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No, it’s not the one he wore on the Moon, after all. The Speedmaster Skilled 105.012 with NASA serial quantity 46 that Neil Armstrong wore throughout Apollo 11 is on show on the Nationwide Air and Area Museum in Washington, DC. I’m speaking in regards to the watch he obtained throughout that well-known banquet dinner on November twenty fifth, 1969, in Houston, Texas. RR Auctions will probably be providing this gold Speedmaster “Tribute to Astronauts” on April seventeenth, 2025.
Neil Armstrong 18K gold Speedmaster “Tribute to Astronauts” — Picture: RR Auctions
“Tribute to Astronauts”
On that 1969 night on the Warwick Resort in Houston, Omega introduced 26 gold Speedmaster Skilled ref. B145.022-69 watches to 23 astronauts (and three posthumously to the astronauts who died throughout the Apollo 1 accident). Later, the model supplied one other eight watches to NASA astronauts who had their missions after that date. Moreover, two Apollo 13 astronauts obtained unnumbered editions. This provides as much as 36 watches introduced to NASA astronauts. We’ve lined the story many instances right here on Fratello. Right here’s our information to the gold Speedmaster BA145.022-69 if you wish to know extra about this particular watch. In Omega’s Museum in Biel, Switzerland, you will discover the 2 gold Speedmaster watches supplied to President Nixon and Vice President Agnew, who each needed to decline this reward resulting from its worth. You can too see some Speedmaster “Tribute to Astronauts” fashions there, such because the one which belonged to astronaut Ken Mattingly.
Neil Armstrong in Paris, December 1969, sporting his gold Speedmaster “Tribute to Astronauts”
Worth of Neil Armstrong’s Speedmaster BA145.022-69
Lately, we’ve witnessed the auctions of fairly a couple of gold Speedmaster “Tribute To Astronauts” ref. BA145.022-69 watches. A few of these gold Moonwatches fetched distinctive costs.
Wally Schirra sporting his gold Speedmaster Skilled BA145.022-69
For instance, Wally Schirra’s bought for US$1.9 million (together with the customer’s premium), whereas the one which belonged to Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins went for US$765,000 at public sale. Apollo 13 astronaut Jack Swigert’s watch fetched US$152,400. The Omega Museum purchased the gold Schirra watch. In line with Larry McGlynn, who has a ardour for area objects and appeared on the Area Sellers present, Neil Armstrong’s gold Speedmaster (quantity 17) disappeared within the Nineteen Eighties. Nevertheless, it resurfaced a couple of years in the past, and rumors had been spreading that the watch would go up on the market or public sale. Evidently day will probably be April seventeenth, 2025.
Picture: RR Public sale
In line with RR Public sale, half of the hammer worth for this watch will probably be donated to charities. These will probably be chosen by Mark Armstrong, Neil’s son. He provides, “This watch, which my father favored to put on on particular events, symbolizes one of the crucial outstanding achievements within the historical past of mankind.” The estimate for this gold Speedmaster is greater than US$2 million.
Neil Armstrong, second from proper — Picture: Archives de la Ville de Montréal
Armstrong wore it usually
Of the 36 Omega Speedmaster “Tribute to Astronauts,” space-watch buff Philip Corneille recognized no less than 21 NASA astronauts sporting theirs in photos he discovered. Neil Armstrong wore his 18K gold Speedmaster Skilled BA145.022-69 on a number of events within the first years after he obtained the watch.
Neil Armstrong sporting his gold Speedmaster throughout an look at UC — Picture: Ralph Spitzen / College of Cincinnati
Armstrong lived a considerably quiet life after Apollo 11 and was a professor on the College of Cincinnati from 1972 till 1980. In later years, he appeared in public on a couple of events (together with at Baselworld in 2009, which I witnessed). His 18K gold Speedmaster “Tribute to Astronauts” had already disappeared by then.
Picture: RR Public sale
Which astronaut obtained which quantity?
Fortunately, an summary of all of the 18K gold Speedmaster Skilled BA145.022-69 watches allotted to NASA astronauts is offered. Numbers 1 and a couple of had been supplied to the US President and Vice President, as talked about on this article.
- #3 Al Shepard (Mercury-Redstone 3, Apollo 14)
- #4 Gus Grissom (Mercury-Redstone 4, Gemini 3, Apollo 1)
- #5 John Glenn (Mercury-Atlas 6, STS-95)
- #6 Scott Carpenter (Mercury-Atlas 7)
- #7 Gordon Cooper (Mercury-Atlas 9, Gemini 5)
- #8 Wally Schirra (Mercury-Atlas 8, Gemini 6A, Apollo 7)
- #9 John Younger (Gemini 3, Gemini 10, Apollo 10, Apollo 16, STS-1, STS-9)
- #10 Ed White (Gemini 4, Apollo 1)
- #11 James McDivitt (Gemini 4, Apollo 9)
- #12 Pete Conrad (Gemini 5, Gemini 11, Apollo 12, Skylab 2)
- #13 Thomas Stafford (Gemini 6A, Gemini 9A, Apollo 10, Apollo-Soyuz Take a look at Mission)
- #14 Jim Lovell (Gemini 7, Gemini 12, Apollo 8, Apollo 13)
- #15 Frank Borman (Gemini 7, Apollo 8)
- #16 David Scott (Gemini 8, Apollo 9, Apollo 15)
- #17 Neil Armstrong (Gemini 8, Apollo 11)
- #18 Gene Cernan (Gemini 9A, Apollo 10, Apollo 17)
- #19 Michael Collins (Gemini 10, Apollo 11)
- #20 Dick Gordon (Gemini 11, Apollo 12, Apollo 18)
- #21 Buzz Aldrin (Gemini 12, Apollo 11)
- #22 Donn Eisele (Apollo 7)
- #23 Walter Cunningham (Apollo 7)
- #24 Invoice Anders (Apollo 8)
- #25 Rusty Schweickart (Apollo 9)
- #26 Alan Bean (Apollo 12, Skylab 3)
- #27 Deke Slayton (Apollo-Soyuz Take a look at Mission)
- #28 Roger Chaffee (Apollo 1)
- #1001 Stu Roosa (Apollo 14)
- #1002 Ed Mitchell (Apollo 14)
- #1003 Jim Irwin (Apollo 15)
- #1004 Al Worden (Apollo 15)
- #1005 Charlie Duke (Apollo 16)
- #1006 Ken Mattingly (Apollo 16, STS-4, STS-51-C)
- #1007 Ron Evans (Apollo 17)
- #1008 Jack Schmitt (Apollo 17)
After which, after all, two extra 18K Speedmasters had been introduced to Jack Swigert and Fred Haise.
Picture: RR Public sale
Some ideas on the Armstrong “Tribute to Astronauts” watch
It’s no secret that I like the gold Speedmaster BA145.022-69. After I purchased my first Speedmaster in 1999, I occurred to run into somebody with one of many industrial editions (with a distinct inscription on the case again). That watch made a large impression on me, and I promised myself I’d get one every time attainable. The 2019 Fiftieth-anniversary re-edition is usually on my wrist, and I believe it’s among the finest Speedmaster fashions Omega has ever launched.
An unique astronaut-owned 18K gold Speedmaster “Tribute to Astronauts” could be next-level and presumably grail materials. If Neil Armstrong owned the watch, we may ditch the “presumably.” The estimated worth of US$2 million is steep, particularly contemplating the previous few auctions of this BA145.022-69. Nevertheless, it belonged to Neil Armstrong, the primary man on the Moon. It’s not the watch he wore on the Moon, although, and it has had a tough life, as seen within the pictures. Contemplating the present market, I’ll be shocked if it exceeds 1,000,000 {dollars}. I hope that Omega will bid on this watch as a result of what higher place does it deserve than within the model’s museum in Biel, Switzerland?
All details about this public sale might be discovered on RR Public sale’s web site.
Due to Philip Corneille for his glorious work on the images identification of astronauts’ watches.
