Famed as perhaps one of watchmaking's most universally well-known watches, the Omega Speedmaster became the first timepiece ever to be worn on the moon following Omega's successful bid for the Speedmaster to become NASA's choice timepiece for their standard astronaut kit. After its successful inclusion in the 1965 Gemini program, the Speedmaster also adorned the wrists of the astronauts during the Apollo moon landing missions, and so, in 1969, following Buzz Aldrin's historic steps on the moon (Neil Armstrong left his watch on the lunar module) it became the Moonwatch that we all know and love. However, the Speedmaster had been worn in space long before that fateful Moon landing, with Astronaut Ed White wearing his Speedmaster ref. 105.003 during America’s first spacewalk on the 3rd of June 1965, aboard the Gemini 4 mission. Inspired by that same watch, the ‘Ed White’ ref. 105.003, Omega launched the Speedmaster ‘Ed White’ Re-issue ref. 311.30.40.30.01.001 with a 39.7mm construction that is almost exactly identical to its predecessor. Powered by the manual-wind cal. 321 movement, which is on display behind an exhibition caseback (a rather notable difference from the original), the new model even comes powered by the same movement.

Watch is in near-mint overall condition. The watch show some fine hairlines and marks, visible primarily on the polished surfaces of the lugs and bracelet links. The watch is sized currently for a 6 1/2" wrist, and the removed links are included with the watch.

A beautiful blend of horological heritage and modern watchmaking techniques, the ref. 311.40.30.01.001 is the perfect watch to appease a collector's desire to own an Ed White without having to sacrifice their creature comforts or the watch's wearability.