The ref. 105.012 isn’t just a moonwatch, it’s the moonwatch; this is the exact reference which Neil Armstrong wore on Apollo 11 while stepping foot on the Lunar surface for all man. It succeeded the ‘Ed White’ ref. 105.003 and was the first Speedmaster to debut what was then called the ‘Professional’ case. This meant it was the first with asymmetric crown guards, the first Speedmaster with lyre lugs on its 42mm case, and the first to combine that case with the straight handset shown here; this was the first Speedmaster to nail the modern Moonwatch recipe. Perhaps most notably, though, it was produced with the Lemania 2310-derived Omega calibre 321. This is arguably the most important movement in all Omega’s vast history.
And while that may sound like a lot detail to study, that’s really only the start. For example the bezel has the original, adored dot over ninety (often abbreviated as DON) bezel. The Omega logo was still applied back then. For the real nerds, you can tell this watch still has its original pushers and not latter service replacements because the stems are wider. And the signature at six has correct narrow Ts, not a latter service replacement either.
This example is from 1964 and stands out for the heavy but beautiful age it wears on its metal. The DON bezel is ghosted heavily, its lume has turned near pumpkin in tone, and the Omega signed crystal shows its decades of life with a few very light scars. Its likely untouched HF case shows moderate surface wear, matched in its original matching 1506 flat-link bracelet, still extremely sharp on its lugs. This is Moonwatch in original flavor, worn well and more beautiful for it.
