Omega Speedmaster – The NASA Watch
Vishal Khan
May 6, 2014
Let’s go back to the Apollo lunar missions, where everything was customized. The spacecraft, the spacesuit and even the astronauts’ diets were custom-made. Yet, astronauts wore an off-the-shelf watch on their missions to the Moon, called the Omega Speedmaster Timepiece.
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A commercially available brand of the space age, Omega Speedmaster is widely recognized. In fact, the Speedmaster was popular even before NASA started using it on space missions.
Manual Wind Watch
The Omerga Speedmaster was first tested by NASA to use in space, and passed all the tests by surviving ardroud trials like heat, cold, fog, shock and submersion. Unlike other high-grade chronographs that were auditioned for the task of telling time in outer space, the Speedmaster came out with otherworldly robustness.
Since The 1960s
During the Apollo 13 mission, Apollo astronauts depended on their Speedmaster watched to time a critical engine burn, which is what helped them return home safely after their aircraft exploded mid-way.
Certified By NASA
The Omega Speedmaster was re-certified by NASA in the 1970’s for Space shuttle missions. It is presently the only watch that NASA recommends for space walks. The watch is adept at surviving vibrations of a spacecraft launch, the pure oxygen environment inside a Mercury capsule, and even an ocean landing.
Extremely Reliable
Owing to its manual wind design, the Omega Speedmaster is nothing short of reliable. Its chronograph consists of 30 minute and 12 hour counters located at 3 o’clock and 6 o’clock positions on the watch’s face, plus an additional sub dial at the 9 o‘clock spot.
Movement Of The Speedmaster
The movement of the Speedmaster is called Calibre 1861, and is re-authorized by NASA for every new mission. In fact, it is one of the most strenuously tested movements in history, being able to perform tasks that neurotic engineers couldn’t have foreseen.
