Exceptional flown Omega Speedmaster Professional chronograph wristwatch which stayed on Space Station MIR for an entire year—one of 28 carried to the space station on Soyuz TM-17 and returned to Earth on Soyuz TM-18. The stainless steel Speedmaster Pro 'Moonwatch,' Movement No. 48.294.659, Case Ref. ST 345.0022.105, is engraved on the caseback as a limited edition (9/28), and reads: "365 Days on board Space Station MIR, July 1993-July 1994." The outer back ring reminds us of the chrono's chief claim to fame: "The First Watch Worn on the Moon." A classic example of the Omega Speedmaster Pro, the watch features an Omega 861 caliber movement (manual-winding chronograph with 30-minute and 12-hour recorders), black dial with luminous (tritium) indexes, and stainless steel case and bracelet.
The space-flown timepiece is impressively housed in a fitted aluminum case—measuring 18″ x 13.5″ x 5.5″, and weighing 20 pounds with its contents—containing a leather Omega presentation box, operating manual, Omega Speedmaster Professional VHS tape, and Italian edition of the hardcover "The Moon Watch" book. Also accompanied by an ‘Extract of the Archives’ document package from Omega, offering the watch's specifications and remarking that it is a "limited edition of 28 pieces having orbited the earth during 365 days (July 1993-July 1994) on board the Russian MIR station."
This was one of a total of 35 Omega Speedmaster Professional chronograph watches (28 stainless steel and 7 gold), carried to the Russian Space Station Mir aboard Soyuz TM-17 in 1993. The group of watches spent a total of 365 days on the space station, where they were observed to gain a further understanding of the effects of microgravity on watch movements. The watches were returned to Earth a year later on Soyuz TM-18, after which they were inspected and offered for sale by Omega.
Provenance:
From the iconic Christies Omega 50 Sale, collection of Riccardo Bernard, December 15, 2015; illustrated and described in Omega: A Journey Through Time by Marco Richon, 2007 (p. 624).
