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. After the successful 1969 touchdown on the lunar surface, Omega launched the ref. 145.022-69 as a means to commemorate one of the most legendary moments in human history. Limited to just 1014 pieces, the ref. 145.022-69 swapped the Speedmaster's usual stainless steel construction for one of luxurious 18k yellow gold, with a suitably golden dial and brownish-red tachymetre bezel insert. Launched to commemorate the 50th anniversary of that very watch, Omega debuted the Speedmaster ref. 310.60.42.50.99.001 that we have here in 2019, also made to 1014 pieces. Boasting an entirely faithful design to the original, the ref. 310.60.42.50.99.001 features a 42mm Moonshine gold case - Omega’s proprietary 18kt yellow gold alloy – and the same suitably golden dial and brownish-red tachymetre bezel insert, except now made of ceramic. A stunning celebration of Omega’s history, this is the ultimate Speedmaster.

A timepiece of genuine historical importance, the Speedmaster helped to conquer one of humanity's last frontiers and hence, the ref. 310.60.42.50.99.001 stands as a wonderful reminder of just how important horology has been in the advancement of humanity, and technology as a whole.