Omega Speedmaster

A vintage Omega Speedmaster Professional, ref. 145.012-67, the pre-Moon reference of the kind worn on the Apollo missions. Omega launched the Speedmaster in 1957 as a chronograph for timing elapsed time and speed, with the tachymeter scale printed on the bezel rather than the dial. NASA declared it flight qualified for all manned space missions in 1965, and Buzz Aldrin wore one on the Moon. The design is a lesson in legibility: a matte black dial, three recessed subdials, broad white hands and the scale pushed out to the edge. Omega still sells a close descendant, and the layout is copied by chronographs at every price.