightest error or misstep could have catastrophic consequences and every achievement historic proportions.

While Micheal Collins orbited the moon. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Adrin entered the spidery Lunar Excursion Module and made the final journey to its rocky foreign terrain . "The eagle has landed" On landing, the module just missed a rocky outcrop. The two men steered the module for a few hours, and with only a small amount of fuel remaining, the two astronauts brought the vehicle to a stop. Neil Armstrong stepped out of the Lunar Excursion Module displacing tiny fragments of moon dust beneath his boot.

"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." he said.

Buzz Aldrin , his co-pilot, came out next wearing an Omega Speedmaster. The Omega Speedmaster became the first and only watch to be worn on the moon.

Armstrong and Aldrin constantly consulted the Omega Speedmaster during a two and a half hour moonwalk as they gathered rock samples and conducted a few experiments. Finally the men placed a plaque on the moons. On it was inscribed the words,

"Here men from the planet earth first set upon the moon July 1969. We came in peace for all mankind."

In July it will be 40 years since Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin stepped onto the moon, and forty years since the Omega Speedmaster was on the moon. To commemorate this historic moment, Omega has unveiled 69 pieces of a new 40th anniversary Limited Edition Moon watch in platinum. The watch case, bracelet and hands are crafted from platinum. The seconds sub dial is an 18K gold emblematic disc depicting an eagle landing on the moon, as it was said "The eagle has landed"

The watch itself is very similar to the original. The case size is 42mm in diameter. The crystal is crafted from Hesalite, an acrylic compound - essentially a shatterproof plastic. Although it is not as scratch resistant as Sapphire, being shatterproof is absolutely vital in the confines of a space craft. The movement is still true to its tradition - a manually wound Omega Caliber 1861 movement. Imagine trying to automatically wind a watch where there is no gravity. Stainless steel versions will also be available in a much larger limited edition of 7,969 pieces.

Omega Speedmaster has soared through space on 118 space missions, 1 harrowing orbital reentry and 2 polar expeditions (Click more to read about 1 such expedition).

At THE WATCHERY you can purchase your very own Omega Speedmaster for 40% off the List Price, so if you are about to embark on the voyage of your life, or need some adventure buy an Omega Speedmaster, the watch with plenty of experience.

Omega begins counting down to Winter Olympics 2010

Omega marks the one year count down to the Vancouver Winter Olympic 2010 opening ceremony. The ceremony was attended by Omega president Stephen Urquhart, Swatch group CEO Nick Hayek Jr. IOC President Jacques Rogge and John Furlong, CEO of the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC)

Spectators cheered as cheered as the Omega Countdown Clock reached precisely 365 days, 0 hours, 0 minutes and 0 seconds.

Omega has a tight relationship with the Olympics, where timing is crucial. It began back in 1932 at the Los Angeles Games, Omega was the first company entrusted with the official timekeeping of all the categories at the games. Omega utilized stop watches and chronographs manufactured by its subsidiary Lemania. Since then Omega was a pioneer in cutting edge time keeping in the field of sports.
It is little wonder that Omega has the edge in sports watches.

Omega Speedmaster Date Chronograph Automatic Men's Watch Stainless Steel Black Dial 3210.52

THE WATCHERY has dozens of Omega Watches, at discounted prices.

The spirit of the Omega Speedmaster.

Since 1957, Omega Speedmaster has accompanied man on many missions from an inspiring six round trips to the moon, one Apollo-Soyuz test project to a future project aimed to take flight this year. A Speedmaster will take to the skies on board an entirely solar airplane. This solar impulse prototype with a wingspan like that of an airbus A340 and weighing only 1.5 tons will try to circumnavigate the earth solely utilizing solar energy to power of the aircraft. In great human accomplishments, Speedmaster is the timepiece to withstand the elements and witness the spirit of achievement.














It was with a Speedmaster strapped to his wrist ,Ralph Plaisted, a St. Paul, Minnesota insurance man and amateur explorer set out on Wednesday, February 21st, 1968 to be the first undisputed expedition to travel overland and stand on the North Pole. (Robert Peary claimed to be the first in 1909, although his claim is fraught with decades of skepticism). It took Ralph Plaisted and 3 fellow explorers, 44 days and 474 mile trek across the polar ice cap to arrive at the North Pole. They traveled by four gasoline powered snowmobiles with a horsepower of 16. The party spent a day at the Pole to allow a US Air force C135 weather reconnaissance plane to confirm their position and take pictures. It was Ralph Plaisted second attempt that was successful, his first in 1967, was a failure, as he was forced to turn back just 370 miles from the pole as a result of storms and open water.
His pioneering spirit was unstoppable and he tried again in 1968. Once asked why he would try the dangerous arctic journey a second time, Ralph Plaisted said,

" It's there and the challenge is ours. Even if we fail, we have more satisfaction than those who remain in the gray area - the warm house, the television set- of those who never try and can never know success or failure."

It is amazing to note that an Omega Speedmaster accompanied Ralph Plaisted on his frigid voyage to the North Pole. The Omega Speedmaster is still manufactured with the same attention to excellence. It is still in a class of its own. Each timepiece is manufactured over a 14 month period whereby all the 195 separate parts are carefully crafted. It takes 80 hand held operations to create the main plate for a single Speedmaster. Just like the pioneering spirit of those that surged forward and into the light, Omega Speedmaster has kept up with cutting-edge technology in terms of digitization and new man-made materials.
To own a Omega Speedmaster is to own a touch of humankind. It is with the Omega Speedmaster that man will finally step on the red dust of Mars and it is with the Omega Speedmaster that mankind's next greatest achievement will be documented in time.

Omega Speedmaster Date Chronograph Automatic Men's Watch Stainless Steel Black Dial 3210.52

Omega Speedmasters are available at THE WATCHERY for 33% off the List Price. The Watch is crafted for voyages of discovery and the strive to stretch man's survival to the limits. The hands and hour markers are luminous useful in the face of darkness. The movement is an automatic chronograph chronometer. To achieve the title of Chronometer, a watches movements has to undergo rigorous testing by the COSC (The Official Swiss Control Office for Chronometers) The movements are individually tested for 15 days, in 5 different positions at 3 different temperatures. The Watch has a power reserve of 44 hours to and scratch resistant sapphire crystal.

If ever you would like to embark on that voyage of a lifetime, take an Omega Speedmaster along, it will ensure your success.