I frequently read that only the 105.012 has been proven to have been on the moon. On what is this based? According to what I've read I've compiled this list of Apollo astronaut watches. I assume the switch from 105.012 to 145.012 happened before either NASA issue number 70,71 or 73 implying that Collins, Shepard and Mitchell had 145.012s. This is born out by the pics from the Smithsonian I've included below showing the taller pushers and flat-end chrono hands. I can't find Lovell or Roosa's Speedy's anywhere. The issue number I believe correlates better with year of production than serial number as we all know Omega was a bit haphazard with the chronological order of serial numbers back then.

So who believes as I do that at least 2 astronauts (Shepard & Mitchell during Apollo 14 in 1971) walked on the moon with 145.012s? If you have other evidence please tell!

Apollo Moonmissions Chronographs
105.012 + 145.012 (145.012 in bold)

Moon:
Conrad 036
Scott 042 + Bulova Moonwatch!
Aldrin 043
Armstrong 046
Irwin 047
Young 049
Duke 054
Bean 062
Schmitt 065
Cernan 067
Shepard 075
Mitchell 077

Orbit Moon Command Module:
Worden 045
Mattingly 050
Gordon 057
Evans 061
Haise 068
Swigert 069
Lovell 070*
Roosa 071*
Collins 073

*Unknown whether 105.012 or 145.012

I believe from number 71 or 73 the chronographs were either 145.012-67 or 145.012-68

Armstrong 105.012-65:


Collins 145.012-68:


But here it gets interesting:

Mitchell: 145.012-67/68


Shepard 145.012-67/68:

 

Most of use have their own listing of Apollo era flown Speedmaster chronographs... As mentioned in other topics, Omega SA Heritage team is working together with NASA and NASM to update the complete list ... and tell us where Aldrin's Speedmaster was found ( Cerca Trova ):
See: https://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/omega.html

 

Not to be a kill-joy, but I have been reading posts like these for many years talking about Shepard wearing a 145.012 on the moon. Google, and you will find them.

 

Yes, I read that link too and I certainly hope they've found Aldrin's Speedy!

 

Yes, I found a few. What's your opinion on the matter of Shepard's and Mitchell's Speedy's? Here are pics of Shepard with Speedy including on the moon. Don't you think they are tall pushers?

 

There's no use for discussion... Omega, NASA & NASM are working on it and Omega will reveal the list next year as 2019 will be their year!
So it's completely their show in accordance with their worldwide strategy... All we can do is wait...
https://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/omega.html

 

Speculation is fun! I'm sure waiting will indeed be the only option to be 100% sure.....

 

Agreed. Not sure I understand the argument that things ought not be discussed on a discussion forum. For what it's worth, I think this is an interesting little mystery and the Apollo 14 crew's pushers do appear to be too tall to be 105.012s. And those chrono seconds hands. Surely!

 

I have seen at least one list (repeated on here often) making a convincing argument that Aldrins watch was a 145.012-67. That would rather put the cat amongst the collector pigeons if correct since it was Buzz’s not Neil’s which made the surface of course. Sounds like we will find out soon enough.

 

Swiss Omega watches heritage team and the American NASM staff are right on it as we speak... so let's give them a few more months.
Meanwhile I'll be posting some detailed photos in the Hidden gems from the NASA photo archive topic
Here's the Apollo 14 Shepard
.

 

Nice DON bezel!

 

Yeah!... 'no bout adoubt it'! .... those pushers look really tall in those pictures???... They clearly look 0.5mm taller than 3.0mm pushers on a 105.012-65!

 

One small problem using hands for ID...

These where serviced while in active use. It’s fully possible they received new hands at that time due to tritium wearing out.

If they got serviced they would have received current production hands.

Same with pushers.

 

Good point about the hands, but it’s not the same for the pushers. The pushers are not interchangeable between the 105.012 and the 145.012. Plus even modern service pushers retain the same dimension head as the vintage originals.

 

Further to my earlier comment about Aldrin's watch. I noticed this on another forum and have shamelessly nicked it, but I am pretty sure i have seen it here too, particularly when Collin's watch was discussed. If it yours and I have trodden on your toes then tell me and I'll either acknowledge or remove. Now this is a completely unverified source but it makes for interesting reading, as I say, it suggests the first watch worn on the moon a 145.012 not a 105.012 (unless Buzz was wearing a different watch), though there are question marks suggesting some guess work and assumption. It might be totally wrong but we shall see in good time I guess:

 

Without speculation I just want to say that the best Apollo 11 NASA photos show a drop end chronograph hand, so the difference remains only with the pushers being wide & short versus wide & tall ... We'll know soon enough...
https://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/omega.html

 

I get the feeling Phil that you know (or suspect) more than you are letting on but I agree with you that speculation at this stage isn't all that constructive.

 

I think we ought to be careful not to confuse two different questions here. The question raised in the first post is about the Apollo 14 crew's watches. There is, I think, reasonable photographic evidence to suggest they are 145.012s. The alternative hypothesis is that they are 105.012s that have had their pushers and chrono seconds hands replaced. This is possible (however see @Dash1 above). But it's not the most parsimonious explanation of what we see in the photos. The second question is about Aldrin's watch. This issue, I think, is less interesting because there is not such good photographic evidence. On this, I tend to agree that speculation is not useful.

 

Out of interest which is the ‘best’ photo of Aldrins watch available?

 

This is surely the most famous, but not sure if it's the clearest.