I read this article on Monochrome about the "truth" regarding Aldrin's watch reference. Most other sources I had read hinted that the reference was the 145.012. Is this bit of lore now officially wrong? Is the 105.012 now considered to be THE moon watch? How true is this "truth" article? http://monochrome-watches.com/exclu...ences-how-omega-speedmaster-became-moonwatch/
regardless of the correct ref number for Aldrin's watch, all this "article" claims is that there is now proof but does not provide any documentation. Its a non reliable source, IMO. Other than
I found a similar thread on another forum: http://www.rolexforums.com/archive/index.php/t-381070.html Sorry to have opened up this can of worms.
But, at the same time, we can not be sure that the Buzz ref was 145012. Look the (?) in NASA official records . https://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/omega.html http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-101303a.html http://forums.watchuseek.com/f80/apollo-11-speedmasters-wheres-buzzs-987486.html
My guess was always that it was a 105.012-66CB just because so many of them especially in that early batch were CBs but as mentioned we simply don't have hard evidence either way right now.
While looking at the Apollo 11 Image Library - https://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a11/images11.html#Crew - I found this famous picture (search for "LM Inspection") with higher resolution - https://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a11/a11LMInspection5389-93plus96-99.jpg - than the ones I previously ran across. You can zoom in on Dr. Aldrin's watch by clicking on it. To the experts, does it look like a possible straight lug? Many thanks to the awesome OF. For many years I have only one Omega quartz watch, thinking that's enough (!). When a friend at work offered to buy my watch (I decided not to sell), I started looking around, found OF, then bought the Omega Sportswatches (thanks to Drawarms), Apollo 13, and Failure Is Not An option books, to go along side the Silver Snoopy ordered from the Houston boutique (ETA October). Now a Speedy convert, I am currently thinking about a Speedy to commemorate Apollo 11.
Interestingly, 2 of the 12 known flight Omega Speedmaster Professionals currently on public display are in God-forsaken Hutchinson, Kansas. I'm sure they get viewed 10 or 11 times per year .
What?! Are you telling me that I went all the way to godforsaken Hutchinson, Kansas last year to play some hellacious torture chamber of a golf course (http://www.prairiedunes.com) and I could have seen some space-flown Speedies? All I saw was the world's largest grain elevator and the world's thickest rough. This infuriates me. Where in hell could they possibly be hiding them?
Hehe. I grew up in Kansas and moved to Texas as soon as I could. Played Prairie Dunes a few times. Requires a large bucket of balls. Always a stiff wind (because Oklahoma sucks, as we used to say). Tom Watson is still a member there. My wife is from Wichita so I plan to make the trek to the wheat fields of hell to visit said "Kansas Cosmosphere" the next time we visit the In-Laws (Thanksgiving. Will bring a heavy coat).
