Top 5 Space Watches that worn in Space 2024

2. Omega Speedmaster Professional

The Omega Speedmaster, arguably the most renowned of the watches worn in space, was the first watch to be worn on the moon on July 21st, 1969, when Buzz Aldrin wore it on his moonwalk. However, the watch Aldrin wore is now a lost piece of history, since Astronauts were supposed to return their timepieces to NASA after the completion of their mission, and Aldrin’s watch inexplicably disappeared while being carried to the Smithsonian Museum to be preserved.

Contrary to popular perception, Omega’s first spaceflight was not her first. Military pilot Walter Schirra was the first to wear the Speedmaster in space, which he purchased a few months before the Mercury-Atlas 8 mission, possibly to commemorate the occasion, which took place on October 3rd, 1962. Following this trip, NASA Program Manager and Aerospace Engineer Jim Ragan was tasked with locating mechanical watches that could be used as backups to digital timers used on missions. Omega, Longines, and Rolex sent in the Speedmaster, the 235T, and the 6328 “pre-Daytona” Chronograph, respectively, for the same. Each watch was submitted to a battery of gruelling testing, including being exposed to temperatures ranging from -18 to +18 degrees Celsius.

pressure chambers ranging from 10-6 atm, being exposed to steam with a humidity of at least 95 percent, in an environment of 100 percent oxygen for at least 48 hours, exposing the watches to shocks of 40 Gs each, and acceleration from one to 7.25 G’s in 333 seconds, among other things. The Omega Speedmaster was the only one to pass the testing, with the other two failing in the first round. As a result, it was certified for usage during Extra-Vehicular Activity (EVA), or “spacewalks,” and remains the only watch to have done so to date.

3. Breitling Navitimer Cosmonaute

Lieutenant Commander Scott Carpenter was the first person in orbit to wear a Breitling. Each of the seven Mercury astronauts was assigned one unique job for the spaceship, with Scott in charge of developing onboard navigational equipment.
Scott had worn a Breitling Navitimer for much of the 1950s, so it was a logical choice for his trip to space. Scott, on the other hand, suggested that Breitling make three important improvements to the watch in order to make it more useful in space. The first alteration was to enlarge the normal watch’s bezel from 40.5 to 42.5 millimetres so that astronauts wearing thick gloves and protective gear could operate it. The second change he suggested was to remove the third scale to make the dial less ‘busy,’ and the third was to change the watch to a 24-hour format to make it easier for astronauts to tell the time, whether it was AM or PM.

Breitling and the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association collaborated to create the Navitimer, a pilot’s watch. Since its debut in 1954, the Navitimer has featured three scales: two printed on the dial and one in the rotating bezel. The two standard outside scales can be used for multiplication and division, while the third dial can be utilised for speed and time calculations. The third scale, given in an HH: MM format, likewise converts minutes to hours. The watch’s numerals were in a 12-hour format.

The Cosmonaute, a new watch made by Breitling to Scott’s specifications, was generally recognised by the reference number 806 given to it in 1961, a year before Scott’s voyage to space.

Scott’s own Cosmonaute, which he acquired just three days before his mission in 1962, is still missing. When he returned to Earth, his craft landed in the Caribbean Sea 250 miles distant from its targeted splash spot. Because his arm was buried under water while awaiting rescue by US Navy vessels, his Breitling, which was unfortunately not waterproof, sustained significant damage. According to accounts, his watch was never seen again after being transferred to Breitling for repairs, and its current location is unknown.

4. Heuer 2915A