July 15, 2025 ... SpeedyTuesday ...

On July 15, 1975 both the Russian and American spacecraft for the historic ASTP Apollo Soyuz Test Project mission were launched...
The Soyuz 19, carrying Alexei Leonov & Valeri Kubasov launched at 08:20 AM (EST) from Kazachstan cosmodrome, followed by the NASA ASTP craft with docking module, carrying Thomas Stafford, Vance BRand and Donald Slayton, from Cape Canaveral at 03:50 PM (EDT).
During ASTP, a total of 11 Omega Speedmaster chronographs were space-flown, the Russians wore 861 versions, the Americans wore 321 versions...
As all commemorative releases seem to have been transfered to moonSwatch... what will we get ?
⌛... ⏳...
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Edit: 1975 ASTP 11 Omega watches in space
More & more echoes/messages reaching me stating that Alexei Leonov's third watch was an Omega flightmaster pilot watch.
It looks like this flightmaster was sold at auction by Sotheby's in 1996... Anyone has a reference (lot number 189: price achieved)?
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My Alexei Leonov limited edition🤣

Well, realistically the geo-political situation being complicated... we'll see nothing !

Do I miss the days when Omega truly inspired youngsters... getting large books with Your Speedmaster purchase !
(Photos: MWU)
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50 years ago, NASA Apollo-Soyuz PLT Vance Brand, who had been Apollo 15 backup CMP, was still training wearing his practical "60 seconds" bezel Speedmaster...
As usual, NASA had already reserved six 321 version Speedmaster chronographs for the actual ASTP-mission.
During ASTP, a total of 11 Speedmaster chronographs were space-flown, astronauts wore 321 versions, cosmonauts wore 861 versions.
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Edit: photo added, Vance Brand still wearing the "60 seconds" two days before launch !
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50 years ago… ASTP
MoonwatchUniverse keeping the Apollo-Soyuz story ongoing with some rarely seen photographs as half a century ago, anticipation for the Apollo Soyuz Test Project spaceflight mission was rising on both sides of the Atlantic...
ASTP commanders had seen each other for the last time during the April 1975 visit to the Soviet Union, during which they were allowed to visit the Baikonour cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. It was only the second time the “secret” cosmodrome was visited by westerners after the visit by French president General Charles de Gaulle in June 1966.
Wrist-watch-wise an interesting photo as Alexei Leonov prefered wearing the Omega flightmaster pilot watch while Thomas Stafford, and Alan Bean, often trained wearing their Gold "Apollo 11 tribute" Speedmaster BA 145.022-69 chronograph. Contrary to some rumours, thus far no Gold Speedmaster chronograph has ever been worn in space!
Unfortunately, in 1985 Stafford’s Gold Speedmaster was stolen at Dallas airport and Omega replaced it with a Gold 1984 black bezel BA 345.0802 version.
(Photo: NASA)
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Just a last post with some interesting facts...
50 years ago…
Apollo-Soyuz1975, July 15 an American Apollo and Soviet-Russian Soyuz docked in Low Earth Orbit, remained together for 47 hours during which 44 hours of activities were conducted with the crews visiting each other’s spacecraft. The astronauts each wore two NASA-issued Omega Speedmaster 321 versions, while the cosmonauts each wore two Omega Speedmaster 861 versions. US Commander Thomas Stafford made sure to photograph all Omega Speedmaster wrist watch chronographs in detail, as a total of 11 Speedmaster wrist watches were space-flown during ASTP. Leonov carried a third watch in his PPK.
Moreover, half a dozen ASTP onboard photos show Stafford always clearly pointing one of his NASA-issued Omega Speedmaster chronographs towards the camera... he probably already had ambitions to become an Omega Ambassador. Remember he became board member of Omega USA in 1979, remaining an Omega Ambassador for the rest of his life.
(Photos: NASA)
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Thomas Stafford... ASTP Commander (1975)
Some interesting comments lately about the late USAF LtGeneral Thomas Stafford, who flew on Gemini VI, Gemini IX, Apollo 10 and Apollo-Soyuz totalling 21 days 3 hours in space !
The comments made me look into the 15 different official NASA & USAF portraits which have been taken of LtGeneral Stafford between 1962 and 1993, especially focusing on those in WSS - White Space Suit for Apollo & Apollo-Soyuz (ASTP).
Note, Stafford already owned a black bezel Gold Speedmaster chronograph in the 1972 portrait... was this his Gold "Apollo 11 tribute" Omega Speedmaster BA 145.022-69 n° 13, which he received in November 1969... with replacement bezel?
These Gold Speedmaster chronographs were prone to lose their metal bezel because of the difference with the softer Gold case.
Did he finally got a Maroon-purple bezel again in 1974?
Anyway, again some esoteric research from MoonwatchUniverse on which I would like to ask the Omegaforums audience's opinion...
What do You think?
(Photos: NASA)
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Indeed, black or Maroon might be due to shadow in the little photo room setup... could also be a simple black Tachymètre bezel...
Anyway ASTP DMP Docking Module Pilot Donald "Deke" Slayton didn't care much about the Tachymètre bezel, not in 1963, nor in 1974...
In fact over his whole career, Slayton mostly wore the Accutron Astronaut... in later life he prefered the Gold BA 145.022-69 (n° 27)
(Photos: NASA)
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Another #Speedytuesday passed... and here's a last & final post to commemorate ASTP...
July 1975, during ASTP, a total of 11 Omega Speedmaster chronographs were flown, the three astronauts each wore two 321 versions, the two cosmonauts each wore two 861 versions, with Leonov carrying a third Omega in his personal kit.
A record-number of 11 Omega Speedmaster at the same time in space, a record that stood until December 1990, when a box set of 10 Omega Speedmaster chronographs was carried to the Mir space station with Soyuz TM-11. This box set became known as the “90 days on Mir set” and during that period a total of 14 Omega Speedmasters were at the same time in space.
Thus far the record of most Omega Speedmaster chronographs being simultaneously in space remains the period July 1993-July 1994 when Soyuz TM-17 crew carried a box set of 35 Omega Speedmaster chronographs to the Mir space station. This “One year on Mir set” box contained twenty-eight steel and seven Gold Speedmaster chronographs, the only space-flown Gold versions, thus not on the wrist of spacefarers. Together with resident cosmonauts a total of 37 Omega Speedmaster chronographs orbited the Earth simultaneously, a record that stands to this day! ☕
1976 saw an amazing commemorative ASTP Speedmaster, IMHO the best Speedmaster ever produced but that's for another time...
A couple of years ago I had the privilege to help illustrate the book by mstanga...
(Photo: Moonwatchuniverse)
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Post-flight, between 20 September & 3 October 1975, the American ASTP crew visited the Soviet-Union.
Between 12 - 25 October the Russian ASTP crew visited the USA, with Alexei Leonov wearing his Omega flightmaster... the beloved pilot watch of the Russian cosmonauts as ever since their May 1973 visit to the Omega HQ in Switzerland, they were mostly interested in the flightmaster and the automatic Speedmaster Mark III pilot watches !
(Photos: NASA/AP)
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