On July 21, 1969, the Omega house accompanied the first steps of man to the Moon – a human revolution, accompanied by the iconic caliber 321 of the Moonwatch watch.
The Omega Moonwatch Caliber 321: First Caliber On The Moon
On July 21, 1969, the whole world clings to their television sets to follow man’s first steps on the moon live. This event is so significant, because the Apollo 11 mission was on the verge of achieving a dream as old as humanity.
The Omega watch on an astronaut’s wrist during a spacewalk
It was Omega that was chosen to accompany them on this eminently daring journey. Chosen, or rather after a battery of Olympian tests, the watch presented by the house of Omega is the only one to withstand the demands of NASA.
The story of the Speedmaster turned Moonwatch on Buzz Aldrin’s wrist is told more fully here, this time Omega celebrates the very heart of its craftsmanship. The caliber 321 Omega.
Without this caliber, the Moonwatch would not have been able to accompany the first men on the Moon. Tuesday July 21, the house has decided to celebrate this little piece of watchmaking history – at the same time as this big step for the history of humanity!
This year, Omega has therefore carefully recreated the caliber 321 _ 2nd generation to make it into an even more exceptional timepiece. Called Speedmaster Moonwatch 321, the watch, cut in stainless steel, is here a real anchor in the history of the conquest of space!
The Speedmaster Moonwatch 321 watch deploys all of Omega’s expertise around a 39.70 mm case. Still, it is the heritage of this house that is reflected in this case, since it is inspired by the 3rd generation model – namely, the model worn during the first American spacewalk in 1965!
Other nods to Omega’s commitment to NASA, the timepiece features a polished black ceramic [ZrO2] bezel fitted with a white enamel tachymeter scale. Its black dial with degrees features iconic hands of the Moonwatch – adorned with a vintage Omega logo.
Obviously fascinating, the Speedmaster Moonwatch 321 offers an optimal view of its caliber 321, thanks to its sapphire crystal caseback. A technical feat made possible, again, by the perseverance of the Omega workshops. And we understand this better when we question the founding vision of Louis Brandt, the man behind this more than a century old house.
Two years of reconstruction and in-depth research were necessary to bring this movement back to life. By relying on tomography (a digital scanner technology), the company was able to study the interior of the real Omega Speedmaster carried by the astronaut Eugene Cernan, known as Gene Cernan, during the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.
The result in 2020 is simply stunning!