"Contact Light."

After touching the lander down on the lunar surface, Buzz Aldrin transmitted to Houston Control these words, nary more than a whisper, the first communication between human beings not concurrently on the same planet. 

When Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon for the first time, his Speedmaster was in the Lunar Module serving as a backup for its electric timer that had malfunctioned. It was Aldrin who, following Armstrong to become the second human to walk on the moon, introduced the Speedmaster to the lunar surface.

Today, Omega has become synonymous with the Apollo missions, the moon landing and space exploration in general. The provenance of the brand, driven by the incredible reliability and functionality of the watches that they produced throughout the space era is second to none. But at the heart of the moon missions, at the core of their objective, was the intrinsic human desire to explore, to crest the horizon and, undaunted, step forth into the unknown.  

NASA approved the Speedmaster for its space missions because it was the best, most accurate timepiece they could find, and testing revealed that it needed no modification in order to remain functional under the duress of space flight. NASA was concerned with accuracy, durability and usability; they didn't care about Omega's history, they needed a tool that could accompany humans on a mission to the moon and help them get back safely. They exposed the Speedmaster to high and low temperatures, blasted it with vibrations, challenged it with g-force and submitted it to high and low pressure. Through all, the Speedmaster ticked on, proving that it could go where no watch had ever gone before.

This particular Speedmaster is the last of the breed to utilize the Calibre .321 column wheel chronograph movement by Lemania, a Reference 145.012 circa 1967 - in other words, the exact same model worn by Aldrin on the Moon that fateful day in July 1969. With its characteristic applied-logo dial and "Dot Over 90" bezel, this example is in superb condition throughout, with a beautifully patinated dial, strong, likely unpolished case, Hesalite crystal, and of course a Pre-Moon style case back featuring the Omega Hippocampus. 

Pictured on a JB Champion mesh bracelet, a popular aftermarket choice for Speedmaster aficionados, you can also opt to have it shipped on a selection of leather straps or genuine Omega bracelets - just ask!