NASA have exhaustively tested the Omega Speedmaster and the later renamed Speedmaster Professional models three times making it one of the most tested watches of all time.
In light of the 16 year spread in this testing and evaluation program, it is clear that both the early Speedmaster and the later Speedmaster Professional models and both the early Cal. 321 & the current Cal. 861 movements were all thoroughly tested.
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First manufactured in 1957 by Omega Watch company in Bienne, Switzerland, the Speedmaster Professional is a chronograph capable of measuring elapsed time in seconds, minutes and hours. The black anodized multi-dial face with luminous markers is housed in a stainless steel waterproof case. There are 150 separate parts and the chronograph is anti-magnetic and shock protected. There is a tachymeter outer scale used for calculating speeds or unit per hour production. |
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In the early days of the space program during Project Mercury, wrist timing devices were used for manned space flight as a backup to the on-board timing devices. There was no watch that was "standard issue" during Project Mercury. It was the astronaut's choice to wear/not wear a wrist timing device, and to choose the make/model he thought best. Astronauts Shepard, Grissom and Glenn wore no watch. Scott Carpenter wore a Breitling Navitimer. The Omega Speedmaster was first flight tested in space by Walter Schirra aboard Sigma 7, October 1962. The Omega ran flawlessly and was used as backup to the on-board clock. On-board timing devices in the Mercury capsule were internal to the spacecraft and wristwatches had not undergone rigorous testing, as the astronaut never left the protected environment of the spacecraft. On the last Mercury Mission, Gordon Cooper wore both the Omega Speedmaster and a Bulova Accutron Astronaut in order to compare the accuracy of the manually-wound Omega to the then new electronic Bulova. The Omega was used to time the firing sequence of the retro rockets for re-entry. However, with the Gemini and Apollo programs, astronauts would also need wrist timing devices to help them with EVA activities, such as spacewalks, photographic timing exposures, and timing fuel cell purges. Such a watch should be able to operate in the vacuum of space where there exists wide variances in temperature and pressure. The primary requirement for the wrist timing device was to provide the capability to perform short interval timing and backup for the main spacecraft timing device. Initially, a manually wound watch was required, as the "self-winding" watch mechanisms depend upon the action of an inertial pendelum in a gravity environment for performing the winding function. Consequently, these devices would not function in the reduced gravity environment encountered in space flight. |
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In 1962, NASA began the search for a wristwatch that could be worn by the Gemini and Apollo astronauts. NASA purchased watches from several companies and devised a series of stringent tests and procedures that were to be followed to the letter, to test them. These were known as "Qualification Test Procedures" and a (necessarily) abridged version follows below....The only watch that survived this testing to a satisfactory level was the Omega Speedmaster Professional. It is significant to note that this was a standard, production line model which was purchased over-the-counter, incognito at a Houston jewelry store. |
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A: The watches will be wound immediately prior to each testing phase. B. The stopwatch feature should be operated during each test and during periods between tests. The stopwatch operation should be recycled immediately before and after each test and when delays occur, at two to six-hour intervals between tests. C: Time accuracy checks should be made before after each test, at one-hour intervals during testing (when possible) and at two to' six-hour intervals between tests, if testing delays occur. |
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D: In conjunction with each time check, the watches should be inspected for damage to the case, crystal, dial, strap and buttons, and for the presence of moisture underneath the crystal. |
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E: A watch should be withdrawn from further testing if the following failures occur: Complete watch operation failure with no restart capability Complete stopwatch operation failure with no restart capability Two watch operation failures of any type even though restart capability exists Cracked or broken crystal Broken winding stem or stop watch controls |
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Watches which had been successful during the pre-selection phase underwent a total of 11 different tests....... 1. HIGH TEMPERATURE: 48 hours at a temperature of 160°F (71°C) followed by 30 minutes at 200°F (93°C). This under a pressure of 5.5 psia (0.35 atm) and relative humidity not exceeding 15%. |
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2. LOW TEMPERATURE: Four hours at a temperature of o°F ( -18°C). 3. TEMPERATURE-PRESSURE: Chamber pressure maximum of 1.47 x 10-5 psia(10-6 atm) with temperature raised to 160°F (71°C). The temperature shall then be lowered to o°F ( -18°C) in 45 minutes and raised again to 160°F in 45 minutes. Fifteen more such cycles shall be completed. |
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4. RELATIVE HUMIDITY: A total time of 240 hours at temperatures varying between 68° and 160°F (20° and 71°C) in a relative humidity of at least 95%. The steam used must have a pH value between 6.5 and 7. 5. 5. OXYGEN ATMOSPHERE: The test item shall be placed in an atmosphere of 100% oxygen at a pressure of 5.5 psia (0.35 atm) for 48 hours. Performance outside the specification tolerance, visible burning, creation of toxic gases, obnoxious odours, or deterioration of seals or lubricants shall constitute failure to pass this test. The ambient temperature shall be maintained at 160°F (71°C). 6. SHOCK: Six shocks of 40 g's, each 11 milliseconds in duration, in six different directions. |
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7. ACCELERATION: The equipment shall be accelerated linearly from ig to 7.25 g within 333 seconds, along an axis parallel to the longitudinal spacecraft axis. 8. DECOMPRESSION: Ninety minutes in a vacuum of 1.47 x 10-5 psia (10-6 atm) at a temperature of 160°F (71°C) and 30 minutes at 200°F (93°C). 9. HIGH PRESSURE: The equipment to be subjected to a pressure of 23.5 psia (1.6 atm) for a minimum period of one hour. 10. VIBRATION: Three cycles of 30 minutes (lateral, horizontal, vertical), the frequency varying from 5 to 2,000 cps and back to 5 cps in 15 minutes. Average acceleration per impulse must be at least 8.8 g. 11. ACOUSTIC NOISE: 130db over a frequency range from 40 to 10,000 hz, duration 30 minutes. |
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On March 1, 1965, the test results were complete. Three brands' chronographs had still been in the running. Of those, one brand's entry had stumbled on two separate occasions in the water-resistance test. In the course of the heat- resistance test it finally came to rest for good. The large seconds-hand had bent and twisted itself around the other hands. And that was that. The crystal of a second brand's chronograph had warped and come away from the case during the heat test. The same unfortunate occurrence took place with a second model of the same make during the decompression test. No go here, either. Only the Omega Speedmaster passed and so was chosen as the official chronograph for the space program. NASA's testers, the soul of sobriety, were more matter-of-fact: "Operational and environmental tests of the three selected chronographs have been completed; and, as a result of the test, Omega chronographs have been calibrated and issued to three members of the GT -3 crews." |
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"GT-3" (Gemini Titan III) was a reference to the first Gemini flight, which took off at 04:52 on March 23, 1965, with astronauts Virgil Grissom and John Young on board. Both men wore Omega Speedmaster wristwatches and the Speedmaster became part of the standard equipment issued to all astronauts. The watch was worn on the outside of the pressure suit with the use of a large black velcro band. It was worn during the first walk in space by an American, Edward White, in 1965 and the following year Omega added the word 'Professional' to the dial. Thus, the Omega Speedmaster Professional was born... |
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Two years before the first lunar landing, a memo by Donald K. (Deke) Slayton, then director of Flight Crew operations at NASA, indicated a need for "a wrist chronograph that would be qualified for use in a hostile environment existing on the lunar surface." He pointed out the difficulties in temperature protection and pressure suit garment interface needed by astronauts on the lunar surface. He once again suggested that in order to measure elapsed time, a chronograph would be best suited forthese purposes. |
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Due to its performance and reliability, the Speedmaster Professional (as it was now known) was selected again as the official chronograph by NASA for project Apollo. Each astronaut wore one chronograph for spaceflight as a standard issue. Most, however, wore two during spaceflight. One watch was set on Mission Elapsed time (MET) and the other was set on Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) or Houston time. The watch became very popluar with the astronauts and was often used in their everyday lives as well as their work in the space flight simulators. |
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However, the use of Swiss chronographs in the American space program met with political resistance by a number of American watch makers, specifically the Bulova Watch Company. In the early days of the space program, Bulova did not make a chronograph, but nonetheless, it exerted considerable pressure on NASA to use Bulova products. There were various meetings with NASA officials in order to promote the use of their products. In 1964, Senate hearings involved the domestic watch manufacturing industry and their use in space and defense projects. Senator Symington from Missouri, Margaret Chase Smith from Massachusetts, and Senator Stennis from Georgia were present at these meetings. The former assistant secretary of defense, Marx Leva, was retained by Bulova as their legal council. James Webb, the administrator of NASA at that time, was aware of these meetings and helped shape NASA's response to them. The Omega Speedmaster continued to be used throughout the Apollo program. The last manned lunar landing Apollo 17 was scheduled for December 1972. As this date approached, the Bulova Watch Company became increasingly concerned that its products be used for this last manned lunar mission. Letters were sent to the special assistant to the President at the White House from Bulova indicating their displeasure with the use of Swiss chronographs in the American space program. Thus it was decided by the Administrator on NASA, James Fletcher, that if a suitable Bulova chronograph could be found, it would be used on the last Apollo mission. The astronauts responded by stating that if forced to wear the Bulova time piece, they would also wear the Omega as "insurance." |
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Bulova had insisted that chronographs chosen by NASA follow the policy of the "buy American" regulations estalished by the Senate. Both Omega and Bulova wished to comply with this, however, as of 1972, Bulova did not manufacture a US made chronograph. In August of 1972, sixteen companies were notified by NASA that the Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC) planned to establish a Qualified Product List (QPL) for possible future procurement of astronaut watches. This list included:
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| In order to comply with the 'Buy American' act, Omega had the cases for the Speedmaster manufactured in Michigan by the Starr Watch Case Company. Crystals were shipped to them from Switzerland. Completed cases with crystals were shipped on to the Hamilton Watch Company in Pennsylvania, for inspection and testing. The case and crystals were then shipped to Switzerland where the movements were installed and the entire watch was subjected to final inspection and environmental testing. Omega changed the original Cal. 321 movement to the Cal. 861 in 1968 so it must be assumed that the Cal. 861 was the version tested. |  |
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The Bulova Watch Company submitted 16 chronographs for testing that were manufactured in Switzerland and that Bulova had purchased these chronographs through their subsidiary in Switzerland, Universal Geneve. The 16 chronographs were disassembled by Bulova and a new crystal, a new machine case, specifically manufactured pin, a new crown and stem, a new face and dials and certain gaskets, washers and screws were replaced on each watch. The original movements and the back of each watch were retained. When confronted with the fact that these watches were, in actuality, Swiss chronographs, Bulova stated that they had invested $23,000 of research and development funds in developing and tooling the process. Thus, by utilizing these R&D costs, the watches were found to qualify under the "Buy American Act."
The
testing process was done in two stages. First, there were several
general requirements needed to become "Flight Qualified." If
a watch met these criteria, it was then subjected to a series
of specific and regorous "space flight environmental tests"
to determine final suitability for spaceflight. The general
requirements were that the watch be a chronograph, anti-magnetic,
waterproof, and shock-resistant. The case must be finished for
non-reflective characteristics, and the crystal of the chronograph
must be anit-reflective so that the dials could be easily read
under light levels ranging from three foot-candles to direct,
unfiltered sunlight. Accuracy requiremnets both in the face
up and face down positions should be plus or minus 6 seconds
in a 24 hour period. The watches were then subjected to the
specific environmental tests which included vacuum testing,
oxygen atmosphere testing, low temperature, acceleration, random
vibration test, electromagnetic induction tests, and a humidity
test. The specific test parameters are listed below..
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1. Vacuum testing..... The chronograph shall be subjected to a vacuum of 1x10^-6 Torr or better for a total of 72 hours. During the first 10 hours of testing the temperature of the items shall be increased to 160 (+/-10) degrees F. The temperature shall then be returned to 78 (+/-10) degrees F for the remainder of the test. 2. Oxygen Atmosphere/Temperature Test..... The test items shall be placed in atmosphere of 95 +/-5 percent oxygen at a pressure of 5+/-0.1 psia and a temperature of 155 +/-5 degrees F for 72 hours. Gas samples extracted from the chamber area shall be analyzed for organic and CO content per test number 6 of D-NA-0002. 3. Low Temperature..... The test items shall be lowered to 0 +/- 5 degrees F. This temperature shall be maintained for 10 +/-0.5 hours. The test items shall be allowed to return to ambient before functional testing. 4. Acceleration..... The test items shall be subjected to 20's +/- 2 g's in each direction of the three (3) perpendicular axes. 5. Random Vibration..... The test items shall be installed in a fixture and submitted to 7.8 g's RMS for 5 +/-0.1 minutes, as defined in figure 2 in each of 3 axes. The test fixture with the test items shall then be submitted to 3.2 g's for 12 +/-0.1 minutes as defined in figure 1, in each of the 3 axes [Eds. Note: Figures not provided]. 6. EMI Test..... The test items shall be subjected to all applicable requirements of Mil-STD-461A, if an electromechanical movement is employed. 7. Humidity Testing..... The test items shall be submitted to a humidity test per MIL-STD-810B, Method 507, Procedure I, except minimum temperature shall be 68 deg F and maximum temperature shall be 120 deg F. |
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These tests were completed by November 1972, and the Deputy Administrator of NASA, George Low, in his letter to the Assistant to the President at the White House, Jonathan C. Rose, stated the results of the spaceflight qualification test. "The Bulova chronograph stopped three times during the humidity test, and stopped again during the acceleration test. Based on our criteria, the Bulova chronograph therefore, has not been qualified for use on the Apollo 17 mission... We will continue to use the Omega watch in the Apollo program. The issue was finalized by a letter from Dale Myers, Associate Administrator for manned Space Flight, to Dr. George Low, the deputy director of NASA, on November 13, 1972. "The special Bulova chronographs purchased by MSC for possible application for Apollo 17 and Skylab, have failed their qualification tests both in humidity and acceleration. I have instructed the Manned Spacecraft Center to take no further action with respect to chronograph testing or other companies watches. I consider the Bulova watch issue closed." |
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Following the lunar landing, the space program continued, and 1975 marked the first handshake in space between the American and Soviet crews during the Apollo and Soyuz mission. The American and Russian crews were BOTH wearing the Speedmaster Professional. |
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The topic of astronaut timepieces was quiet for several years until 1976 when Bulova became interested in supplying time pieces for the Space Shuttle missions. Bulova had numerous public and private officials contact NASA in order to gain their objectives. Senator Jacob Javits from New York contacted the Administrator of NASA, Robert Frosch, to lobby on Bulova's behalf.Once again, NASA initiated a competetive solicitation. A new deadline was extended several times so Bulova could participate. In September 1978, astronaut chronograph watches wishing to be considered for the space shutter program underwent yet another round of prescribed space flight environmental testing. This included.....
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Responses to the NASA procurement requests were recieved from the Bulova Watch Company and the Omega Watch Company in Bienne, Switzerland. Bulova submitted a proposal offering one type of chronograph, sold to NASA for $1 each. Omega submitted 3 proposals for 3 separate models. The chronograph determined to be in compliance with the environmental requirements, achieving the highest technical score, and offered at the lowest price would be purchased. The technical evaluation team determined that, of the chronographs submitted by Bulova for space flight environmental testing, no single watch was exposed to all environmental tests. Also, one watch failed in salt-fog testing and all 3 watches exposed to vacuum testing failed to sho adequate sealing. Accordingly, the Bulova chronographs were determined to be in non-compliance with the specified environmental requirements. Once again, the Omega chronograph was superior to the other chronographs tested. The Speedmaster Professional met all environmental requirements, had the highest technical score, and was offered at the lowest price. Therefore, the Omega was accepted for procurement. It is significant to note that this was the identical model which had been submitted in 1962. The watch was offered to NASA at the cost of $0.01 per watch. |
| In April 1981, STS-1, the first shuttle mission, was launched with Commander John Young wearing the Speedmaster Professional. Now that the shuttle flights have become operational, there are no longer requirements by NASA for specific watches to be worn during shuttle missions. Withthe exception of extravehicular activity, all astronauts are confined within the pressurized environment of the shuttle. Nonetheless, the S.P. continues to be used by many of the shuttle astronauts. |  |
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In 1989, with the Soviet Union's improved attitude toward the West, the Soviet Union selected Omega as the watch supplied to all cosmonauts. Through the years, this watch has become a collector's item to some and a momento to others. Astronaut Buzz Aldrin mentions in his book "Return to Earth" that when donating several items to the Smithsonian Institution, his Omega was one fo the few things that was stolen from his personal effects. This is then the history of this interesting and historic watch. The manufacture of this chronograph gives meanign to the words quality, craftsmanship and teamwork. It has withstood vigorous and repeated testing and surely must be one of the most thoroughly tested watches in history. It was the only watch "Flight Qualified by NASA for all Manned Space Missions" and was used during Projects Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, Apollo-Soyuz, and the Space Shuttle. As the only piece of space equipment available for wear to the public, the Speedmaster Professional provides the opportunity to own a small piece of history. But perhaps the greatest legacy of the Speedmaster Professional is that it has withstood the test of time. For even now, some 30 years after it was first introduced, it is still the only watch flight-qualified by NASA for extravehicular space activity. |
Extracts from ......
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The Moon Book Omega S.A. |
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and from..... "The Moon Watch: A History of the Omega Speedmaster Professional" - February 1993 issue of the NAWCC Bulletin...by Alan A. Nelson. |
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