Just found it on CH24 and wondering who knows more about Adolf Brandle, as I was not able to found anything about him. Was he part of the NASA team or maybe an Omega employee? It will be available on the next Ineichen auction on the 16th of November.
Or could have been a Lemania employee. I found an Adolf Brandle that was a banker at UBS at the time, don’t know if they were involved with Omega or Lemania at the time.
Interesting fact about the engraving, kind regards Max https://www.spaceartifactsarchive.com/2014/01/the-watches-of-apollo.html
Do you also notice that the caseback grain is circular on the OP watch and straight on the Walter Schirra version?
Plus hammer fees, but still seems like a good price. Could be a great price if someone figures out who Adolf Brandle was/is
According to an article from International Wristwatch, written bei C. Bradley Jacobs, the watches with that special "to mark man's..." engraving were distributed as follows: 1: POTUS 2: VPOTUS 3-28: Astronauts 28: Rene Meyan (Director of Lemania) 29: John M. Updegraph ... 746: Rene K. Ruepp ... 1001-1008: Astronauts 1009-1014: unknown??? So far three other special engraved watches were known that went to some kind of (more or less forgotten) VIP. Here we have another one. But the million dollar question is why Adolf Brandle's watch is not numbered like all the others? Maybe the last batch, 1009-1014 carried also that special engraving but no number? I have never seen a public version with a number higher than 9xx. A shame that the seller did not ask for an Extract From The Archives. Would might have helped to solve that mystery.
Maybe there is a reason? Or maybe he actually did, and it had questionable results? (yeah, I am an eternal skeptic)
If I remember correctly the watch has a very early serial as well, so I would be surprised if it was one of the 1009-1014 batch, but the serials don’t always line up great with the limited edition numbers
According to the S/N, I've just checked those from all BA145.022-69 I have stored on my hard drive. Including my own watch, most have 284x.xxxx, only a couple have lower numbers. So it is rather a watch from the 1st batch. Like JanV said, the circular pattern at the caseback, is rather unusual... maybe the issue number, what was engraved very thin, had been skimmed away unintentionally during a service?
and back on the market....with a certificate of authenticity https://www.chrono24.ch/omega/omega-speedmaster-professional-apollo-xi-1969--id11703248.htm
Just curious to know if there's a complete listing of these Gold Apollo tribute Speedmasters ? For instance which number was given to German rocket engineer Wernher von Braun, who in 1970 moved to NASA headquarters in Washington DC...
"At some point the movement originally fitted to the watch has been exchanged for a version that predates the moon landing" Does this imply the current movement is not the original movement that came with the watch upon delivery from factory to AD?
That's what I understand, too. Btw does it mean that the serial number has changed with the movement?
Well...it was before the days of printing it behind the lug so they know what movement SN was installed on the watch with caseback number N...
A Certificate of Authenticity is given when the watch is physically inspected by Omega in Switzerland. An extract is given based on serial numbers provided, no inspection required. A CoA > EoA.