Space Watches: Edgar Mitchell’s Rolex GMT-Master 1675 And Dave Scott’s Omega Speedmaster Apollo 11
It’s not common for a watch of great rarity related to the Space Race of the Apollo Era to appear in a watch or space auction. Even more uncommon is finding several distinctive examples of rare watches from two premier Swiss brands related to mankind’s voyage to the Moon. Within RR Auction’s current Space Exploration and Aviation auction, there is a series of “Space Watches” lots featuring a handful of interesting timepieces from the Space Race era. Two of them have special significance to me because I have known their owners for many years. Those are Edgar Mitchell’s Rolex GMT-Master 1675 and Dave Scott’s gold Omega Speedmaster Apollo 11 commemorative watch.
As you may remember, Thomas van Straaten already shared some insights into Mitchell’s 1675 here. Today, though, I wanted to share some more personal stories and anecdotes and further illuminate what makes these watches (and the men who wore them) so remarkable.
To the Moon with a Rolex GMT-Master 1675
Edgar Mitchell’s family has placed his Rolex GMT-Master 1675 up for sale at RR Auction’s Fall Space Exploration auction, which ends on October 24th. Edgar wore this watch during his flight to the Moon in January 1971. There are only four Rolex GMT watches from that era known to have flown into orbit around the Moon. Jack Swigert wore one on Apollo 13 but traded it in with Rolex for a new GMT, which, due to its brown bezel, earned the nickname “Root Beer.” Ron Evans took one in his PPK bag on Apollo 17, which his wife Jan sold at auction in 2009. Stu Roosa also wore one on Apollo 14. This leaves Edgar’s watch as currently the last known Rolex that flew to the Moon during the Apollo Program to be offered through public auction.
Edgar was once asked about winding his watch during his flight, and he told the questioner, “I never worried about winding my watch because I wore a Rolex.” This statement can be proven by looking at photographs taken during the flight.
Image: RR Auction
A word with Edgar Mitchell’s daughter Karlyn
I got the chance to talk to Karlyn Mitchell, Edgar’s oldest daughter, who received the watch as a gift from her father on December 31st, 1979. Karlyn told me that her father loved the watch. He showed it to his family and explained how you could know the time in two different locations at a glance: “He loved the GMT (bezel) and told us that he could see the current time and Greenwich Mean Time at the same time.”
She told me that her dad wore his Rolex GMT-Master practically all the time. He even looked for an automatic winder for it. While we know that Edgar wore the watch during the mission due to photographic evidence as well as the Letter of Authenticity (LOA) stating that it flew to the Moon, Karlyn understands that her father wore it on the lunar surface.
Edgar Mitchell strapping on a watch with a second one visible under his other sleeve — Image: NASA
Astronaut turned collector
Edgar was the first Moonwalker I ever visited back in 1999. I used to counsel Edgar on his collection over the years, as well as other Apollo-era astronauts. While they all kept souvenirs, I found that trying to explain the value and the need to establish proper provenance on those flown objects was like trying to explain to a landscaper that his shovel was an implement of great value. To the lunar voyagers, like the landscaper, such objects were considered tools of the trade. This made getting them to organize, catalog, and establish a value on the flown objects in their possession a herculean task.
Image: RR Auction
This leads to the ambiguity of the engraving on the case back and the letter of authenticity. In 1979, Edgar had the Rolex case back engraved to state that he wore the watch “on Apollo 14.” For him, that meant it was worn on the lunar surface. He also dedicated it to Karlyn, his eldest daughter. Unfortunately, the jeweler misspelled her name by substituting an “i” instead of a “y.” Edgar’s giving of this most personal of gifts has meant to world to Karlyn over all these years.
The typed letter of authenticity signed by Edgar, which verifies ownership and proves that this Rolex flew to the Moon, further adds to its rarity and provenance.
Image: NASA
Edgar Mitchell
While this article is about a vintage watch, my thoughts return to the man who wore this timepiece to the Moon. I had known Edgar for over 15 years before his death. I miss him. We visited each other’s homes fairly frequently. He was a gracious gentleman with a diverse knowledge of the world. Edgar demonstrated his integrity time and again during our time together. He was a listener who respected the opinions of others. I do miss our conversations and “debates” on topics such as science vs. technology, religion vs. spirituality, alien landings, and paranormal phenomena. Edgar Mitchell was a unique man who looked past the Moon into the universe and found that we are made of the stars.
Image: NASA
Dave Scott
Dave and I have known each other since we first met in Los Angeles at a space event in 2004. We got to know each other better after 2009 when I handed him a white paper titled “The Future of Human Spaceflight” that I co-authored while on the MIT Space Policy Group. Dave surprised me by commenting that he had read the paper and would like to talk to the group about his thoughts on it. After being floored that he had read our work, I recovered enough to invite him to MIT to discuss the paper. He came and stayed at our home, discussed his ideas on the group’s paper, and lectured to an engineering class on his spaceflights.
Dave is a truly brilliant, well-read, articulate man. Every time I brought up a new subject, Dave had already read about it and would send off links to engineering or scientific papers for me to read. He has kept me on my toes. Dave is a true explorer.
A night to remember, but how…
On November 25th, 1969, Omega held an exclusive dinner at the Warwick Hotel in Houston. Nineteen Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo Program astronauts who had already flown in space attended the formal dinner at Omega’s invitation. During the event, Omega presented the 18K gold Omega 1969 Apollo 11 commemorative Speedmaster to each astronaut in attendance. To my knowledge, except for a small story in the Houston Chronicle at the time, there has never been any information about this amazing event published. I was told that Omega has no photographs of the event. The only way we even know of the event is through stories passed on by watch historians like Chuck Maddox.
Image: RR Auction
RR Auction’s Fall Space Exploration auction is offering Dave Scott’s gold Omega Speedmaster Apollo 11, serial number 16. Omega presented it to Dave for his participation in the Gemini 8, Apollo 9, and, eventually, Apollo 15 spaceflights. What makes this watch unique is that Dave provided a personally signed Letter of Authenticity. Dave, as an actual honoree, added his recollection of his attendance at the presentation dinner to his letter. He is one of a handful of astronaut honorees left to provide an eyewitness account of this amazing dinner.
Image: RR Auction
Dave Scott’s golden Omega Speedmaster Apollo 11
I asked Dave about the gold Speedmaster and his memories of the dinner in Houston on that November night in 1969. His first comment was “tongue in cheek” regarding the exquisite beauty and rarity of the watch: “It’s a pretty good watch, and it kept good time.” On a more serious note, Dave told me that Omega presented the watch to him at an elegant black-tie dinner. The Omega representatives handed a personalized engraved watch to each astronaut one at a time.
Dave also told me that the gold Speedmaster was important to him as a symbol of achievement. It signified that he was part of a team that accomplished the feat of engineering of landing a person on the Moon. Unlike other gold Omega 1969 Apollo 11 commemorative Speedmasters that have sold in recent years, this watch is completely original and comes directly from the Moonwalker himself. It also comes with a signed letter detailing the watch and the story behind the event. The provenance of this watch is truly impeccable.
Final thoughts
I have been lucky to know both Edgar and Dave over the years. We stayed at each other’s homes. We shared stories of exploration. I assisted them with their collections, which included both these watches. As a watch collector, I have also possessed or handled numerous space-flown watches as well as space-related presentation watches. Edgar’s Rolex GMT-Master and Dave’s gold Omega Speedmaster Apollo 11 are two of the more interesting examples I have seen of watches related to the exploration of space and the Moon. It is such a rarity to see two watches of this caliber in the same space at the same time. As Dave once told me, in spaceflight, “Time is of the essence.”
Edgar’s and Dave’s watches are now online at RR Auction. Edgar’s Rolex GMT-Master is Lot #6286 (at the time of writing this article, bidding has surpassed the $400,000 estimate at $551,406). Dave Scott’s 18K gold Omega Speedmaster Apollo 11 is Lot #6311 (currently sitting below its $200,000 estimate at $49,460). Bidding will end on October 24th, 2024.
Managing editor’s note:
A special thanks to Larry McGlynn for putting this article together and for sharing some of his unique insights. If you want to learn more about the fascinating character that is Larry and his passion for space objects, I recommend you check out his appearance on the Discovery show Space Dealers here.
