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Speedy fans.... a True Story about Omega Speedmaster and NASA Space Program - Repost from 2016.

You have heard this and that or read somewhere on the net and believe them. But DO NOT believe everything you read on the internet. Here is the  TRUE story told by the Omega Museum Manager, Mr. Petros Protopapas.

One evening in somewhere in Tokyo, several people were invited (no journalist, just Omega fans) to a dinner where Mr. Protopapas, we were told,  would talk about the true history of our beloved "Speedy". Most of the attendees, who supposedly knew almost everything about Speedy were shocked to learn by some of the topics Mr. Protopapas spoke of. Now, let us recap what are true and what are wrong information.

Mr. Petros Protopapas ("PP")

“It is a great honor to be here, thank you very much! We came together to share new information about the Speedmaster and set the record straight for this most important chronograph. For you and for us it is important to know that information is credible. Please note that what you are about to hear has been assembled after many years of research and working together with Mr James Ragan, ex-NASA, the very engineer who carried out the legendary watch-tests at NASA. Also we are honored to work together and assist the Smithsonian National Air And Space Museum in Washington to conserve and NOT restore the original Speedmaster chronographs that NASA issued to Gemini and Apollo astronauts. Normally, as we are true to our heritage and respect all aspects of how a museum treats historic objects, the Omega Museum does not undertake "restorations" because this would mean to make an object "like new". As a museum we “conserve” historical objects instead. And in watchmaking there can hardly be any objects that are of greater importance than the actually flown NASA-issued Speedmasters. The Speedmaster chronographs within the collection of the NASA in Washington were all issued by NASA to the astronauts of its missions over the years, so they have seen heavy use and are covered with scratches, have sometimes even broken crystals and other mission-related damage and signs of use, but since they are true historic witnesses to events that affect all mankind, we assist in keeping them “as-is”, in their original state, but still making sure they can survive so that future generations can enjoy looking at them. In undertaking this project, we also assembled all the correct information about every single Speedmaster used and issued by NASA on a mission, their reference numbers, calibers, movement numbers, and who wore it when to where.”

“Kindly note that, as agreed with all persons involved, this information is still confidential, and we cannot divulge many parts of it, but we have put together some information that we actually can share with you in this folder. So, here (the memo and the binder) are parts of the most important information we and you have possibly encountered in your watch life. These are simple Xerox-copies and we have not altered them in any way. These are just some of the pages we can share with you and there is so much more by now in our ever-growing archives. By 2017, Omega will open the new museum and we want to share this information in highly effective way, and maybe there will be a new book about the true story of Speedmaster.”

First of all, 105.003, Speedmaster, NOT "Professional" - when was the last 105.003 produced, do you know? It is commonly known that 105.003 was last produced and sold in 1967/1968. But according to our research in the production archives, it was produced in 1963, and NASA received a last batch of 105.003 much later, and used them all the way into the Apollo program. Procurement can be traced well into the late 1960s, October 1968 being quite a surprise. Strange. We will see why - just found out the reason. And I have here a very rare 105.003 here, in fact a quite rare piece with a grey dial.........."

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How lucky I am. I was invited to dinner with Mr. Petros .... And had an opportunity to hear the wonderful, first time ever told stories about  Speedmaster, which most of you know or may have owned once or twice in life. I am a big fan of Speedy and Omega's consistent pursuit of accuracy, reliability and the quality of its watches. Of all Omega watches, Speedy has been always a fascinating model especially because it is the watch that went to the moon. Why Speedy and how it was picked up as well as which one actually go, etc. - these are the favorite stories for the Speedy fans and most have been spoken - at least I had such impression - but boy was I wrong. Today, you will read very refreshing, first-ever told stories from the month of the curator of Omega museum - the new "facts" were found from the newly disclosed archive of NASA, so they are all true. Be ready and enjoy the read!

PP:   I would like you to understand where this information came from. First example. With the help of Mr Ragan we were able to access some of the NASA-related archives for the very first time. We interviewed at NASA and took notes – no digital information  available. We had the opportunity to make Xerox copies of these papers for the first time. This information we will talk about today all came from Mr Ragan, NASA and our work at Smithsonian National Air And Space Museum. The Omega museum received the honor to have been chosen two years ago to help conserve, not restore, all of the NASA-flown Omega Speedmasters at hand in Washington. Which means that the watchmaker of the Omega Museum as well as myself had a unique experience and were able to acquire incredible new knowledge about these special pieces. We are planning to open a new Omega museum by 2017, where all the correct model numbers, movement numbers, reference numbers, etc. which flew in space will be displayed – some of which are already on internet here and there, but some of them are simply wrong. I would like to straighten the facts and uncover the truth from the original sources tonight.

PP:   I cannot show you these notes yet but later we will discuss the true vital information about the "moon watch" and the background stories, all of them.

Then, the ref. number 105.003 which is the model originally tested by NASA. When did you think that the last year 105.003, straight lug, not professional, was produced – 1968, right?  But something is funny here. The last 105.003, non-Professional model was last sold, as far as we could trace back, in Dec. 1968, while the first Professional model was introduced as early as 1964. Why were non-Professional Speedmasters delivered in 1968 to NASA? I will tell you why later.

By the way, I have here a very rare, much rarer than the chocolate dial of 105.003 here tonight. The grey dial of 105.003, it is.

PP:  They started around 1955-56, the goal of the designers – Omega needed more professional watches. The idea was to take the known existing models and give it a total makeover and introduce the professional line. So they started with Seamaster 300 in 1957. This was the first one to be ready to be sold. It was, naturally, without Chronograph. The movement was there which you can dive, run, reliable. The Seamaster of 1948 was water resistant, but it was a sporty dress watch – for the Captain, not for the professional divers.

During WWII, I know it was not the world’s finest hour, Omega provided 110,000 pilots’ watches to the UK and the allied forces, meant pilots, navigators and soldiers – given the title  “WWW (Water resistant Wrist Watch, or Wrist Watch Water resistant, depending on who you talk to)”, water resistant and also anti-magnetic.

Based on all the technology gained while producing these highly robust watches came together and after the war, in 1955 and 1956, Omega made further researches and introduced the Seamaster 300, Speedmaster and Railmaster in 1957. This is why new design was introduced then. For example, Cal. 321, the chronograph movement used for Seamaster chronographs and the Speedmaster. It was very small, but highly robust. With the typical anti-magnetic inner shield, the case would have been too thick. So, Omega came up with the idea to put the tachymeter out of the dial and on the bezel to make the case a bit thinner. Quite a trick, but what a genius idea. At the time, this design was a world premiere!

Now we have a perfect caliber 321, based on Lemania movement (27CH12). That is the design philosophy behind the Professional line.

Oh, we have to hurry. I am here to talk about the information of Speedmaster directly from NASA.

After dessert, let’s talk about it…..

PP:  Ok, NASA. Thanks to our good friend, Mr James Ragan, who was the engineer and responsible for testing of all of the commercial equipment at NASA, not only the watches but for example the cameras, we were able to gather much, much more information than previously available. So, with all due respect, the story is much different than published in earlier books. It also is very different from the legendary "A Time Capsule" book. Please allow me to stress that we do not say this lightly. We all, the whole community of Speedmaster and watch collectors owe so much to this wonderful book “A Time Capsule”. Its author did a fantastic job. But with the access to all the new and amazing materials and archives in Houston and Washington, we were able to piece together the correct story, a story that is different than published up to now. Again, please note that I have the highest respect for the author.

But he now has "new" documents and the facts.

PP: In 1962, the new astronauts were chosen for the NASA program. NASA already had a space program back then, called "Mercury" with the original seven, the first astronauts – did you see the movie “The Right Stuff” (of course, I have!!!  and Apollo 13, too!!)? The film described how NASA's space program started and how the astronauts were chosen very correctly. Anyway, and, by 1962, the astronauts, they started to want several things – they go to their boss who was one of the original seven and the later became the boss in the Apollo Program, Donald "Deke" Slayton, and they asked for cameras, watches, and many things. But their boss at the time had bigger problems to send men to the moon by the end of the decade – exploding rockets is just an example! So Deke said, “no” and denied their request.

What did the astronauts do in 1962? They simply got their own stuff. It’s as simple as that. That is why you see many astronauts had different cameras. There was no “standard issue” cameras. In Gemini, they got serious and had Nikon on board as their standard issue camera, but this is just an example.

But before, there were all private choices. So, in 1962, the astronauts bought their own watches at some shops. They bought their own watches. Why is it important?

Because I am sure that you have all heard that NASA purchased several watches incognito at a jeweler store in Houston. Incognito?!? At a store in Houston?!? NASA?!? Please allow us once and for all to say that this never happened! Why? Because simply it cannot have happened! I am not sure how this episode had been written in public until now, but it is not correct.

Why? Because simply NASA is a Governmental agency. One thing any normal Government cannot (or should not do) is to simply go into a store and buy stuff for its official use - they need official rigorous testing and fair comparison to fit the worth of taxpayers' money.

PP:  But by then, what were the astronauts wearing? For example, Scott Carpenter purchased his private Navitimer, many others had privately purchased Bulova non-chronograph models and John Glenn purchased his private Heuer pocket watch. And in 1962, Wally Schirra and Gordon Cooper also bought two watches privately. These two gentlemen bought the second generation Speedmasters, again, privately – CK2998. It is important to understand, all these were private choices, nothing to do with NASA. That is why a few years ago Omega released its anniversary edition of the first Speedmaster in space – Wally Schirra’s private purchase.

Actually, and this is quite exclusive information, we know that there might have been actually three (!!!) privately purchased Speedmaster CK2998 models in 1962! Wally Schirra, Gordon Cooper and a third watch that was purchased by another NASA individual in 1962. This is brand-new information we just came upon, and what is even better: while we have to keep things still a bit secret, we know now where this third CK2998 is located and we will work on trying to obtain it for the Omega museum. So not two but three private Speedmaster CK2998 purchases in 1962!

These private purchases woke up NASA. Because they went into the space capsules with privately purchased cameras and watches, Deke Slayton realized the inherent danger of using untested or unknown materials and items and so the whole idea was born to look if a watch can be found that could be officially be qualified for NASA use.  

Deke Slayton's letter regarding choosing the Flight Crew Chronogrpahs.

PP: ...and by 1964, Mr James Ragan was hired by NASA to start working on this project and thus NASA did what any good government agency should do. A set of specifications was created by Mr Ragan and his department and a list of several prospective candidates was created. Finally a letter and an “RFP” (Request For Proposal) was sent out letters to the proposed watch brands: Omega, Longines, Bulova, Rolex, Mido,  Hamilton, American Elgin, Benrus, Gruen, Lucien Piccard. Sorry, contrary to various internet speculations, no other brands were included. Just those on this list.

 

 

 

PP: This is exactly how it went. NASA, via Mr Ragan’s department asked these brands to submit the samples that have the functions and qualities as specified. There are many versions of this RFP (request for proposal). We were extremely lucky in our recent research and we even found the RFP completed by other companies as well, but we do not want to disclose their proposed prices, so they have been blackened. Thanks to Mr Ragan we found the original one from Omega, with the address of our then agent in New York typed in the field. It was in October, '64. NASA offered to purchase 3 watches from these brands which satisfy the conditions NASA asked for. 

Out of those ten brands, only 4 replied , which is incredible. Omega USA replied. Longines USA (Longines Wittnauer) replied, Rolex USA replied. Quite exclusively we can now divulge one more exclusivity.  Many people in the internet debate over and over what models were proposed by the different brands. While I cannot share with you the exact names, I can share that we know by now. In order to set things straight, we can say that – for example – Rolex did not offer the Daytona. We know even the reference of the model they offered, but we cannot yet share it with you. But truly we can share here that it was not a Daytona! Both they and Longines Wittnauer offered models powered by the Valjoux 72, but in both cases it wasn’t the models everybody in the Internet thinks.  Hamilton, at the time still an American company, replied as well and proposed something that did not qualify (Hamilton proposed mil-spec marine chronometer pocket watch while NASA asked for wrist watches, saying that they could not propose the wrist watches and also they believed that no wrist watch could ever satisfy these conditions). That is the reason why in the end, Mr Jim Ragan purchased three Speedmasters, three Longines chronographs and three Rolex chronographs.

This is the first time you hear this. One each was kept as back-up, one each was for testing, and one each was given to the astronauts. And while Mr Ragan made technically crazy tests, the astronauts tested using the watches. The idea was, in the end, to pick one that both sides agree on. Jim Ragan was hoping that both sides would agree on which one to bring to the space. The details of the rigorous tests have been written many times and available – they are all true. 

What is new is that not only one watch – the Speedmaster - survived Jim Ragan’s test, but also that the astronauts unanimously preferred Speedmaster in their own evaluation. Why did the astronauts choose Speedmaster? Only thing mentioned in the letter from Mr Ragan to Mr Slayton about why the astronauts preferred Speedmaster is that they say it was easiest to operate, but the exact details of the astronauts’ own evaluation are not yet fully known. The astronaut explicitly said it was easy to operate with the gloves on. The one tested was 105.003, without the crown guard.

Read the second paragraph. ".... Operational Evaluation - It is unanimously preferred by all astronauts over all....."

 

 

Only after both sides agreed, NASA officially accepted the fact that the Speedmaster is qualified and only then could NASA place orders for quantities  Speedmaster. They ordered four times until the end of Apollo program. Every time they ordered, they sent the letter mentioning why they needed them.

1966, 1967, NASA ordered again and the Omega agent in USA delivered at first (while stocks lasted) the 105.003 models. Then, later, when the first “professional” model was available in the USA, the agent switched deliveries to the 105.012/145.012.

So, what model actually  went to the moon? Good question. Mr Ragan knew that if Omega’s newer movement, namely the cal. 861, would be submitted, it would require a new series of homologation and tests, so by the time NASA made its last order for the Apollo program in 1968, Omega USA supplied still the 105.012/145.012 all with the legendary cal. 321. Every single watch NASA purchased during the Gemini and Apollo procurement for these programs were all cal. 321 Speedmasters - 105.003, 105.012, 145.012.

The last time NASA purchased Speedmasters for the original Apollo program was on 9/12/1968, based on the first test result. The next test was for the Skylab, and then the Space Shuttle.

PP: So, that is the general story that I wanted to really re-boot – just remember that Omega did not make Speedmaster for space, nor modified after it was asked to submit or even after it was selected. It was selected purely for its quality!  Quite a feat for a watch that premiered in 1957 and had a movement that stems from as far back as the early 1940s. If that doesn’t speak about quality, I don’t know what does!

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PP: It’s time to show you some the watches I brought.

First of all – the Ultraman Speedmaster. Many people still believe that this model is wrong and never existed, but it is totally true and correct This is 145.012, orange second hand. We know it exists from our own archives. A block of serial number was made just for a year (1968). The crew of the Japanese series “Ultraman returns” were wearing this model. So, this model has very close relationship with Japan. Eiji Tsuburaya (the creator of the Ultraman series) must have loved watches. That is why you will see so many great watches in all of the original Ultraman series and also more Speedmasters in the Ultraman series. Also in many of TOHO Studios’ great legendary science-fiction films of the time you see many great watches and also a lot of Omegas. In “Japan Sinks” for example you can prominently see the original Seamaster PloProf.

Alaska – 1969 is the original (with cal. 861). Why Alaska? Alaska is the code name for every project Omega made for NASA’s secret  programs. Nothing to do with the American state of Alaska, or with its cold temperature exploration, etc.

Alaska project was made from 1969 to 1978. Alaska 5 was for Space Shuttle, and NASA took it. This is the actual one that has been to space –  tested in space when they finally decided to choose it for the Space Shuttle program.

Speedmaster Loupe for tonight's watch examination.

Very nice and cool design

Other hard-core Omega fans' collection.