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The story of watches in space is a relatively new piece of history. This is because compared to the rich and long story of watchmaking, humans have only been going to space since 1961 and landed on the moon in 1969, some 8 years later.
In modern-day “space watches” are now more of a theme than anything else. They typically have some kind of involvement with space travel, although they are usually just a watch that happened to be worn in space. This could be through chance or corporate sponsorship. Obviously, the marketing power of having a watch that was worn by an astronaut in harsh conditions makes people value a brand.
In reality, any fairly well made watch could be sent in to space and marketed as a space watch. However, the history of watches in space cannot be changed, and several brands have firmly stamped their place in the sands of time forever.
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USA Watches Vs Soviet Union Watches
It was the Soviet Union that first made the journey into space in 1961. Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin wore a Sturmanskie, making it both the first Russian space watch. Surprisingly, this watch was not a chronograph. The only reason Gagarin may have worn a watch was so that he would know what the time was back in Moscow since it would not have any other use. Being the first watch in space, it was also a huge unknown of whether watches actually work in space (they do! see below).
As you would expect, the first watch in space from an American perspective was a much more corporate endeavor. Back in the 1960’s Omega was a popular brand, but there were many other Swiss brands jockeying for position since quartz timepieces had not yet been invented. Bulova was a brand that was heavily in contention to be one of the first watches worn in space before Omega pipped them to the post. Becoming the first watch worn on the moon was gigantic for the brand and cemented its place in history.
Bulova on the other hand is now owned by Japanese watch manufacturer Citizen and have had a lot of their watches outsourced to the far east. Who knows what would have happened if Bulova had beaten Omega to the punch. Perhaps the Speedmaster and Seamaster would not be the watches they are today. We could instead all be wearing precisionist and Accutron watches.
Do Wristwatches Work In Space?
Yes. Pretty much any watch you can find will work in space. The untested objection to this rule maybe something like a liquid HYT watch (video) since the lack of gravity may alter the speed at which liquid is moved around the dial.
However, other than this, all mechanical and digital watches will work in space. The longevity of mechanical watches has not yet been tested in space, although it is likely that the lack of gravity would mildly affect the timekeeping over a long period of time. Whilst there may not be any noticeable difference to the human eye, it could well be that watches gain or lose time a little faster than they should.
Which Watches Are Worn In Space?
What Watches Do NASA Use?
The only certified brand which NASA uses for spacewalks is Omega. This is not due to specifications or the fact that Omega watches work better in space, but more likely due to a business agreement.
It is well known that the first watch worn on the moon was the Omega Speedmaster, a watch so popular and widely recognized that it is now known as the moonwatch.
Other watch brands, such as Seiko and Sinn have also been worn by NASA astronauts in space. However, the most commonly associated brand with the agency is Omega. Due to the fact that it was worn in such a groundbreaking event, this is very unlikely to change.
What Watch Do Russian Cosmonauts Wear?
Russian cosmonauts have worn a variety of Russian branded watches during their long history of space travel. Perhaps most famously, Yuri Gagarin wore a Sturmanskie which was the first-ever watch in space. Much like the Omega moonwatch, newer iterations of the Gagarin Sturmanskie are available to buy today.
The first watch thought to be worn on a spacewalk also goes to a cosmonaut. Alexey Leonov wore a white dial Strela chronograph whilst doing this nerve-wracking activity.
What Watches Do SpaceX Astronauts Wear?
SpaceX astronauts seem to wear whatever watch they choose. In comparison to NASA, SpaceX is a very new company and has had far less astronauts in orbit, so it’s hard to say whether they will be a running theme throughout their future lifespan.
So far Bob Behnken wore an Omega X-33 during the launch of the spacecraft Falcon 9 which was a successful mission to the Internation Space Station.
Is Omega Discontinuing The Moonwatch?
No. Whilst Omega announced in early 2021 it was discontinuing 2 models of the moonwatch, this does not mean that the moonwatch series will be discontinued. In fact, as 2 reference numbers were retired, 8 more were put into production including higher-end luxury models made of 18k gold.
The Best Space Themed Watches
Omega Moonwatch
Clearly, the moonwatch has the most bragging rights of any space watch. Being the first watch on the moon may not actually matter if you think of things from a logical perspective, but it certainly is a great marketing strategy.
Not only was the Speedmaster worn by Buzz Aldrin, it also had a legitimate use for the Apollo 13 mission, proving that it is not just a luxury timepiece. After an engine failure, the chronograph on the watch was used to measure a 14 second burn, ensuring a safe landing back to earth. Whilst this could have been counted in any number of other ways, it does at least give the watch some real history within space flight and genuinely helped save the lives of astronauts.
Of course, the moonwatch version of the Speedmaster is more expensive than other similar models. But this is the price you will pay for such a story.
Bulova Spaceview
Certainly, the most strikingly beautiful Spacewatch of all time is the Bulova Accutron Spaceview. Bulova are not ashamed of their high-tech quartz movement and show a full skeletal view of the circuit board rather than covering it with a dial.
Accutron watches are no stranger to space flight and had been on several space missions before being replaced by Omega for the moon landing.
Even though the Accutron spaceview is a vintage watch, there is good news for fans of the series. In 2020 Bulova decided to release a new version of the model. In my opinion, the vintage piece looks far superior, which is why it still trades for several hundred dollars 50-60 years after its release.
Bulova Lunar Pilot
The Bulova Lunar Pilot is the space watch that “could have been”. Locked in a bitter rivalry with Omega before the first NASA mission to the moon. Bulova ultimately came in second place. Unfortunately for them, history only remembers the winners, not who finished near the front.
Visually, you can see the similarities with the Omega moonwatch. The chronograph pushers are more subtle on this model and blend in with the case, which makes it wear to its case size of 45mm and not any bigger. Of course, the main difference in modern-day is that this watch is significantly cheaper than the Omega moonwatch. The main reason for this is Bulova is no longer a top-level luxury brand and specializes in making quartz watches. This should be considered a much more affordable alternative to the moonwatch.
Poljot Strela
Strela are a brand embedded within Soviet space programs. The watch pictured is the Strela Poljot which is the watch that was worn by cosmonaut Alexey Leonov. Wearing this watch, he performed the first-ever space walk, which became even scarier when he was unable to re-enter the spacecraft and barely managed to get inside after draining excess air from his spacesuit.
Leonov also crash-landed in the Ural mountains after this mission and was attacked by a pack of feral wolves when the spacecraft did land. Overall, this pretty much summarises the Strela brand, it is super tough and can still be acquired on eBay some 80 years after it was launched into orbit.
Seiko Astronaut Watch (A829-6019)
Made instantly famous by Dutch astronaut Wubbo Ockels, this was at least the second Seiko taken into space that was a personal choice – not corporate sponsorship.
This should tell you what you need to know about the Seiko brand, as they are marketed through word of mouth and genuine enthusiasm for the usefulness of their watches.
The official name for this watch is the Seiko Rotocall. It has fairly proprietary technology which didn’t catch on – by turning the bezel you are able to use each different function displayed around the dial. Granted, these watches are very hard to come by in decent condition these days, so you will have to keep your eyes on eBay auctions if you want one that looks visually appealing.
Fortis B42 Official Cosmonauts Watch
The Fortis B42 is a fairly oversized watch with a 44mm case size and lugs which measure 54mm. Not only this, but it really is the modern-day watch used by cosmonauts. There are no records to prove this story is 100% true, but Russia are not really global masters of advertisement, so we will give them the benefit of the doubt.
You likely couldn’t have made a better commercial. A cosmonaut had gone on a spacewalk and realized he did not have the hammer he needed to put a piece of the space station back into place. Without hesitation, he took off his Fortis B42 and hammered the piece back where it should have been. There is no doubt that the CEO of Fortis did a backflip in his office after hearing this story.
All in all, the Swiss-made timepiece is genuinely a well-made watch and very solid. It is expensive, but as you can see, it is tough enough to be used as a space hammer.
Fiyta Spacemaster
Strangely enough, the obscure Chinese brand Fiyta, now has a rare and collectible model which you are going to have to search high and low to find. Due to only 699 pieces being sold at a price tag of $2000, you are no longer going to find this watch brand new and your only option is really the occasional eBay auction.
The watch itself is an oversized chronograph that is made of titanium and has a case size of 54mm (public model is 44mm). When you add in the size of the chronograph pushers, you can imagine how large this watch will wear on your wrist. In fairness to the Chinese brand, this was designed for an astronaut to view through a space helmet, so a small dial was not an option.
If you find the spacemaster impossible to find, Fiyta does make a model named “aeronautics”, which is essentially the same style watch, albeit without the space history.
Omega Speemdaster Spacemaster
Omegas latest development in space watches is the speedmaster spacemaster. As you can see, this is not at all a typical speedmaster and was developed 100% with astronauts in mind. Although the average Omega customer is not an astronaut, the brand clearly took their feedback on board when developing this watch.
It has access to multiple timezones which are displayed in bright red LED’s. This would be useful if you’re flying around in complete darkness and want to know what time it is back home.
The spacemaster is very expensive considering it is a analogue-digital quartz based movement. However, the only real alternative at the luxury level is a Breitling Aerospace, which does not have any history with NASA.
Seiko Pogue (6139)
The Seiko Pogue was the first automatic chronograph to be taken in to space. Whilst the model which made it up to space has a bright yellow dial, these are becoming increasingly difficult to track down. In addition to this being a watch that was discontinued in the 1970’s, it is also becoming harder to find one in good condition.
Seiko did not even know this watch was going in to space, as Colonel William Pogue had not received an Omega speedmaster despite being a NASA astronaut. When he did receive the Omega, he was already in love with the Seiko so took it along for the ride anyway.
Sturmanskie Gagarin
The first true cosmonaut watch was worn by Russian hero Yuri Gagarin. Prior to Gagarin being launched in to orbit, only dogs and monkeys had previously been sent, many of which had died from things which humans had not yet accounted for concerning space flight.
Since Gagarin returned unscathed, Sturmanskie have released hundreds of commemorative pieces honoring the cosmonaut. The actual watch Gagarin wore was a simple mechanical watch with no complications sporting a white dial and black hands. This is a far cry from many of the modern pieces which have been released, most of which do not look anything like the original.
With that being said, Sturmanskie watches are well made and generally pretty good value for money.
Tag Heuer Carrera Spacex Chronograph
Stretching the space accomplishments a little bit is the Tag Heuer brand. There is no doubt that the first Swiss watch in space was Heuer 2915A stopwatch (before the 1985 merger with Tag), but does anyone really care about this? It is neither the first watch in space, nor the first watch on the moon.
As you can see, the dial makes a lot of references to the fact that Tag sent a watch in to space. The left hand subdial has the year it was sent, whilst the right side of the dial says “first Swiss watch in space”. Overall though, this is just a marketing gimmick. Compared to the price of other Carrera models, this is quite a bit more expensive. This is partly because this model is a limited edition, although if you’re after either a Carrera or a space watch, there are plenty of other better value watches to choose from.
Sinn 141 Chronograph
Sinn entered space for the first time in 1985, with a fairly expensive chronograph. The 141 model is towards the top end of the Sinn price range and makes use of the ultra popular Valjoux 7750 chronograph movement. As you can see, the movement has been modified by removing the top subdial.
The 141 chronograph is thought to be the second ever automatic chronograph to be worn in space (the Seiko Pogue) being the first. Regardless of the space history, Sinn are a very solid and underrated brand who make very high quality watches. It is nice to see that an astronaut appreciated the brand enough to take it in to space with him.
