I have a very found admiration for Omega Speedmaster's and currently have four, two Speedmaster 'Reduced' pieces and I also have two pieces that are very much the big brothers of those two and they are the Speedmaster Professional's or Moonwatch, one from the 70's (ref. ST145.022) and a recent purchase from 2006 (ref. 3570.50.00), which was actually a replacement for the same model that I had stolen. I have also owned a sold on a couple of pieces with the much sought after .321 movement (ref. 145.012) but today I'm going to focus on the latest edition which is the 3570.50.00. If you want to know about Eva Professional please read this article.

I bought this new and as mentioned above it was bought after I had my previous 3570.50 stolen, I had my first 3570.50 for a few years and like the piece that I have today it got a lot of wear.

To me there is a certain magical quality about the Speedmaster Pro that is inevitably related to its history. This Speedmaster Pro is also known as the 'Moonwatch' because of its strong links to the NASA space programme and the Omega Moonwatch is the only timepiece in the world certified for space flight by NASA. To achieve this certification the watch underwent an enduring process that would ultimately lead to the iconic status it carries today. It is officially the first time piece to ever be taken into space, this historic landmark in the Omega Speedmaster's history was achieved on Wally Schirra's wrist aboard Mercury-Atlas 8 (Sigma 7) on October 3rd 1962. The Speedmaster was also the first watch worn on the moon, as Buzz Aldrin wore his Speedmaster (ref. 145.012) fitted with the Omega .321 caliber on 20 July 1969. Neil Armstrong actually left his Speedmaster inside the landing module during his famous first walk. It is still the only watch flight-qualified for EVA (Extra-vehicular activity) use by NASA and it is also the watch chosen for use in outer space by the Russian space agency NPO Energia.

I will cover more around the history of the Speedmaster, the links to the Space programme and the journey to the present day in a separate article, today I want to focus on the my 3570.50.

This Speedmaster Pro comes with a manual-winding chronograph movement (not COSC-certified), Cal. 1861, and has a Power Reserve just short of 50 hours. The Stainless Steel case with black Tachymeter bezel is 42mm in diameter with a depth of 14mm, the case back has an inscription which reads 'FLIGHT-QUALIFIED BY NASA FOR ALL MANNED SPACE MISSIONS', 'OMEGA SPEEDMASTER PROFESSIONAL FIRST WATCH WORN ON THE MOON' and also in the middle of the case back there is the Omega Sea Monster/Serpent with 'Speedmaster' lettering.