The NASA Watch Trials
A year after the launch of the Apollo Program, NASA started a search for a reliable timepiece to serve as the official watch of the space program. They began the process by putting out a request for proposals from a select few brands: Elgin, Benrus, Hamilton, Mido, Lucien Piccard, Omega, Bulova, Rolex, Longines-Wittnauer and Gruen. Only four of the ten brands answered the call — Omega, Longines-Wittnauer, Rolex and Hamilton. However, Hamilton presented a pocket watch, and was thus disqualified for not complying with NASA’s specifications. The other watches — the Rolex 6238 “pre-Daytona,” the Longines-Wittnauer 242T, and the Omega Speedmaster – were put through a rigorous series of tests. (Note: The 242T is the assumed reference that Longines-Wittnauer submitted, but this has yet to be confirmed.)
The NASA watch trials were essentially a torture program for the watches in question. They began with extreme temperature testing to simulate the intense climate of the Moon, where temperatures range from minus 260 degrees Fahrenheit to over 260 degrees Fahrenheit. Next, they evaluated the watches’ ability to withstand fluctuations in temperature and pressure to simulate additional changes in gravity. The watches were then put through another round of assessments to simulate changes in humidity and gravity. The next step was a shock test. Finally, this was followed by an acceleration test, decompression test and one last high-pressure test.
Finally, on March 1, 1965, the results were in. The Rolex model stopped running on two occasions during the relative humidity test and failed one of the temperature tests. The Longines-Wittnauer also failed one of the temperature tests as well as the decompression test. Then, there was the Omega Speedmaster: It gained 21 minutes during the decompression test and lost 15 minutes during the acceleration tests. The luminous material on the dial was destroyed, but all in all, the Omega chronograph performed satisfactorily. It was unanimous — the Speedy won by a landslide. However, NASA suggested a few improvements and modifications: the addition of a 24-hour rotating bezel and luminous markings to the elapsed time dials.
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