Quiet Power
Calatrava
Patek Philippe
When it comes to becoming an icon, it helps if you put your best foot forward. On Monday, September 21st, 1964, NASA Flight Crew Operations Director Deke Slayton circulated an internal memo on behalf of the Gemini and Apollo flight crews, who requested a wrist watch they could use during training and flight. NASA engineer James Ragan put together a request that went out to ten different brands. Four responded, though one brand (misreading the request) sent a pocket watch.
More than just showing up, the Omega Speedmaster ref. 105.003 passed with flying colors. Wittnauer’s ref. 235T failed a heat test of the crystal while Rolex ref. 6238 “Pre-Daytona” failed humidity tests. Through all 11 grueling, hellish tasks, only the Omega Speedmaster came through unscathed. The Speedmaster passed all tests on March 1, 1965, and was on the wrist of astronauts Virgil Grissom and John Young and in space by March 23. On June 1, just three months later, the Omega Speedmaster officially was given “flight qualified” status, and the rest is history.
The story of the Speedmaster, inexorably linked to spaceflight and its eventual place as the “Moonwatch,” has sparked the imagination of more than just watch collectors. It’s become a part of the cultural zeitgeist for celebrities, scientists, politicians, and musicians the world over. You’re just as likely to see the Speedmaster on the wrist of a person walking down the street as you are on the wrist of former U.S. President Joe Biden, scientist and television presenter Adam Savage, Dire Straits singer and guitarist Mark Knopfler, director Ron Howard, or Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
But it’s doubtful that any of these people would be wearing the Speedmaster if not for the allure and story of humankind’s achievements in science and technology that led us to take our first steps towards the stars. And yet, at the end of the day, the mythos around Speedmaster simply comes down to one fateful decision from Omega to answer a simple request and put their best foot forward, which would lead to one other small step with massive impact on all of us.