Omega Celebrates 40th Anniversary of Apollo 17 Moon Mission

Luxury watchmakers Omega are celebrating the 40th anniversary of the historic Apollo 17 mission to the Moon with a special edition of their iconic Speedmaster timepiece. Omega hosted a VIP cocktail reception and dinner at the National Naval Aviation Museum in Florida on the exact same night when, 40 years ago, NASA’s Apollo 17 crew successfully lifted off from the lunar surface in the ascent stage of the Lunar Module. Apollo 17, led by Command Module Pilot Ronald Evans, Lunar Module Pilot Harrison Schmitt and Commander Eugene Cernan, was the final mission of the United States’ Apollo lunar landing program.

Omega has an important history with the space program; the Speedmaster Professional Moon watch was the first timepiece worn on the Moon. At the event, the Swiss company showcased a unique Speedmaster Exhibit which included a lunar rover replica, Apollo 10 spacesuit and twenty-four rare Omega Speedmaster Professiobal mission watches with their corresponding insignia patches from Gemini, Apollo and Skylab missions. The exhibit and mission watches will remain on display at the Naval Aviation Museum through 2013.

During the dinner Omega presented brand ambassador Captain Gene Cernan with his very own Apollo 17 Limited Edition Omega Speedmaster numbered 1972 of 1972, representing the year of the final Apollo mission, when the last footprints were left on the Moon. Guests included Gemini & Apollo astronaut General Thomas Stafford and Apollo astronauts Jim Lovell, Dick Gordon, Senator John Glenn, Alan Bean, Charlie Duke, Walter Cunningham, David Scott and Fred Haise.

The Apollo 17 Limited Edition Omega Speedmaster is a steel-on-steel version of the famous manual-winding chronograph movement that became the first watch to go to the Moon in 1969. Celebrated for its precision and readability, the 42mm-diameter case of the Apollo 17 version houses the Omega 1861 caliber movement with rhodium-plated finish and 48-hour power reserve.

The Apollo 17 Limited Edition Omega Speedmaster reference 311.30.42.30.99.002 is pictured above. Photos courtesy Omega.