What a watch- X33 Skywalker

I have to confess, I bought it because it intrigued me. I have the Speedmaster Pro Sapphire Sandwich, which is a must have. However, this X33, gen 3, Skywalker caught my eye and got to me. What a watch, wears light, like a 42 mm, easy on the eye, clear time reading visibility, functions are intuitive once you practice a bit, and keeps the right time, all the time. I've traveled with it, time zones are a breeze, alarms on the go, no need for the Iphone. And a conversation piece in the air and on the ground.

Celebrating three years.

Mine says hi, and it agrees with everything you said 😀

That's a cool looking watch. I have a Casio Pro-Trek Analog/Digital that I like to wear every once and a while, but I like the look of this Omega for sure... Could be a great travel watch when I start traveling for work again 😀

They are indeed a nice watch. May you cover many more miles on your journey and wear in good health.

It was nice to see that Bob Behnken wore an X-33 aboard a Falcon 9

Yes, it is a great looking watch, very light & comfy - perfect weekender for me. I also pick it during all these mornings, when I am in a hurry, no time to think of which one to wear, no time to set the time on mechanical watch -> just pick it, push in the crown and ready to go.

Like you I have a Speedmaster too (a 50th Anniversary model). I saw the X-33 Skywalker when i was (yet again) down the rabbit hole of space related watches. I hesitated at first due its price being quartz. Until I tried it on. Then I fell in love with it. I have large collection of mechanical and quartz watches but this watch has become my favourite go-to tool watch. I grab it, push in the crown (I leave it pulled out when not wearing as I assume it prolongs battery life) and put it on as goes with anything and doesn't need setting. I am not travelling at the moment but can imagine travelling wearing this will not attract attention like some expensive watches. Yet if it does then the other person will know their watches which means you've found another enthusiast! The display is easiest the most legible of any of my watches even at night. Though the tritium on my Ball GMT watch is of course legible 24/7 the backlight on the X-33 is excellent and the hands and markers are actually quite effective throughout the night (despite my reading that some people think the lume not the best). I've seen better/more lume on watches but in practice the white hands and markers are very legible through dusk and darkness. I've also read on here that people have swum with their X-33 so while I do not intend to test the matter it's nice to know that the watch can take a dunking in the real world too.

February 1996 - February 2021 = 25 years X-33 in spaceflight (tested by Swiss astronaut Claude Nicollier onboard Columbia mission STS-75 )
January 1998, X-33 Speedmasters carried onboard the 8th Shuttle-Mir mission, space shuttle Endeavour mission STS-89 ...
Officially presented during a Live press conference on March 25, 1998... so the 25th anniversary for the X-33 could be March 25, 2023
😗

I'm currently deep into a rabbit hole researching the original testing of the X-33 finding out some really interesting information from those that flew it.


From a historical perspective, the first X-33 to visit the Mir Space Station would be the X-33 Flightmaster Prototype worn by William Readdy, (The X-33 Flightmaster and its mission to Mir) during Atlantis' STS-79 mission, the fourth Shuttle-Mir mission. The STS-89 X-33s included the module programing changes made with feedback from Nicollier and Readdy. The watches on STS-89 also loose the original large winged red minute hand and retain the originally tested casing with round pushers. From my understanding, the module programing is frozen after STS-79 feedback and only aesthetic changes are made to the dial, hands and case leading up to the final production watches for future crews.

There were only a handful of the X-33 Flightmasters produced. The story that Readdy shared with me was fantastic. Nicollier and Readdy were good friends and Nicollier shared with Readdy that he was testing the new watch for Omega. Nicollier asks Readdy if he would be interested in flying the watch again with Readdy agreeing. I think a small bit of information lost in my recent post is that the watch Nicollier flew on STS-75 is the same watch flown by Readdy on STS-79 so the same prototype watch flies twice.

I decided to buy this sight unseen. Went into the AD and got maybe first one they got in stock. Brilliant watch.

Lots of Omega X-33 on the MS-18 return flight, landing & recovery (Oleg Novitsky wore three Omega X-33), each crewmember a Skywalker
.

Interesting fact. after returning from the flight, Russian cosmonauts keep the watch for themselves forever. And the astronauts of America are obliged to return the watch as it is the property of NASA

That's tacky man.

What do you mean?

I think it’s tacky that the usa is cheap and takes back the watch.

How big does the X-33 Skywalker wear?

I had a X-33 gen 2 and found it very comfortable although the dimensions I know are smaller than the X-33.

My wrist is 19.6cm and not that flat. It wears kind of large on my wrist, but not so much I don't wear it..

An X-33 is on my wishlist.