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Apollo 12, 1969, Gold Speedmaster Prof. Wristwatch

Currency:USD Category:Jewelry Start Price:12,500.00 USD Estimated At:25,000.00 - 35,000.00 USD
Apollo 12, 1969, Gold Speedmaster Prof. Wristwatch
<Our item number 140145><B>Apollo 12, 1969, 18kt. Gold Speedmaster Professional Wristwatch.</B> &#40;No. 20&#41; This limited edition wristwatch and band are inscribed on the reverse &#34;Astronaut Richard R &#40;sic.&#41; Gordon / to mark man&#39;s conquest of space with time, through time, on time / Gemini 11 - Apollo 12&#34;. The back of the watch and the Omega watchband are original and both are 18kt gold.<BR><BR>According to C. Bradley Jacobs as originally published in <I>International Wristwatch</I>, December 2002, &#34;The 1969 Commemorative Speedmaster, Model BA, 145.022-69, was the first Speedmaster ever made of gold. Aside from the case material, the only differences between it and the NASA-issue Speedmasters are the gold dial, burgundy bezel, and the inscriptions on the back. Its heart is the same Calibre 861 as the steel model; the same as Omegas worn by NASA astronauts from 1969 until the revised Calibre 1861 became the standard movement in the Speedmaster &#34;Moon Watch&#34; in the mid-1990s.<B R><BR>Initially the Apollo XI Commemorative &#34;was offered to each of the astronauts active at that time at a gala &#40;in honor of Apollo 11&#41; dinner November 25, 1969 at &#40;the&#41; Hotel Warwick in Houston&#34;. The first thirty watches were, according to John Diethelm of Omega Public Relations, &#34;created in tribute to the sensational exploit of Man&#39;s first landing on the Moon&#34;. Numbers 3 through 28 were personalized and presented to &#40;the&#41; astronauts in NASA&#39;s space program. The lower numbers were reserved for those astronauts who had been with NASA the longest….Additionally, the astronaut&#39;s watches were inscribed with their name and rank &#40;if any&#41;, and the names of the missions which they had flown to date.<BR><BR>The watches numbered 1 and 2 in the series, having been refused by their intended recipients &#40;President Nixon and Vice-President Agnew&#41; presently reside in the Omega museum in Switzerland….The saga of Omega&#39;s premier so lid gold Speedmaster Professional does not end with the watches delivered to these noteworthy personalities &#40;the astronauts&#41;. According to an Antiquorum auction catalog from their October 1995 sale in Geneva, &#34;an initial series of 50 to 100 pieces were produced, followed by subsequent series until a total of 1014 pieces were reached in 1973. Coorespondence with Omega revealed that they offered a small series for sale to the public early in 1970 which, due to unexpected demand, was expanded to the entire production of 1014 watches, all made in 1969. A run of later numbers &#40;Nos. 1001-1008&#41; was given in 1972 to astronauts from Apollo 14, 15, 16 and 17…. All others, &#34;up to No. 1014, have been sold or distributed for very special occasions&#34;. All the watches that were sold to the public are identical to the others, but for the engraving &#40;on the reverse&#41;. The inscription on the caseback &#40;now steel, not gold&#41; was changed to read: &#34;Omega Speedmast er / Apollo XI 1969 / The First Watch Worn on the Moon / Edition Serial No.&#34;…&#34;.<BR><BR>The consignor&#39;s example of this rare watch is in exceptional condition, showing some wear, mainly confined to the burgundy bezel. The watch includes its original Omega presentation case &#40;minor faults&#41; and a business card from Joseph Susman / Premium and Industrial Sales / Gruen Watch Company with a typed note on the reverse that reads: &#34;If anything is wrong with your watch, please return to my attention&#34;. Of interest to specialists is the fact that this is probably the only example of this watch on which a spelling error in the astronaut&#39;s name &#40;middle initial &#34;R&#34; instead of &#34;F&#34;&#41; has been made.<BR><BR>A list of which astronaut received which watch is known. Some of the highlights of this list include #3 &#40;Shepard&#41;, #17 &#40;Armstrong&#41;, #19 &#40;Collins&#41;, #21 &#40;Aldrin&#41;, #27 &#40;Slayton&#41; and #28 &#40;Chaffee&#41;. Only a few of these watches have been sold over the years. This is an opportunity to acquire a fine timepiece and a piece of history. A muticolor hand-signed certificate of authenticity from the consignor is included. <BR>Estimated Value &#36;25,000 - 35,000. <I><BR>Ex. the astronaut Richard F. Gordon collection.</I> <BR><BR>Our item number 140145<BR><IMAGES><P ALIGN="CENTER"><IMG SRC="http://www.goldbergcoins.net/liveauction/49jpegs/140145.jpg"> </P></IMAGES>