Omega alaska project

Lucky for me, I was able to get the last unsold new one here in the US that Omega had.

View all posts by Brendan M. It was serendipity that this watch model found itself first orbiting the earth in The Speedmaster name was originally inspired by the target market for many chronographs: the racing community. But Omega did not hesitate to pivot and expand upon the reputational benefits from serving in outer space. Passing this test would mean a watch would typically survive even if it experienced five times the forces associated with extreme, emergency spaceflight circumstances such as a Soyuz ballistic emergency reentry. The Omega Speedmaster reference

Omega alaska project

Limited to pieces, this now iconic Speedmaster is named after Omega's secret watch development program called The Alaska Project. The program aimed at improving, among other watches, the Speedmaster's readiness to space exploration. In particular, the watch's ability to withstand extreme temperatures. The original prototypes of the Alaska project were produced in the early seventies and are remarkably close to the re-edition shown here. NASA astronauts could encounter extreme temperatures as they embarked on space journeys, and despite the fact the Speedmaster had already been approved for these temperatures, Omega wanted to see if they could make it even better. Looking purely at the fact and figures, it is safe to say that they did. They fitted a Speedmaster with a white dial to help reflect heat and created a purpose-built removable anodized aluminum outer case to act as a heat shield. This meant that the watch could now function in temperatures ranging from minus degrees Celsius to plus degrees Celsius. To make the watch more readable, it was fitted with rocket-shaped sub-second hands and a small line of luminous paint to be read in the dark. All of these were fantastic improvements to an already great watch. But that was in itself the problem for NASA. They already had a great watch approved for space flight and weren't interested in switching to this new and improved version. The Alaska Project prototype therefore never went into production until , when Omega re-launched the watch as a limited edition of pieces, of which this watch is one. This watch is in fantastic condition and hardly shows any wear.

I think that is more important than its actual insulating capacity.

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The Omega watch known as the Alaska Project was originally developed as one of several efforts made by Omega to introduce a version of the Speedmaster built specifically with support for manned space flight in mind. As we all know, the original Speedmaster was never designed for use in space, and especially not for one of the roles in which it became most famous: as a watch to be worn during EVA that is, on the outside of a suit during a spacewalk, or during work on the lunar surface. This version had a zinc coated dial, high visibility hands for the minute and hour registers, and most conspicuously, a very large red anodized aluminum outer shroud, designed to protect the watch from excess heat. It was long thought that these watches were never actually used in manned space flight and as far as we know, this is certainly true of the US space program; apparently, NASA never took the project beyond the prototyping stage, and never tested the Alaska Project watches in a spacecraft, or during EVAs. However, the Omega-focused Tumblr known as Moonwatchuniverse, has run across what seems incontrovertible photographic evidence that in fact, at least two Alaska Project watches were used: on Soyuz 25, which in became the first Soviet spacecraft to attempt to dock with the newest Soviet space station, Salyut 6. Though little remembered today, Salyut 6 was revolutionary for its time and orbited the Earth from late through July , when it was de-orbited and as planned, burned up during reentry into the Earth's atmosphere. Salyut 6 was launched unmanned, and the first manned attempt to dock with it was Soyuz 25, with two cosmonauts named Vladimir Kovalyonok and Valery Ryumin as crew.

Omega alaska project

The upcoming auction season has some pretty spectacular things on offer — none more so than the stainless steel at Phillips. The auction house has a bunch of other super high-end, super fancy stuff on offer too, like a Tiffany-signed Rolex , a Cartier-signed Patek , and some other steel Pateks and mega Rolex. It's a good catalog.

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You will automatically receive a copy of your invoice via email after completing your order. All pre-ordered watches are bespoke and made-to-order, so the regular day return window does not apply. To make the watch more readable, it was fitted with rocket-shaped sub-second hands and a small line of luminous paint to be read in the dark. The red color was also chosen for specific reason — related to either ambient radiation or protection against sunlight. Skip to content sales europeanwatch. Omega introduced a re-issue not as a limited edition of the Speedmaster Mark II back in aBlogtoWatch review here , and ironically, that is another modern Speedmaster watch that is part of my collection. NASA was also planning a never to be realized mission to the dark side of the moon where temperatures are much cooler. The risk of bright reflections in space was mitigated by micro-bead sandblasting to achieve a matte. What about pre-orders? Will I have to pay importation fees? The effort was code-named the Alaska Project in order to obscure the intended customer. Advertising Message. Though the Speedmaster movement was not primarily designed for operation in space, it did so nonetheless. They already had a great watch approved for space flight and weren't interested in switching to this new and improved version. Accessories Print Books Art and Collectables.

Lucky for me, I was able to get the last unsold new one here in the US that Omega had. Omega still produces Speedmaster Moonwatch models very much like those that went to the moon during the Apollo missions on the wrists of NASA astronauts in the s. All I can do is add my own thoughts and experience with Omega Speedmaster watch models.

Any customs importation fees or taxes are the sole responsibility of the customer and are outside of our control. An interesting piece of trivia is that the original Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Alaska Project from about was a lot more than a white-dialed Speedmaster. The Alaska II inherited spacecraft silhouette hands from the Alaska I although here it was black and included in all three registers seconds, cumulative minutes, and cumulative seconds. This watch is in fantastic condition and hardly shows any wear. Please be aware that this is outside of our control — thank you for you understanding at this time. Page 1 of 2 Prev Next. Rubber Straps Tropic Style. Should you change your mind after placing your order, Fratello will honor any cancellations and offer a full refund when the request is made before the pre-order window closes. Some of the stickers are still on the watch. But Omega did not hesitate to pivot and expand upon the reputational benefits from serving in outer space.