To the Moon

By coincidence, Jonathan King's hit single Everyone's Gone To The Moon was released in 1965 -- the same year that Nasa qualified the Omega Speedmaster Professional timepiece for use on its piloted mission.

Thereafter, the iconic chronograph accompanied six lunar landings, and became known as the Moonwatch instead of the Broad Arrow -- the nickname given at its birth in 1957.

Omega recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of the first manned Moon landing at One Bangkok, where two commemorative timepieces were unveiled at the space-themed event.

The 42mm limited editions boast watch parts in a patent-pending alloy, Moonshine Gold, whose colour is inspired by the alluring moonlight against a dark blue sky.

The new material further demonstrates Omega's creative alchemy, after having introduced Ceragold, Sedna Gold and Liquidmetal.

The Moonshine Gold poetically matches the lunar concept of the Speedmaster Apollo 11 50th Anniversary Limited Edition, powered by the new Calibre 3861, whose precision, chronometric performance and magnetic resistance are guaranteed by the Master Chronometer standard.

The new lustrous material is used for crafting the bezel, bevelled indexes, hands, the number 11 and vintage logo of the stainless-steel model, available in 6,969 pieces.

The design recalls history, when Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin manoeuvred the Lunar Module Eagle to the Sea of Tranquility, and stepped on the Moon after landing on July 21, 1969.

Apollo 11's third astronaut, Michael Collins, remained in lunar orbit on Command Module Columbia while Armstrong and Aldrin, wearing a Speedmaster Professional chronograph, explored the cratered surface of Earth's natural satellite.

On the face of the Speedmaster Apollo 11, Aldrin climbing down the Eagle's ladder is depicted at 9 o'clock, on a blackened and laser-engraved subdial crafted from Moonshine Gold.

On the blackened inner caseback, the legendary lunar landing is symbolised by a laser-engraved bootprint of man's first step on the Moon. The image is encircled by Moonshine Gold-plated lettering of Armstrong's historic quote "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind".

The stainless steel Speedmaster Apollo 11 can be worn with a metallic bracelet or a Velcro strap in blackened cork with golden marks. The latter is inspired by the Command Module's protective cover with a thick cork ablator that kept the crew safe from intense heat.

The sporty spare strap along with a display stand evoking the Lunar Module are included in the Nasa-style presentation box.

The Speedmaster Apollo 11 50th Anniversary Limited Edition Moonshine Gold is housed in a crater box, whose ceramic panels feature a 3D printing of the lunar surface while the top panel portrays an image of the Sea of Tranquillity and Apollo 11's landing position.

Paler than yellow gold but more resistant to fading, Moonshine Gold is used for making its case, bracelet, dial, hour-markers and hour-minute hands.

Featuring a burgundy bezel ring, and hours-markers set with faceted black onyx, the design of the watch is reminiscent of the yellow-gold Speedmaster BA 145.022, produced from 1969 to celebrate the success of the Apollo 11 mission.

Only 1,014 watches were made, with model numbers 3-28 given to Nasa astronauts, and numbers 33-1,000 available to the public.

The 2019 version in Moonshine Gold is also a numbered limited edition of 1,014 pieces.

While revealing the Calibre 3861, its caseback features an inner decorative ring in the new alloy that has undergone laser ablation processes, as well as PVD (Physical Vapour Deposition) colour treatments in blue and black.

Representing true proportions of the Earth and the Moon, an ocean surrounding a partial world map of the American continents and a domed lunar meteorite inlay are details on the decorative ring, which also bears the inscription "The first watch worn on the Moon".

Over the years, Omega's imaginative watchmaking has interpreted the dark, grey and white sides of the Moon as ceramic Speedmaster models.

Its fascination for the celestial body is also expressed in Speedmaster Moonphase, whose new rendition comes in a 44.25mm platinum-gold case while featuring Omega's innovative materials.

Platinum gold is also used for the sandblasted dial with baguette-cut diamonds sparkling on white-gold index holders.

The bezel ring is made from blue ceramic and the tachymeter scale in platinum Liquidmetal. This material combination is also used to create the moonphase disc with two moons, positioned at 6 o'clock.

Liquidmetal is an alloy with a low fusion temperature that after cooling becomes three times as hard as stainless steel, whereas Sedna gold is a blend of gold, copper and palladium that gives a long-lasting reddish colour.

The Sedna gold rotor and balance bridge add luxurious touches to Calibre 9905, certified by the Swiss Federal Institute of Metrology (Metas).