What Watches Do Astronauts Wear?

Featured image: Daniel Zimmermann, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Omega Speedmaster Professional “Moonwatch” is the watch most closely associated with astronauts — it has been NASA-certified since 1965, went to the Moon with the Apollo 11 crew, and was still being worn by the Artemis II crew in April 2026. But the full story of astronaut watches also involves a Heuer chronograph, a Breitling built for 24-hour time, and a modern digital Omega that NASA now issues to mission crews.

Quick answer The Omega Speedmaster Professional is the defining astronaut watch. NASA flight-qualified it in 1965 after rigorous testing against competing brands, and it has flown on every crewed American space mission since Gemini 3. Modern NASA crews also use the Omega Speedmaster X-33, an ana-digi titanium watch designed for instrument use in the cabin. Before the Speedmaster era, John Glenn orbited Earth in 1962 wearing a Heuer 2915A, while Scott Carpenter flew with a Breitling Cosmonaute — a watch built specifically for spaceflight.

How NASA Chose the Omega Speedmaster

The Speedmaster’s official relationship with NASA began in 1964, when NASA Flight Operations Director Deke Slayton put out a request for high-quality chronographs. Four watch brands responded and each submitted three examples. NASA engineer James Ragan ran eleven demanding tests on every submission: extreme temperatures, vacuum exposure, humidity, shock, acceleration, vibration, acoustic pressure, and more.

Only the Omega Speedmaster passed all eleven tests. At least one competitor failed during the high-temperature phase. What made the result particularly notable is that the Speedmaster submitted for testing was the same model sold in jewelry stores — there was no special military or aerospace-grade version. The astronauts themselves evaluated the surviving watches and unanimously selected the Omega.

NASA’s formal flight qualification was issued in spring 1965. The watch debuted in space almost immediately: Virgil “Gus” Grissom and John Young wore Speedmasters on Gemini 3, March 23, 1965, with the only modification being a long Velcro strap allowing the watch to be worn over a pressure suit. It has flown on every crewed NASA mission since.

The Speedmaster on the Moon

The most famous chapter in the Speedmaster’s history came on July 20, 1969, when Buzz Aldrin wore his on the lunar surface during the Apollo 11 moonwalk. Neil Armstrong left his Speedmaster inside the lunar module as a backup timer — the module’s electronic clock had malfunctioned — meaning Aldrin’s watch became, technically, the first watch worn on the Moon. Armstrong’s Speedmaster later sold at auction for $1.625 million in 2019.

Buzz Aldrin standing on the lunar surface during Apollo 11, photographed by Neil Armstrong on July 20, 1969
Buzz Aldrin on the Moon during Apollo 11, July 20, 1969 — his Speedmaster was the first watch worn on the lunar surface. Photo: Neil Armstrong (public domain)

The Speedmaster’s role in the Apollo 13 crisis in April 1970 is equally important to its legend. When the service module oxygen tank exploded, the astronauts used their Speedmasters to time a critical 14-second engine burn that corrected their trajectory and brought them home safely. NASA awarded Omega a Snoopy Award for the watch’s contribution to the mission.

The model worn during the Apollo era was the reference ST 105.012 (also known as the ref 145.012 in later production), fitted with the hand-wound Caliber 321 movement. That specific movement — a column-wheel chronograph with a horizontal clutch — has since become one of the most collectible in watchmaking. Omega reintroduced the Caliber 321 in 2020 in the ref 311.30.40.30.01.001, priced at roughly $16,200 at retail.

Spec Omega Speedmaster Professional (current) Omega Speedmaster Professional (Apollo era)
Reference310.30.42.50.01.001ST 105.012 / 145.012
Case size42 mm42 mm
Case materialStainless steelStainless steel
MovementCaliber 3861, hand-woundCaliber 321, hand-wound
Power reserve50 hoursApprox. 44 hours
Water resistance50 m50 m
CrystalHesalite (acrylic)Hesalite (acrylic)
Approx. retail priceAbout $7,300Discontinued

Where to buy

Compare the same watch on both sites: eBay for pre-owned and vintage pieces, Amazon for new stock.

Omega Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch

Omega Speedmaster X-33 Gen 2 Titanium Alternative

Omega x Swatch MoonSwatch Bioceramic Alternative

Prices and availability change; check the listing before you buy.

Before the Speedmaster: Heuer and Breitling in the Space Race

The Speedmaster was not the first watch worn in orbit by an American. That distinction belongs to John Glenn’s Heuer 2915A, which accompanied him on the Friendship 7 mission on February 20, 1962 — the first American orbital spaceflight. Glenn purchased the watch himself from a drugstore near Cape Canaveral for �����Ѐ��Ը�%�́ͥ������չ����Ʌѕ�����������ɕ�����������ݽչ����ٕ���Ё������Ё���Ʌ�ѥ������������񄁡ɕ�􈽉Ʌ��̽х����ՕȽ���������������ݕ�ȼ��]����ٕȁѡ�������!�Օȁ�ѽ�䁥����х�����ɔ������((���M���Ё �����ѕȰ�ݡ���ɉ�ѕ����Ѡ����ѡ���ɽɄ�܁���ͥ������5�����Ȱ����܁ݥѠ��� ɕ�ѱ���� �͵����є��ɕ��ɕ������䤸�Q��� �͵����є�݅́ѡ������Ё݅э����ͥ����������������䁙�ȁ������������ ɕ�ѱ�������������ѡ��9�٥ѥ��ȝ́ͱ�����ձ����镰��������ѕ���ЁݥѠ����е���ȁ�����ͼ����ɽ����́��ձ�����ѥ��ե͠���䁙ɽ������Ё��ɥ���Ʌ�����ɉ�х���危�̸� �����ѕȝ́��������́���Ё���ݡ� ɕ�ѱ������́����х���������ɽ�����ɽ����������ѥ�䁙�ȁ������̸���((���5���ɸ�9M�]�э����Q���=�����M�������ѕȁ`������((���Q��������ݽչ��5���݅э��Aɽ���ͥ�����ɕ����́ѡ�����������9M����Ʉ�ٕ���ձ�ȁ��ѥ٥�䀡Y��݅э���P��Ё�́ݡ�Ё���ɽ����́ݕ�ȁ��ɥ��������݅��̰�ݡ�ɔ�ͥ�������䁅���������ѕ��ɕ��������䁵��ѕȁ���и�%�ͥ���ѡ�����������ݕٕȰ�9M�����ѡ���ɽ�����M���������䁡�ٔ���Ѡ�����ѕ��ѡ��=�����M�������ѕȁ`��́�́���х���ɐ����Ք������յ��Ё݅э�����((���Q���`��́�́��ٕ�䁑����ɕ�Ё��������M�������ѕȸ�%Ё�����ɕ́������������������䃊P�����������������Ք�����́ݥѠ�������х��1 ��������P��ե�Ё��Ѽ��������ݕ���ЁɅ���ȁѥх��մ���͔��Q�������х���չ�ѥ��́�ɔ�х���ɕ����ȁ������������UQ �ѥ���������䰁�ձѥ�������ɵ̰����ͥ�������͕��ѥ������������չё�ݸ�ѥ��ȸ�M����`�́�����ɍ�����ɕ܁���ͥ��́��ٔ���������ѽ�Ʌ�����ݥѠ����ɽ����́ݕ�ɥ���ѡ��`��́���Ȁ�ɕ��ɕ�������ĸ���������ɥ����ɔ���չ����ɕ��Ʌѥ��́��������ɐ�ѡ��%�ѕɹ�ѥ�����M�����Mхѥ������((���Q����ѕ��́%$����ͥ����ݡ������չ���������ɥ�����؁�������ɥ������ȁ���ɽ����̃�P�I����]�͕�����Y��ѽȁ��ٕȰ� �ɥ�ѥ���-���������)�ɕ��!��͕���P��ɽչ��ѡ��5�����ͅ܁ѡ����ѥɔ��ɕ܁ݕ�ɥ���9M����Օ��=�����M�������ѕȁ`��́���ȁ݅э��́��ɥ�����չ����M�����ɕ܁������́��ͼ����ɥ������ͽ����݅э��́���ѡ�����ͥ��������Ց������ ɕ�ѱ���� �͵����є�����ѥ�ե������Ʌ��ѥ���ѡ�Ё��ɕэ��́�����Ѽ�M���Ё �����ѕȸ���((�х����(���ѡ����(��������(�������Ѡ�M����Ѡ�(�������Ѡ�=�����M�������ѕȁ`��́�����Ѡ�(��������(���ѡ����(���щ����(���������ѐ�I���ɕ����ѐ��ѐ����ĸ�������ѥх��մ��Ʌ����Ф�ѐ�����(���������ѐ� �͔�ͥ��ѐ��ѐ��ȁ���ѐ�����(���������ѐ� �͔���ѕɥ���ѐ��ѐ�Q�х��մ�ѐ�����(���������ѐ�5�ٕ�����ѐ��ѐ�EՅ��聵ձѥ�չ�ѥ��������������ѐ�����(���������ѐ��������ѐ��ѐ������Ք�����̀��1 �����х��������ѐ�����(���������ѐ�]�ѕȁɕͥ�х����ѐ��ѐ������ѐ�����(���������ѐ���ɽก�ɥ�����ɔ��ݹ����ѐ��ѐ����Ѐ�İ��ÊL�̰����ѐ�����(���щ����(�х����((���9�х������ɽ���Ё]�э��M���ѥ������((���Q���M�������ѕȝ́���Ё��������́ݕ�ɕ�́��役��ѡ��5�����������́�́��������]��є�ݽɔ�������ɥ���ѡ������Ё��ɥ���������݅������)չ�����Ը�Q������������ɕ܁ݽɔ�M�������ѕ�́���ѡ������Ё�ɕݕ�����ͥ���Ѽ��ɉ�Ёѡ��5����������ก����ݕ�ٔ�����ݡ��݅��������ѡ���չ�ȁ��ə������ɥ���ѡ���������ɽ�Ʌ��ݕɔ���ե�����ݥѠ�M�������ѕ�̸���((���%��ѡ��M�����M���ѱ���Ʉ�����%ML��Ʉ��ѡ��M�������ѕȁAɽ���ͥ�����ɕ��������х���ɐ����Ք��M���Ё-���䰁ݡ������Ѐ�������͕��ѥٔ����́���ѡ��%ML�������׊L�ذ�ݽɔ���M�������ѕȸ�Q���A������ѡ������Ё ɥѥ͠�M����ɽ���а�݅́���ѽ�Ʌ�����ݥѠ����=��������ѡ��%ML���ɥ�����̀���׊L�؁���ͥ����A��ѽ�Ʌ��́�ɽ��%ML�������ѥ��́ɽ�ѥ����͡�܁�ɕ܁������́ݥѠ�M�������ѕ�́���ѡ��ȁ�ɥ��̸���((���Q���=�����������ѥ�����ͼ�������́������ձ�ȁ�ձ��ɔ��)���́ ������́ݽɸ�ѡ��M�����ѕȰ���Ёѡ��M�������ѕȃ�P���Ё=�����́��ͽ���ѥ���ݥѠ�ɕ���ݽɱ����������ɽ�́��́�����ѡ���Ʌ������ձ��Ʌ��͡��ѡ������ȁ�ɕ��ͥ���������ٕ���ɔ��񄁡ɕ�􈽉Ʌ��̽����������̵�������������M����ٕ��=����� ������́ݽɸ����͍ɕ�����ɔ������((��� �����ɥ�����͕�����́�����������Ёѡ��M�������ѕȁ�����ѕ�٥��́�ٕȁѡ��������̰����������Ё��ɕ�������ѽ���Ʌѡ�ȁѡ����������䁥ѕ���Q��Ё�Ʌ����������ɕ́ݡ�ѡ��݅э��ɕͽ��ѕ�聥Ё��ɹ�����́ɕ��хѥ��������ͥ���ѡ����ɑ��Ёѕ��́��������́��ձ����٥͔����Ёѡɽ՝����ɭ�ѥ������((������ɑ�����]�э��́%����ɕ����ѡ����ɽ���Ё1��������((���Q���M�������ѕȝ́��ɥх�����́����Օ�������ݥ���Ʌ�������݅э��́�Ё�Ս����ݕȁ�ɥ��������̸�M�����́M9(���@āM���ȁ �ɽ���Ʌ�������ͥ����ȁ�����́�����ѡ����չ�䰁ѽ���݅э��9����ѡ���ɥ������Ʌ�������ɽ���Ʌ��̸� �ͥ��́�����������������́ͽ��ȁ�Յ��聍�ɽ���Ʌ��́ݥѠ�х��嵕ѕȁ��镱́���ѡ�����ÊL�����Ʌ�����Q��� �ѥ镸����ɥٔ�P�͕ɥ�́���́Ʌ��������ɽ�����ѥ��������������ͽ��ȁ��ݕȃ�P��Ʌ�ѥ����������́��ȁ��役���Ʌݸ�Ѽ�ѡ������е�������ɽ���Ё�����յ��е݅э�����ѡ�ѥ�����((����ȁѡ�͔�ݡ��݅�Ёͽ��ѡ�������͕ȁѼ�ѡ��ɕ���ѡ����ݥѡ��Ёѡ���ձ��5���݅э���ɥ����ѡ��=�����5���M݅э��������ѥ����P���չ�����������ȁ�́���������Ʌѥ������ݕ���=���������M݅э���P�ɕ�ɽ�Ս�́ѡ��5���݅э�����������ͥ���Օ�є���������Ʌ�������about $260. It does not share the mechanical movement of the original, but it carries the same visual DNA and comes in mission-themed colorways including “Mission to the Moon” and “Mission to the Moonshine Gold.” Read more about the Speedmaster’s lunar legacy in our Neil Armstrong watch piece.

Astronaut Bruce McCandless II floating untethered in space during EVA on mission STS-41-B in February 1984
Astronaut Bruce McCandless II during the first untethered spacewalk, February 1984 — Speedmaster Professionals were standard NASA EVA issue. Photo: NASA (public domain)

If pre-owned is an option, the older Omega Speedmaster Professional with the Caliber 861 or 1861 movement (produced from the late 1960s through the early 2000s) regularly sells for $2,500–$4,500 in good condition. These watches share the same external design as the Apollo-era pieces and carry genuine NASA heritage — they were the production Moonwatches of their generation. The Caliber 1861 version is particularly well-regarded for its reliable service intervals and availability of spare parts.

Caring for a Speedmaster: What to Know Before You Buy

The Speedmaster Professional has a hand-wound movement, meaning it needs to be wound every day or two. It has no quick-set date and no rotor, which keeps the movement thin and reliable but requires a daily ritual. New owners sometimes expect automatic winding and are surprised to find the crown. This is intentional — the hand-wound mechanism is part of why the watch was chosen for space: fewer parts, fewer failure points.

The standard Moonwatch uses a hesalite (acrylic) crystal rather than sapphire. Acrylic scratches more easily but is significantly more shatter-resistant and can be polished back to clarity at home with a soft cloth. NASA preferred it for spaceflight because a cracked acrylic crystal does not produce dangerous shards the way sapphire can. Omega also offers a “sapphire sandwich” version (reference 310.30.42.50.01.002) with a sapphire crystal front and sapphire caseback for about $200 more at retail.

FAQ

What watch did NASA astronauts wear on the Moon?

Buzz Aldrin wore an Omega Speedmaster Professional (reference ST 105.012) during the Apollo 11 moonwalk on July 20, 1969. Neil Armstrong left his inside the lunar module as a backup timer, making Aldrin’s the first watch worn on the Moon’s surface.

Is the Omega Speedmaster still NASA’s official watch?

Yes. The Omega Speedmaster Professional remains NASA-qualified for extra-vehicular activity (EVA, i.e., spacewalks). The Omega Speedmaster X-33 is also used as a cabin instrument watch, and the Artemis II crew were issued X-33 Gen 2 watches for the April 2026 lunar mission.

What watch did John Glenn wear in space?

John Glenn wore a Heuer 2915A chronograph on the Friendship 7 orbital mission on February 20, 1962. He reportedly bought it himself near Cape Canaveral for around $45. Full details in our John Glenn watch article.

What watch did Scott Carpenter wear in space?

Scott Carpenter wore a Breitling Cosmonaute (reference 809) on the Aurora 7 mission in May 1962. The Cosmonaute was the first watch purpose-built for spaceflight, featuring a 24-hour dial and slide-rule bezel.

How much does the Omega Moonwatch cost?

The current production Omega Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch (reference 310.30.42.50.01.001) retails for about $7,300. Pre-owned examples in good condition typically sell for $5,500–$7,000. The budget-friendly alternative is the Omega MoonSwatch bioceramic collaboration at about $260.

What watches did the Artemis II crew wear?

The four Artemis II astronauts — Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen — wore NASA-issued Omega Speedmaster X-33 Gen 2 watches during the April 2026 mission. Some crew members also carried personal watches including a Breitling Cosmonaute.

Sources

Written by

WKOW Editor

The editorial desk at What Kind of Watch. We identify the watches worn by actors, characters, athletes and public figures by cross-checking screen captures, press photography, brand releases and auction records, and we label unconfirmed sightings as such. We have no affiliation with any watch brand; eBay and Amazon links earn a small commission that never affects which watch we name.

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