First Man & Omega: A Place in History

Ryan Gosling’s style is iconic, he exudes easy going and grown up style. When it come to watches he is known for choosing conversation pieces which are subtle and discreet. This is why watch fans all over the world pay particular attention to Mr Goslings wrist.

If you are reading this then you’ll be familiar with the history-making event of the Omega’s Speedmaster and the Apollo 11 moon landing. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin both famously wore the timepieces when they stepped onto the lunar surface back in 1969, July 20th.
If you are planning, go to the theatres to see ‘First Man’ then you’ll see four different style Omegas featured on the wrists of Gosling and his co-stars.

NASA required that every piece of equipment on the Apollo spacecraft be certified for use, which meant rigorous testing. Of the watches submitted by three watch brands for scrutiny late in 1964, only the Speedmaster passed all 10 tests before being officially passed for use in March 1965. The Speedmaster was of course intended only as a mechanical back-up to the array of onboard computers. But when, months later in 1970, a short-circuit struck Apollo XIII, the only way back to earth was analog. To time the thrusts of the Lunar Module’s descent engine (to manoeuvre it into a viable splashdown trajectory), the crew used their Speedmasters' chronograph function, sealing its rightful place in horology's hall of fame.

The team working on First Man ensured it played strictly by the book. With the help of Omega's HQ in Switzerland they equipped the cast with period-correct Speedmasters. This was no easy task, production began in Summer 2017. More than 10 period-specific Speedmasters, in two different references, were made for Gosling and the Apollo 11 team. The reason for the two references is that the ST 105.003 (the very same model that NASA tested in 1964) and the ST 105.012 were both worn by Armstrong first in training and then for the actual Moon mission. 

Check out the amazing video below for more information on NASA testing the Omega Speedmaster!
https://youtu.be/e002RfWn6mE


Come and visit Lumbers today, or even look on our website. We have amazing Omega watches in-store and online.
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