On the golden anniversary of Apollo 17, OMEGA is looking back at the achievements of the mission, and the role that the Speedmaster Moonwatch played during those famous hours.
Apollo 17 landed on the moon on December 11th, 1972 - Courtesy of NASA
Led by Commander Eugene Cernan, Lunar Module Pilot Harrison Schmitt, and Command Module Pilot Ronald Evans, Apollo 17 landed on the moon on December 11th, 1972 at 19:54.58 GMT. With a heavy emphasis on science, the mission was a chance to explore our lunar neighbour like never before.
The Lunar Roving Vehicle - Courtesy of NASA
“All these years later, Apollo 17 is still fondly remembered by OMEGA as our sixth landing on the moon.”
Raynald Aeschlimann, President and CEO of OMEGA
Gene Cernan’s Apollo 17 watch
Today, Gene Cernan’s Apollo 17 watch (ST 105.003) can be viewed at the OMEGA Museum in Biel, Switzerland. Worn by the last man to walk on the moon, it was used by OMEGA in 2019 to recreate the legendary Calibre 321. Thanks to “tomography” technology, the team were able to look inside the historic timepiece to gain the exact specifications for the movement’s reconstruction.
“That’s the commitment of your people at OMEGA, to make the finest watch piece, not only in the world, but in the entire universe."
Gene Cernan, Former astronaut
Rocket and destination - Courtesy of NASA
To this day, the Speedmaster Moonwatch has been worn by astronauts on every moon landing in history. After being qualified by NASA for “all manned space missions” in 1965, the timepiece became official kit on all the successful Apollo journeys, beginning with Apollo 11 in 1969, and ending with Apollo 17 in 1972.
“Apollo 17 was the sixth landing for humans – and OMEGA – on the moon.”
