One of this year’s biggest watch-world stories is the 60th anniversary of the iconic Omega Speedmaster. In this series of feature articles, we explore some of the collection’s milestones, decade by decade. This week, we look at models starting with the very first Speedmaster in 1957, up to the legendary Mark II and Alaska I prototype from 1969.
1957: The “Broad Arrow”
Omega Speedmaster “Broad Arrow” (1957)
The very first Omega Speedmaster was nicknamed the ?Broad Arrow? due to its distinctive hands. It was also the first chronograph wristwatch in the world with its tachymeter scale on the bezel rather than printed on the dial ? a feature designed with race car drivers in mind. Perhaps the most coveted of all the Speedmasters, it heralded many other collectible models to come. 1959: The First Omega in Space
Omega Speedmaster worn by Walter Schirra (1959)
The second version of the Speedmaster is distinguished from the original ?Broad Arrow? by its use of a black aluminum bezel, its “lollipop” seconds hand for Air Force orders, and its ?Alpha?-style hour and minute hands. The model became the first Omega watch worn in space, on the wrist of astronaut Walter Schirra, on October 3, 1962. Schirra chose the Speedmaster as his personal watch on the Sigma 7 mission of the Mercury program. The Speedmaster?s space legacy had begun.
1963: The Third Generation, NASA-Tested and -Qualified
Omega Speedmaster – tested and quali...