The Artemis II’s crew have been tracking their time away in high style with analog-digital Omega wristwatches designed specifically for space travel — but one of the astronauts also appears to have slipped on the same mechanical Speedmaster used during Apollo.
All four astronauts have been seen sporting Omega X-33 Speedmasters since they suited up ahead of Artemis II’s April 1 launch, with NASA confirming to The Post that each crew member was given the “standard-issue” watch.
The watch dates back to the 1990s when they were designed specifically for astronauts, and combine highly-accurate quartz-powered hands over a digital screen — with the analog face taking over if the frigid conditions of raw space freeze the digital face, according to the National Air and Space Museum.
X-33s have been issued to NASA astronauts ever since, and were available to the public until 2006, Men’s Journal reported.
Those hoping to don one of their own can expect to shell out around $3,000 for a used model — or they can drop about $7,000 for Omega’s newest iteration.
At least one of the astronauts, however, is keeping space tradition alive and brought along the same model that was certified by NASA and flown on every Apollo mission — a mechanical Omega Speedmaster Professional chronograph.
Victor Glover appeared to have one on his wrist at numerous points during the mission’s broadcast, while NASA confirmed the crew was allowed to “wear timepieces of their choice” in addition to the X-33.
Glover would be the latest in a long line of astronauts to sport the Speedmaster Professional in space.
The watch first flew on Wally Schirra’s 1962 Mercury orbital flight, and it was certified for spaceflight by NASA in 1965 before being issued to all astronauts through Gemini and Apollo.
Speedmasters were selected for their ability to keep accurate time in zero gravity, in the vacuum of space and also during the extreme temperature fluctuations — where direct sunlight can reach 250 degrees Fahrenheit, and shadows can plunge to -250 degrees.
Numerous Speedmasters have been to the lunar surface — the astronauts sometimes wore multiple on each arm — while they also played a key role keeping Apollo 13 from disaster, with the Omegas allowing the crew to time life-saving thruster burns without spending valuable power.
But Omega’s aren’t the only ones to reach the lunar surface.
Astronaut Dave Scott wore a prototype Bulova chronograph designed for astronauts on the moon during Apollo 15 — the story goes that the crystal top fell off his Speedmaster — while Edgar Mitchell wore a Rolex GMT-Master.
Those two remain the only watches that have been on the lunar surface to be auctioned off — Scott’s Bulova fetched $1.5 million in 2015, while Mitchell’s Rolex sold for $2.1 million in 2024.
A Speedmaster worn around the moon — but not on the surface — by Apollo 17 command module pilot Ron Evans sold for $245,000 in 2015.
Astronaut’s often kept their NASA-issued Omegas after the missions, but most ended up giving them to the National Air and Space Museum as part of a 1967 agreement to reclaim government-issued equipment for the museum’s archives.
Moon-flown items have fetched millions at auction over the years, but NASA has been known to block certain auctions over ownership claims.
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