- In a record first, Neil Armstrong’s commemorative gold Omega Speedmaster has come up for public sale, set to hit the auction block with an estimate of around US$2 million (~AU$3.17 million).
- This example is one of 28 commemorative solid gold Speedies produced by Omega to celebrate NASA’s success in the space race – 26 for astronauts and two for President Richard Nixon and Vice President Spiro T. Agnew. Armstrong’s is number 17.
- The watch will be sold by RR Auctions in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with the auction taking place at 8 AM AEST on April 18.
It’s not everyday you get to own a piece of history, especially one that looks as good as this. Set to be auctioned next month is Neil Armstrong’s commemorative gold Omega Speedmaster, which has never appeared for public sale before and is expected to fetch upwards of $3 million when the hammer falls.
This isn’t just horological history – it’s a watch that is symbolic of emblematic human achievement. The remarkable Omega will be sold by US-based space memorabilia specialist RR Auctions, which has a track record of selling important aerospace watches. More recently: a GMT-Master ref. 1675 from the collection of Apollo 14 astronaut Edgar Mitchell in late 2024.
The watch in question is an Omega Speedmaster Ref. BA 145.022, with a solid gold 42mm case and matching bracelet (note the links are hollow), featuring a dial with black onyx hour markers and a beautiful burgundy bezel. Powering it is the Lemania-based caliber 861: a manually wound chronograph that needs no introduction.
While some collectors might prefer a mint example, there’s something charming about the signs of wear on Armstrong’s watch, evidence that he enjoyed the watch so much that he actually wore it. The gold caseback bears an engraving: “to mark man’s conquest of space with time, through time, on time” and “Gemini 8 – Apollo 11.”
Not only has Omega confirmed the provenance of this watch with an “Extract from the Archives”, but the auction listing also arrives with a collection of photos of Armstrong wearing the watch through the years, which should address any concerns that may linger about high-value Speedmasters. The sale has also received the blessing of Armstrong’s son, Mark, with half of all proceeds to go to charity.
The market for historically significant Omega Speedmasters has been up and down in recent years, leaving some speculation about where the auction hammer might fall.
However, with billionaires like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos leading a surge in privatized space exploration (and Bezos working with Omega to produce special edition watches for his own space flights), there’s every chance Armstrong’s gold Speedy will find its way onto our generation’s next big astronaut.
