Neil Armstrong’s Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Going Up For Auction

Theoretically, it could become yours...

March 25, 2025

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No, it’s not the one he wore on the Moon, of course. The Speedmaster Professional 105.012 with NASA serial number 46 that Neil Armstrong wore during Apollo 11 is on display at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC. I am talking about the watch he received during that famous banquet dinner on November 25th, 1969, in Houston, Texas. RR Auctions will be offering this gold Speedmaster “Tribute to Astronauts” on April 17th, 2025.

Neil Armstrong 18K gold Speedmaster “Tribute to Astronauts” — Image: RR Auctions

“Tribute to Astronauts”

On that 1969 evening at the Warwick Hotel in Houston, Omega presented 26 gold Speedmaster Professional ref. B145.022-69 watches to 23 astronauts (and three posthumously to the astronauts who died during the Apollo 1 accident). Later, the brand offered another eight watches to NASA astronauts who had their missions after that date. Additionally, two Apollo 13 astronauts received unnumbered editions. This adds up to 36 watches presented to NASA astronauts. We’ve covered the story many times here on Fratello. Here’s our guide to the gold Speedmaster BA145.022-69 if you want to know more about this specific watch. In Omega’s Museum in Biel, Switzerland, you can find the two gold Speedmaster watches offered to President Nixon and Vice President Agnew, who both had to decline this gift due to its value. You can also see some Speedmaster “Tribute to Astronauts” models there, such as the one that belonged to astronaut Ken Mattingly.

Neil Armstrong in Paris, December 1969, wearing his gold Speedmaster “Tribute to Astronauts”

Value of Neil Armstrong’s Speedmaster BA145.022-69

In recent years, we’ve witnessed the auctions of quite a few gold Speedmaster “Tribute To Astronauts” ref. BA145.022-69 watches. Some of these gold Moonwatches fetched exceptional prices.

Wally Schirra wearing his gold Speedmaster Professional BA145.022-69

For example, Wally Schirra’s sold for US$1.9 million (including the buyer’s premium), while the one that belonged to Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins went for US$765,000 at auction. Apollo 13 astronaut Jack Swigert’s watch fetched US$152,400. The Omega Museum bought the gold Schirra watch. According to Larry McGlynn, who has a passion for space objects and appeared on the Space Dealers show, Neil Armstrong’s gold Speedmaster (number 17) disappeared in the 1980s. However, it resurfaced a few years ago, and rumors were spreading that the watch would go up for sale or auction. It seems that day will be April 17th, 2025.

Neil Armstrong 18k gold Speedmaster "Tribute to Astronauts". Image by RR Auctions.

Image: RR Auction

According to RR Auction, half of the hammer price for this watch will be donated to charities. These will be selected by Mark Armstrong, Neil’s son. He adds, “This watch, which my father liked to wear on special occasions, symbolizes one of the most remarkable achievements in the history of mankind.” The estimate for this gold Speedmaster is more than US$2 million.

Neil Armstrong, second from right — Image: Archives de la Ville de Montréal

Armstrong wore it often

Of the 36 Omega Speedmaster “Tribute to Astronauts,” space-watch buff Philip Corneille identified 24 NASA astronauts wearing theirs in pictures he found. Neil Armstrong wore his 18K gold Speedmaster Professional BA145.022-69 on several occasions in the first years after he received the watch.

Neil Armstrong wearing his gold Speedmaster during an appearance at UC — Image: Ralph Spitzen / University of Cincinnati

Armstrong lived a somewhat quiet life after Apollo 11 and was a professor at the University of Cincinnati from 1972 until 1980. In later years, he appeared in public on a few occasions (including at Baselworld in 2009, which I witnessed). His 18K gold Speedmaster “Tribute to Astronauts” had already disappeared by then.

rear view of Neil Armstrong's gold Omega Speedmaster "Tribute to Astronauts"

Image: RR Auction

Which astronaut received which number?

Luckily, an overview of all the 18K gold Speedmaster Professional BA145.022-69 watches allocated to NASA astronauts is available. Numbers 1 and 2 were offered to the US President and Vice President, as mentioned in this article.

#3 Al Shepard (Mercury-Redstone 3, Apollo 14)
#4 Gus Grissom (Mercury-Redstone 4, Gemini 3, Apollo 1)
#5 John Glenn (Mercury-Atlas 6, STS-95)
#6 Scott Carpenter (Mercury-Atlas 7)
#7 Gordon Cooper (Mercury-Atlas 9, Gemini 5)
#8 Wally Schirra (Mercury-Atlas 8, Gemini 6A, Apollo 7)
#9 John Young (Gemini 3, Gemini 10, Apollo 10, Apollo 16, STS-1, STS-9)
#10 Ed White (Gemini 4, Apollo 1)
#11 James McDivitt (Gemini 4, Apollo 9)
#12 Pete Conrad (Gemini 5, Gemini 11, Apollo 12, Skylab 2)
#13 Thomas Stafford (Gemini 6A, Gemini 9A, Apollo 10, Apollo-Soyuz Test Project)
#14 Jim Lovell (Gemini 7, Gemini 12, Apollo 8, Apollo 13)
#15 Frank Borman (Gemini 7, Apollo 8)
#16 David Scott (Gemini 8, Apollo 9, Apollo 15)
#17 Neil Armstrong (Gemini 8, Apollo 11)
#18 Gene Cernan (Gemini 9A, Apollo 10, Apollo 17)
#19 Michael Collins (Gemini 10, Apollo 11)
#20 Dick Gordon (Gemini 11, Apollo 12, Apollo 18)
#21 Buzz Aldrin (Gemini 12, Apollo 11)
#22 Donn Eisele (Apollo 7)
#23 Walter Cunningham (Apollo 7)
#24 Bill Anders (Apollo 8)
#25 Rusty Schweickart (Apollo 9)
#26 Alan Bean (Apollo 12, Skylab 3)
#27 Deke Slayton (Apollo-Soyuz Test Project)
#28 Roger Chaffee (Apollo 1)
#1001 Stu Roosa (Apollo 14)
#1002 Ed Mitchell (Apollo 14)
#1003 Jim Irwin (Apollo 15)
#1004 Al Worden (Apollo 15)
#1005 Charlie Duke (Apollo 16)
#1006 Ken Mattingly (Apollo 16, STS-4, STS-51-C)
#1007 Ron Evans (Apollo 17)
#1008 Jack Schmitt (Apollo 17)

And then, of course, two more 18K Speedmasters were presented to Jack Swigert and Fred Haise.

Image: RR Auction

Some thoughts on the Armstrong “Tribute to Astronauts” watch

It is no secret that I love the gold Speedmaster BA145.022-69. When I bought my first Speedmaster in 1999, I happened to run into someone with one of the commercial editions (with a different inscription on the case back). That watch made a massive impression on me, and I promised myself I’d get one whenever possible. The 2019 50th-anniversary re-edition is often on my wrist, and I think it’s one of the best Speedmaster models Omega has ever released.

An original astronaut-owned 18K gold Speedmaster “Tribute to Astronauts” would be next-level and possibly grail material. If Neil Armstrong owned the watch, we could ditch the “possibly.” The estimated value of US$2 million is steep, especially considering the last few auctions of this BA145.022-69. However, it belonged to Neil Armstrong, the first man on the Moon. It is not the watch he wore on the Moon, though, and it has had a rough life, as seen in the images. Considering the current market, I’ll be surprised if it exceeds a million dollars. I hope that Omega will bid on this watch because what better place does it deserve than in the brand’s museum in Biel, Switzerland?

All information about this auction can be found on RR Auction’s website.

Thanks to Philip Corneille for his excellent work on the photography identification of astronauts’ watches.