Worn & Wound: A Piece of NASA History is Now For Sale
Zach Kazan recently wrote the article ‘Scott Carpenter’s Gold Omega Speedmaster, a Piece of NASA History, Now For Sale via Wind Vintage’ on Worn & Wound.
“The watch is well understood by the collector community as one of the more historically important Speedmasters ever made. The solid gold reference 145.022-69 BA “Tribute to Astronauts” Speedmaster was presented to Carpenter along with other early astronauts (and Richard Nixon) in 1969 after the success of the Apollo 11 moon landing. These Speedmasters are a whole different breed of rare, being that they were gifts made to individuals directly from Omega on a very special occasion. The yellow gold Speedy with a complementary red bezel has become something of an icon in its own right, aided in part by the release of this 50th anniversary edition, the first hand wound co-axial Speedmaster, to no small amount of acclaim back in 2019.
It’s worth noting that this isn’t the first time an original “Tribute to Astronauts” Speedmaster has come up for public sale. Wally Schirra’s watch sold for about $1.9 million at auction last year, so Wind’s asking price of $1.5 million feels like a relative bargain, particularly when one considers the unique place Carpenter holds as a “watch guy” in the collector community.
According to Wind, Carpenter’s Speedmaster is in unpolished condition, and as the photos seen here indicate, is in great shape overall. The personalized inscription on the back is clearly visible, and the watch comes directly from Carpenter’s family.“
Find out more below: