Watch the Icon: How Omega Accidentally Made a Space Legend

by Dara Morgan

Watch the Icon: How Omega Accidentally Made a Space Legend

30 Jun 2025

Episode 3 of Watch the Icon is here — and this one is out of this world.

Literally. Before it became known as the Moonwatch, the Omega Speedmaster was just a tidy little racing chronograph with a tachymeter on the bezel and no idea what was coming.

It was never meant for space. It was never designed for zero gravity. And it was certainly never pitched to NASA.

But then the agency bought a few anonymously, ran them through hell, and one survived every single test. The rest is lunar history.

In the new episode of our Watch the Icon podcast, Sofia Brontvein tells the story of a watch that started on the wrist of an astronaut with a good eye — and ended up timing moonwalks, rescuing Apollo 13, and becoming the most battle-tested chronograph in history.

Here are five things you probably didn’t know about the Omega Speedmaster:

1. It was never supposed to go to space. Omega built it for race car drivers. The Speedmaster launched in 1957 alongside two other tool watches. Space wasn’t even on the spec sheet.

2. NASA didn’t ask permission. In 1964, engineers simply walked into a shop, bought a bunch of watches, and tried to break them in every possible way. Only the Speedmaster passed. Omega found out after the fact.

3. It helped save Apollo 13. With computers shut down, the crew had to manually time a 14-second engine burn to get home. They used a Speedmaster. It worked. Nobody died. Omega got a NASA Snoopy award. Yes, really.

4. It still uses plastic, on purpose. The Moonwatch crystal is made of Hesalite, an acrylic material that doesn’t shatter in va acuum. It scratches easily… but won’t kill you in space. Priorities.

5. It is still flight-qualified — nearly 60 years later. Today’s astronauts still wear Speedmasters. Not a remake. Not a tribute. The real deal. Hand-wound, space-rated, and built to survive chaos.

Listen now

Episode 3 of Watch the Icon is now live on YouTube.

If you have ever wanted to know how a racing chronograph ended up writing space history, this one is for you.

Missed previous episodes? Here you go:

1. The Cartier Santos-Dumont

2. The Rolex Submariner

by Dara Morgan