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Swiss Luxury Watch Manufacturer OMEGA campaigns their latest SPEEDMASTER PROFESSIONAL CHRONOGRAPH MOON WATCH with a photo of legendary U.S. President John F. Kennedy (JFK) performing speech on “TO THE MOON” Space Program in 1960s. The permission for using the photos was given by John F. Kennedy Library Foundation who owns the rights to the name and images of the late president.

The decision to make a global advertisement for OMEGA Speedmaster Watch with a host of visionary president is no coincidence. On Kennedy’s 1000-day tenure, the Americans launched their first manned spaceflight. In the last two missions of the space program, OMEGA Speedmaster Chronographs have made their contribution as Mercury astronauts Wally Schirra and Gordon Cooper wore the watches on their wrists.

NASA Astronauts: Wally Schira and Gordon Cooper

Before Gordon Cooper was launched into space in 15 May 1963, the OMEGA Speedmaster – after numerous tests by NASA, was approved to be the only watch “flight qualified for manned space flights”. Since then, the chronograph was known as part of every NASA missions.

Passing the re-tested in 1978 where it was once again “flight-qualified for manned space missions”, the OMEGA SPEEDMASTER was certified by NASA for Extra Vehicular Activity.

To The Moon: The American Space Program in the 1960s

PRESIDENT KENNEDY had strongly supported the “American travel to the moon” program. On 25 May 1961 he said in a speech before the Congress for the first time the importance of the moon landing and said:

“I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him back safely to the earth.”

The President picked up this point again in a speech at Rice University on 12 September 1962, when he proclaimed:

“We have decided in this decade, to the moon to fly; not because it is easy, but because it is difficult.

JFK himself has no longer lived when his vision of a lunar landing by Apollo 11 mission was realized. More than eight years after he presented the challenge, NEIL ARMSTRONG on 21 July 1969 at 2:56 GMT became the first man stepping in the moon’s surface. The U.S. historian Arthur Schlesinger said of the mission:

“The 20th century will be remembered, when all else is forgotten, as the century when man burst his terrestrial bonds.”

“And,” as Omega President Stephen Urquhart added,

“he did it wearing a Speedmaster.”

Omega Speedmaster Professional Moon Watch - Leather Strap

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As stated in the advertisement, OMEGA SPEEDMASTER PROFESSIONAL CHRONOGRAPH is “the one and only watch worn in the moon”. For more than 50 years, the watches have been used in all of NASA’s manned space programs from Mercury in the early 1960’s to the International Space Station and Space Shuttle programs of today. Therefore they deserve a unique place in the history of space exploration.

The Omgea Speedmaster is characterized by its minute and hour chronograph counters which are complemented by a third sub-dial for the small seconds. The top pusher on the side of the watch set off the central chronograph seconds hand while the bottom one will do the reset. A black dial, luminous hands, tachometer scale, water-resistant case, screw-in back, domed crystal and an additional inner cover to protect the movement include the strong character of an instrument watch.

Compare to other chronograph, THE SPEEDMASTER is distinguished though it keeps on unchanged since 1957 other than a few minor refinements. Today’s version utilizes the high-grade rhodium-plated finish on 1861 calibre engine movements, a famous manual winding chronograph movement that was worn on the Moon.

The OMEGA MOON WATCH is available in two optional series: The Steel on Leather Strap (3870.50.31) and Steel on Steel (3570.50.00).

Technical specification: