Omega set for another lunar landing in moon blockbuster First Man
[Sponsored Article]
Omega watches are blasting into space and landing on the moon again when the Swiss watchmaker relives its history on-screen in Universal Picture’s highly anticipated Neil Armstrong’s biopic First Man.
Ryan Gosling in the leading role
Hollywood star Ryan Gosling portrays Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon. The riveting drama sees the Canadian actor once again teaming up with six-time Academy Award®-winning La La Land, Oscar®-winning director Damien Chazelle.
The story follows Neil Armstrong and the decade leading to the historic Apollo 11 flight, the first manned mission to the moon. Based on the book by James R. Hansen, the breathtaking film explores the triumphs and the cost - on Armstrong, his family, his colleagues and the nation itself - of one of the most dangerous missions in history.
Unrivalled legacy within space exploration
Omega’s unique history in space started in 1964 when NASA went on a search for a watch that could endure the punishing tests required to certify them as space-ready. Different brands submitted their watches, but only the Omega Speedmaster survived. On March 1, 1965, NASA declared the timepiece “Flight Qualified for all Manned Space Missions”.
From that moment, Omega remained the only supplier of watches for NASA’s Human Space Flight Program, with its timepieces accompanying astronauts through the final Mercury Missions and the Gemini, Apollo, Skylab and Apollo-Soyuz programs. The Speedmaster is still in use for space flight today and helps to keep track of time on the International Space Station.
In 1969, the Omega Speedmaster became the first watch worn on the moon. Strapped around the wrists of the spacesuits of astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin aboard Apollo 11 when the Eagle lunar module finally landed on the planet, the watch became known as the “moon watch” for posterity.
In First Man released in Hong Kong today and the USA tomorrow October 12, watch fans and space enthusiasts can marvel at period-correct Speedmasters and other watches of that era that Omega supplied for the production. Keep an eagle eye on these timepieces with such an immense historical connection that have all been to the moon and back.
Omega Speedmaster ST 105.003
Ryan Gosling wears this timepiece during his character’s Apollo training at NASA. In real life, it would also have been the model that Project Gemini astronaut Ed White wore during the first American spacewalk on June 3, 1965.
Omega Speedmaster ST 105.012
Omega wristwatch CK 2605
Ryan Gosling wears this 1954 timepiece on-screen as Neil Armstrong during the hero’s daily life.
Omega Stopwatch
NASA engineers used this 1960s stopwatch on-screen during training. Back on earth, Omega’s renowned history in sports and precision timekeeping devices is well established, having served as Official Timekeeper of the Olympic Games since 1932.
