By the time of the first manned Apollo flight, Apollo 7 in October 1968, NASA had adopted the new Speedmaster versions 105.012 and 145.012. In July 1969, Aldrin’s NASA-issued 105.012-65 was the first wristwatch worn on the Moon and soon became a style icon, nicknamed the Moonwatch, in the eyes of astronauts and the general public. However, NASA and Omega already started the secret “Alaska” research project to design the ultimate space chronograph to be used on the planned long duration J-missions of the Apollo program. At the end of 1969, the outcome was an initial batch of five Alaska Project white dial Speedmaster prototypes featuring the 861 movement with new alloys and lubricating oils in a Titanium casing which sat in a red anodized Aluminium outer housing fitted with elongated pushers. In 1972, based on astronauts’ feedback, Omega produced the Alaska II project white radial dial Speedmaster with 60-minute bezel which was considered the perfect spaceflight wristwatch. However, these Speedmasters never made it to the Moon as NASA had cancelled the Apollo 18 through 20 missions for which the watches had been intended.
10 Questions With Philip Corneille, Founder Of Moonwatch Universe
