posted 05-10-2022 11:23 AM               

Omega Watch Once Given to Apollo 11 Astronaut Michael Collins Takes Off At Heritage Auctions Watches & Timepieces Event June 1

An out-of-this-world Omega watch that was made for and given to one of the astronauts aboard the first manned mission to the moon will touch down in a new collection when it is sold June 1 in Heritage Auctions' Fine Watches & Timepieces Signature Auction.

The Omega, Very Rare And Important Gold Speedmaster Professional Wristwatch, No. 19, Presented To Astronaut Michael Collins, circa 1969 (current bid: $41,000) is an extraordinary timepiece given to Collins, who flew the Apollo 11 command module around the moon in 1969 while fellow astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin made the first crewed landing on the lunar surface.

"This is an incredibly rare watch," Heritage Auctions Watches & Fine Timepieces Director Jim Wolf said. "There were only 28 of them made. The first two were offered to President (Richard) Nixon and Vice President (Spiro) Agnew. After that, Omega presented them to the astronauts aboard the most important mission in the history of the space program. This watch is a piece of space history and a piece of timepieces history."

The watch is accompanied by a handwritten note that reads, "This Omega watch was given to me shortly after the flight of Apollo XI, and has been in my personal possession ever since. I wore it seldom if ever, but I have wound it every decade or so, and I believe it is in perfect operating condition. Michael Collins, Apollo XI CMP."

Nixon and Agnew declined the first two Apollo XI Commemorative gold Speedmaster watches; the next 26 were presented to the astronauts who had been with NASA the longest. A listing of recipients and numbers include #3 (Shepard), #17 (Armstrong), #21 (Aldrin), #27 (Slayton), #28 (Chaffee) and the present watch #19 (Collins).

Information and images of all lots in the auction can be found here.