iW Magazine Winter 2017/18 | Page 106

2003 FROM THE MOON TO MARS 2004 APOLLO 11 2005 GEMINI IV This model coincided with the American announce- ment that they planned to build a permanent space station on the moon before 2020 to act as a launch site for future manned missions to Mars. Celebrating those celestial bodies, the watch has counters printed with images of the moon, Earth and Mars. Created to mark the 35th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission when the Omega Speedmaster became the first watch worn on the moon, this watch was produced in a limited edition of 3,500 pieces. It features the date July 20, 1969, printed in red in the upper half of the dial and the Apollo 11 patch reverse- printed on the sapphire caseback. In 1965, Edward White became the first American astronaut to walk in space. With a Speedmaster strapped to his wrist, it also became the first time that an Omega ventured outside the spacecraft. This Speedmaster was created in a limited edition of 2,005 pieces to mark the 40th anniversary of that Gemini IV mission. The dial of the watch is blue, along with the bezel, and on the other side, the Gemini IV patch is printed on the sapphire caseback. 2005 CO-AXIAL GMT 2006 APOLLO 15 2007 50th ANNIVERSARY PATCH In its quest to perfect the movement, this Speedmaster was the first to include the Co-Axial escapement. The watch saw a return of the Broad Arrow hands, a red-tipped GMT hand, and a 1 – 23 GMT hour ring. This Speedmaster was created in a limited edition of 1,971 pieces to mark the 35th anniversary of Apollo 15. It was during this mission that the Lunar Rover Vehicle was used for the first time. Its special details include 18-karat pink gold push buttons and a mission patch etched on the sapphire crystal caseback with three birds representing the astronauts. Created in a limited edition of 5,957 pieces to commemorate the birth of the Speedmaster in 1957, this watch has a golden Seahorse printed on the dial, representing the emblem with which the Speed- master is most closely associated. The Omega logo is printed in red and the watch was presented in a black wooden box with a painted 50th Anniversary badge. WINTER 2018 | INTERNATIONAL WATCH | 105