It was the 1960s. We were in the middle of a Cold War with Russia, and instead of escalating to an actual war with bullets and bombs, we took the conflict to the sky. We created a war of economics, science, and morale in a race to the sky to be the first nation to reach the moon. While the race picked up throughout the decade, it came down to the wire before the USA won the race by landing on the moon (if you believe that sort of thing and don’t believe Stanley Kubrick directed the greatest ruse of all time). In any case, no race can be run without a good timekeeper. And watches were a must-have for all involved. Ever since, chronophiles like me have been obsessed with space-themed watches and, in particular, moon mission watches.
That is why I happened to have this list in my head. Five watches that bring the space race and the great beyond to the forefront of thinking to build a collection that is out of this world.
Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch
I mean, duh, right? It would be a travesty to put together a list of space watches and not start with the watch that accompanied Neil and Buzz on their first trip to the moon. NASA qualified the decade-old watch (at the time) for space travel, and since then it has been worn by American astronauts on all six lunar landings and earned the nickname “Moonwatch.” Nowadays, the Omega Speedmaster is a favorite of watch enthusiasts and may be the number one go-to for guys looking for a little space on their wrists. Also, it is a great reminder that we won the moon race, so wear it among your Russian friends for a little ribbing.
Jacob & Co Astronomia
Why stop at the moon when you can have the entire solar system wrapped around your wrist? This stunning piece of chrono art is one of the more impressive statement pieces you can have in your collection. With the sun bright and gleaming in the center and the celestial bodies surrounding it in a brilliant mirror of our home. The stones representing the planets are more than pretty objects: white granite for Mercury, rhodonite for Venus, red jasper for Mars, pietersite for Jupiter, tiger eye for Saturn (18K Rose Gold applique for the rings), blue calcite for Uranus, and lapis for Neptune. This is a status on a wrist.
Louis Monet Cosmopolis
Space is a big place. In that big place, there is a lot of emptiness. A lot of stillness and silence. Like an empty highway at night, with only the occasional streetlight. Of course, then every few minutes, a car flies by with only a glimpse. Meteorites careen out of control through space and slam into celestial bodies, tossing debris into space to create new asteroids and asteroid fields. Every once in a while, the asteroid slams into the Earth and leaves behind some of the most valuable rocks in the universe. Louis Moinet collected them and installed them into this watch face so you can sport them all every day. Forget the moon. Forget the planets. Instead, adopt space’s most chaotic and destructive forces.
Bulova Astronaut Accutron
Made to withstand the G-forces of the fastest spy planes on the planet, Bulova’s Accutron went from being the choice of pilots to being adopted for its precision to make manned spaceflight a reality. Of course, for a watch designed to withstand A-12 G-forces and accompany the pilots of spy planes, it was an easy decision for it to become the go-to for the pilots of the Gemini and Apollo programs throughout the space race. The main difference between the Accutron Astronaut and other Accutron models used in spy flight of its era was the inclusion of a 24-hour hand and a 24-hour bezel. Like other Accutrons using the 214 movement, the Astronaut has no conventional crown and is set using a recessed key set into the back of the watch, adjacent to the battery door.
Fortis Novonaut
You know how I was talking sh*t about the Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch and how you should wear it around Russians to gloat about winning the space race? Well, this is the watch they will wear to throw it right back in your face. Technically, the Fortis Cosmonauts Chronograph is the world’s only “official” space watch. It was designated by Russia’s space agency, ROSKMOSMOS, winning a 25-year contract in 1994. Fortis may not be a name that everyone knows in the room, but watch people know what it is, and the space watch crowd knows it the moment they see it as the watch that has made over 100,000 trips around the Earth in space and has withstood the longest stay in weightlessness.
Space is one of the most fascinating and mysterious subjects in science. It is both terrifying and full of wonder. Of course, you likely will never go to space, but that doesn’t mean that space can’t come to you.
