@GeekyNerdGuy: But why would I buy a Moonwatch from Target when the guy in the alley down the street is selling Moooonwatches for a much lower price... and he swears they're the Rolexxx for astronauts.

Of course your add could be amusing... and maybe in the background, all fuzzy while we're staring at the watch turned Target logo scientists could be trying to clean up the dog bits, and the dog rematerializes like the T-1000 and slaughters the scientists as the commercial fades to black.

Rabid Penguin

Do astronauts really need to check the time?

"Break time! I'm Union, baby!"

superbad

damn typos. Don't post on Gizmodo and talk on the phone at the same time.

robpruitt

Actually, while the frozen and burned jokes are funny, you wear it on the outside of your space suit.

The buttons are big for your gloved-up space hands.

GeekyNerdGuy

Still prefer the original Speedy Pro. Classic.

Kingteddybear

Is this watch from NASA or a cartoon about NASA? I'm guessing a cartoon. I'll be with either a frozen or severely burned appendages you can still push those buttons.

robpruitt

@GeekyNerdGuy: I love it. Truly you are a God among advertisers.

Kaiser-Machead's WALL-E fetish

@Kaiser-Machead's WALL-E fetish: I'll let you concept it. We can put the watch on Target Dog, dip him in liquid nitrogen and then have one of the happy models shatter him with a sledgehammer at which time the watch lazily bounces to the middle of the screen and becomes the Target logo ...

GeekyNerdGuy

@GeekyNerdGuy: Or your next Target commercial shooting.

Kaiser-Machead's WALL-E fetish

Perfect attire for the moonbounce

GeekyNerdGuy

So if my arm is frozen solid, or burnt to a turd, I can just pry off the watch, dislodge the remains of my lost appendage, and check the time.

Lady aliens will likely have holographic Swatch-brand wrist-chronometers, which would put my puny life-saver watch to shame.

Kaiser-Machead's WALL-E fetish

@vertigo: This was designed in the 70s. It's nostalgia, not the cool new thing.

GeekyNerdGuy

Sorry guys, but the Speedmaster wasn't '...designed by NASA back in the 70's'. It was introduced by Omega in 1959 (in the form that we know it today), and made its first foray into space on the arms of Walter Schirra and Gordon Cooper in 1963. At this point it wasn't officially endorsed by NASA. In 1964 NASA selected the Speedmaster ref. #105.012 with the Omega 321 as the official watch for the Apollo missions. (Later ref. #145.012 was also accepted, but the 105.012 was ref. that Armstrong wore on the moon.)

The selection was a rigorous set of tests that involved two other watches: a Rolex Daytona and a Longines with a 13 ZN movement. The Speedmaster was the only watch to survive the tests, and thus was selected for the missions.

The Speedmaster has gone through many iterations throughout its life, but the current model (3750.50) basically hasn't changed over the course of 50 years.

But yeah, I think they put out too many 'special limited editions' too.

seandavid010

I've over the whole "let's jump on the cool new thing and make a watch for it" Omega.

vertigo

My Speedmaster game the option of spending an extra $1k to have it certified for space travel including the temperature tollerences, etc. So this is just a way for space nuts to get a collectable as anyone can have a space-ready watch.

@seandavid010: The "current" model? They have many Speedmaster models. It's a product line, not just 1 watch. I know the Speedmaster Professional was only about $2200 3 years ago.

FlashSandbox

@GeekyNerdGuy: Yes but their 007 Second hand and their Olympic rings second hand and their iPhone second hand...

vertigo

Seems more logical adding the time to the heads up display in the helmet. since our bodies will never see such extreme temperatures.

aeroworks

@Kingteddybear:
ditto on that. Not so my Omega Seamaster Pro (the 'Bond' watch) -- piece of crap died 3 times in a year. Fortunately, the dealer took it back and I got credit for another watch -- my dating a sales person at the store probably helping immeasurably!

Geraldo

@superbad:

An Omega watch actually helped astronauts manually time the rockets for re-entry when the electric systems got screwed up-- so the answer is yes astronauts need to know what time it is.

jpitsch

@FlashSandbox: You misread my post. The current Speedmaster Professional is reference # 3570.50. (I even typed it wrong in my post above!) That wasn't the price. You are correct, though, there are lots of different models of the speedmaster (i.e. the BroadArrow, Automatic, 50th Anniversary, etc.) The model under discussion, however, is the Speedmaster Pro, AKA the 'Moonwatch".

The model in the original post, though, is a modern interpretation of a prototype produced back in the early 70s, and is (under the new numbering system) ref. # 311.32.42.30.04.001.

seandavid010

"@jpitsch: Fair enough then.

superbad

I love t=all things space.. but this thing almost looks like a parody.

Are we sure it's legit? I'm sure I had a $15.00 Swatch that looked just like this in the 80's.

drfaustus71

According the latest issue of Maxim, this watch (page 54) costs... $5500

RainyDayInterns

@superbad:

During the Apollo 13 mission either a Speedy Pro worn by all of the astronauts or possibly a Rolex GMT known to be favored by Swigert was used to time the return burn. I'm in the camp that believes Swigert wore his favored GMT and issue Speedy Pro during the flight but Lovell timed the burns with a Speedy Pro. What I want to know is if Lovell flew his personal Rolex as well. Yes momma Giz, this has drifted off topic.

Kingteddybear

@seandavid010:

May be wrong but it is my understanding from Brietling, Gordo Cooper wore a Brietling Cosmonaut on a gold mesh bracelet during his Mercury flight. Perhaps he wore both the Brietling and the issue Omega.

Kingteddybear

Yeah it can go into space. But is it waterproof? I need it to keep on ticking when I go diving from space, although it kind of clashes with my diamond encrusted space station.

itango

The red case is just that - a case. It is completely removable and reveals a fairly standard Speedmaster Pro inside. I have to reiterate that the Speedmaster was NOT designed by NASA as was previously stated. This is just a limited edition based on a prototype.

Slab

This is actually the Alaska Project watch, which was designed for a never attempted visit to the dark side of the moon. The ridiculous red ring protects against the significantly colder temperatures on that side.

For the regular side of the moon, the stock 3570.50 works just fine. Street price for new is around $2,500 although authorized dealers are technically only allowed to sell them at $2,975 or above.

They make a version with a sapphire crystal, but the moon watch crystal was hesalite (a type of acrylic) because it won't shatter and send shards of glass floating around a space vehicle.

I've been hoping for posts about the Speedy, (the perfect gadget watch, imo) but there's only been this one full of factual errors and one about the special edition Michael Schumacher version.

xenti

What the...? Certified? Are they nuts? Don't they know that RED is the universal color of hostility? You're just asking for alien attacks with that wristwatch.

hisham

here are two Longines watches with the 13ZN movement mentioned by someone above:

[www.hodinkee.com]

Watcher01

And to answer some other questions, the Speedmaster was not the first watch in space, it was the first (and only) watch on the moon. Rolexes and Breitlings have gone up, but now Omega has the official contract (since apollo 11) and i'm sure they're not planning on giving that up anytime soon.

Watcher01

So many people have said some ridiculous things in this thread about the Speedmaster. It was designed by Omega, not NASA. There was an RFP put out by NASA for watch manufacturers to produce a watch suitable for space, the only two that were really in the running were the Omega and a Rolex.

This is perhaps the only time a Rolex lost a battle such as this, and it was a big loss for them. The speedmaster is an absolute classic, and there is a whole line of watches considered "pre-moon" speedmasters, as well as those with the 321 caliber movement, which dont look like speedmasters but are basically the forefather of the watch.

if you want to see one check out this link:
[www.hodinkee.com]

Watcher01

I'm pretty sure the Bulova Accutron Astronaut also went to the moon, on Buzz Aldrin's wrist- but if I'm wrong let me know.

Segador

@Kingteddybear:

Sorry here's the link:
[chronomaddox.com]

Kingteddybear

@Watcher01:

Rolex wasn't tested by Nasa against the Speedy Pro. When the NASA engineers were sent to Houston area jewelry stores to buy chronograph wrist watches they were instructed to buy manual wind only not those with automatic movements. NASA misunderstood the role of inertia in the self-winding properties of an automatic movement. NASA felt, or least they dude in charge of this little project, felt the absence of gravity would prevent automatic movements from self winding. Anyhow props to Omega!

If you are not bored by this minutia follow the link to what is one of the best articles on the whole "Moon Watch" saga / debate. RIP Chuck!

Kingteddybear

Also: pray for no Ikepod jokes.

Abledart

Gizmodo, this is what happens when you try to soften the impact of an advertorial piece selling a clown watch and end up angering watch purists. Personally I prefer the old Arrow Hands Speedmaster, but Omega had to appropriate that too for their new clown homage designs. So I finally broke down and bought a Rolex in protest - right before they clowned up all of their designs. Sigh.

Abledart

Just read through the information from Baselworld, the red part is an outercase, the watch is a standard speedy albeit with a nice white face and a stunning red hand. Omega FTW

YamIinLawSchool