A Close Look At The Omega Speedmaster Alaska Project - An Apex Predator Among Space-Dwelling Chronographs

Practical astronauts' feedback
As interesting the Omega Alaska Project was, there's a huge elephant in the room although we're talking about a small component...
In early 1967, as Project Gemini had ended and Project Apollo got a disastrous start, Omega delivered a 4th batch of Speedmaster chronographs, but NASA astronauts' feedback came too late to make immediate changes.
The astronauts wanted a brushed case and a more legible chronograph, both for the subdials and the bezel as a Tachymètre bezel had no use in spaceflight. Post-Apollo 13, this feedback was repeated!
In June 1970, NASA summarized the Apollo 13 investigations report before a Senate Committee of Aeronautical & Space Sciences. Lessons learned of the Apollo 13 accident will be disseminated throughout industry and the technical community.
NASA pushed the Apollo 14 mission to the year 1971. NASA administrator Thomas Paine summarised "There's much to be changed because of the lessons learned from Apollo 13".
Again practical feedback on the Omega Speedmaster mentioned a more legible " 60 seconds " bezel, so NASA finally produced half-a-dozen " 60 seconds " bezels for the Omega Speedmaster chronographs of the prime & back-up Apollo 15 crews.
The first photos showing the practical " 60 seconds " bezel on NASA-issued Omega Speedmaster chronographs date from May 1971 up to July 1975.
In 1972, Omega introduced the practical " 60 seconds " bezel with the Alaska Project II Speedmaster... to loose it again with the Alaska Project III in 1978!
Anyway, I will be celebrating 55 years of the " 60 seconds " bezel in May 2026 !

Just today I posted this photo...



While I've been customizing my Alaska Project like this for some time now...



Yeah!

And thank you @Robert-Jan for sharing the article and @SpeedyPhill for your valuable information...

Ciao!

@Robert-Jan thank you again for publishing my article. Cheers!

Always great to read and learn a few extra details. Cheers


That looks stunning with that bezel

Thank you. And agreed, they usually marinated in AD's for a long time. I remember when getting my default Speedy 3570, it was a same price as the Alaska, that was back in 2012-2013. Same price. And look at it today. Money aside, I would still choose 3570, but this would be my second, maybe even for my taste - the best L.E. that Omega made

The history of Omega's Alaska Project is particularly interesting for both horology, Speedmaster & spaceflight aficionados:
During the Gemini flight, many astronauts wore two watches.
For Gemini III, NASA only had the Omega Speedmaster chronographs of the tests but both Grissom & Young wore one together with a battery-powered tuning fork movement Accutron Astronaut GMT pilot watch.
During Gemini IV, both McDivitt & White each wore two NASA-issued Speedmaster chronographs 105.003-63 (from the first batch delivered 23 April 1965, as it was the first mission with launch control in Florida (Eastern Time) and mission control in Texas (Central Time).
During Gemini V, 5 watches were worn 4 NASA-issued Speedmaster 105.003 with Cooper & Conrad each wearing a personal pilot watch, Cooper an Accutron Astronaut (worn on Faith 7) and Conrad an automatic Glycine Airman automatic pilot watch (which he would also wear on Gemini XI, exposing the automatic waqtch directly to outer space)
Long story short, during the post-Gemini review all procedures and hardware were discussed going from camera's to wrist watches.
NASA astronaut feedback on the Omega Speedmaster:
Brushed case to avoid reflections of Sunlight
More legible chronograph, both for the subdials and the bezel
☕
Time for Omega to design & produce the ultimate space watch, innovating the Speedmaster chronograph inside (new alloys, oils, etc...) and out (Titanium, new glass, bezel, outer case...)
However, US spaceflight history took a turn with the Apollo 1 fire (during which the Speedies coped well) and during the two-day Gemini summary review in February 1967, the focus turned to the future of Apollo with NASA Director Robert Gilruth urging to avoid "second-guessing" and speculation on what had happened.
Omega still had to deliver the 4th and 5th batch of Speedmaster chronographs to NASA
☕
By 1969, the Omega Speedmaster Alaska Project was ready but it came too late for the first Moon landings and by 1970, Apollo 18, 19 and 20 had been cancelled.
Moreover, after the Apollo 13 accident, NASA astronauts' feedback again asked for a legible "60 seconds" bezel and that's how the prime & back-up Apollo 15 crews got their NASA-issued Speedmaster 105.012 with "60 seconds" bezel (info firsthand from Alfred Worden with whom I've talked on the subject during the VIP event in Berlin Germany January 2019).
In 2026 I will be touring with a talk focusing on "Why these weren't used in flight during Apollo"
🧐
The story on how the Omega Speedmaster (flightmaster) got behind the Iron Curtain and how cosmonauts were introduced to the Alaska project can be read in two articles:
" To Russia With Love " and " Time Peace : Speedmaster on Apollo-Soyuz "
.