Omega Speedmaster Professional ST 105.012, first introduced in 1964. This is the “original Moonwatch” because this model was the first to land on the Moon in 1969. The Speedmaster ST 105.012 was the model worn by US astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin during Apollo 11 for that historic 20 July 1969 moment at 10.56pm Eastern Daylight Time when Armstrong became the first man to land on the Moon. Photo: © TANG Portfolio/TimeWerke.

Omega’s iconic Speedmaster chronograph is regarded as the “Moonwatch” as it was the first wristwatch that landed on Earth’s only natural satellite.

That historical day was on Sunday, 20 July 1969 at 10.56pm Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) or 2.56am Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) on 21 July when American astronaut Neil Armstrong planted his foot on the Moon, forever sealing his name in history books as the first man on the Moon.

That event therefore occurred on 21 July 1969 at 10.26am Singapore and Malaysia time. In 1969, the time zone setting for Singapore and Malaysia was UTC + 7.30 hours.

What Omega Speedmaster watch was used on the first Moon landing in 1969?

While most would loosely refer to any Omega Speedmaster as the “Moonwatch”, technically speaking, only one particular model was used by US astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on their historic 1969 Moon landing.

In the words of the immortal Connor MacLeod played by Christopher Lambert in the 1986 movie Highlander, “There can be only one.”

That “only one” or the “original Moonwatch” was a fourth generation Speedmaster Professional, the ST 105.012, that was first introduced in 1964.

For those who wish to watch that historical moment, here is one video by NASA found on their YouTube channel which we recommend: The Flight of Apollo 11.

For those who can’t get enough of the Apollo 11 Moon landing, here is a much longer version of the Apollo 11 mission, also from NASA: Restored Apollo 11 EVA. Do note that this video is 3 hours long.