Fifty years ago today.

[wayne R]

Because of  this special day fifty years ago, i thought i would take my
twenty year  old, Omega Speedmaster Professional moon watch  out and wear it
for the day.
In case many dont know, the moon watch is a manual wind 50 hours, 42 mm,
was the only watch to  pass all the stringent  tests before going to the moon.
When people ask about it,they dont believe its twenty years old.
If you want a fabulous watch to wear,  invest in a 15 to 25 year old one ,for about $2300==$2800
make sure its excellent condition, and not the automatic model called reduced,38mm,
its about $1000 less in value,
You will never regret it.
 

[Cees Klumper]

Neat.

Reminds me that just yesterday I was reminiscing about my Rolex GMT master that I bought new in 1991. I bought it then because I noticed it on my physician's wrist and when he told me it was 25 years old, but looked (and functioned) like new, I thought I better get me one and stop replacing watches every 5 years or so. Now 28 years later it does still look and function like new. I only had it serviced once in all that time. I made one modification, a ceramic bezel to replace the original aluminum one. You tend to pay more for quality, but in this case it was worth it, also because it more than doubled correction: quadrupled in value (before inflation that is).

[Pawel66]

Cute stories!

My Omega (Seamaster) also looks like new and never had any issue with it, but it is just funny 15 years old...

[Rolf-Dieter ✝︎]

In 1962 to our First Wedding Anniversary my wife gave me a TUDOR by Rolex I was angry with her at the time since she paid $385- Canadian at the time (we just purchased our first house for $18500 at the time). 2 years ago I had my watch now 57 years old appraised in Europe and was told the value now is 16,000 €  I wear my watch every day.

My first house scold a few years ago for over $250,000- Canadian. When I think about it everything is relative. The cost of my Pagoda in the 60, was around $9,000- today a Pagoda in good shape sells for $100,000- or there abouts. As I said everything is realative as the years pass by.

Dieter

[neelyrc]

My watch wasn’t approved for a lunar mission like Wayne’s but I was wearing it when I watched the live TV coverage 50 years ago and I still wear it everyday rain or shine work or play.  It predates my Pagoda by a year and one half and in some ways it is similar.  It is pretty original but it is not without warts and similarly, periodic repairs when required are expensive. 

[49er]

 I was a young Draftsman working at North American Rockwell in the 60's and was lucky enough to work on the Apollo program (Command Module, Escape system and the Saturn 5's second stage). On the day of the launch, I was was up early here in California and took 35mm slides of the launch on my 19" color TV (No VHS or DVR back then . Also took other photos through out the mission and the successful landing out in the Pacific. Two months later, there was an open house at the Downey CA plant (where the Apollo command modules were built) for employees and their families and we got to have an up close look at Apollo 11 before it went off to the Smithsonian in Washington DC. Great memories for sure. And as long as this topic has mentioned watches a few times, I have also included a photo of my Omega that I bought in Geneva for a whopping 187SF which I believe was something like $45 back in '65. Don't ware too often these days, just on special occasions.   

John

[Minerva]

Don't wear a watch since I got ithe strap stuck between a power steering pipe and battery positive terminal, it and my wrist heated up quite well!

[Pawel66]

I was a young Draftsman working at North American Rockwell in the 60's and was lucky enough to work on the Apollo program (Command Module, Escape system and the Saturn 5's second stage).

wow!

[Mike Hughes]

Since we are sharing the watches we were wearing while we were watching the moon landing 50 years ago, I thought I'd add my trusty self-winding Seiko that I bought for $16 at the Navy Exchange in Taipei, Taiwan during the summer of 1967.  It still runs great with the original crystal and sports the original Twist-o-flex watch band and has never been apart, even for a cleaning, in all this time.

[Benz Dr.]

I've never worn a watch, ring, chains or any type of metal or jewelry. After seeing the sorts of things that can happen when someone gets caught in a piece of machinery I'm not sorry I did. Of course, I'm always on time for everything......

[Jack Jones]

I have 2 weaknesses, cars and watches. Both can be expensive but everyone needs a hobby or two. My favorite watch is a 6 month old Grand Seiko Automatic GMT 20 year limited edition as it really shows how far they have come and keeps better time that my Swiss timepieces. And it is a beautiful piece.

[pj]

My other primary interest is astronomy so the 50th anniversary of the first Moon landing is pretty special for me. If anyone hasn't yet seen the amazing resource for following those events now, check out http://apolloinrealtime.org/11

I could never afford an expensive watch, but Dieter's story about his Rolex reminded me of a teaching colleague whose wife bought him a Rolex when he finished his PhD in the late 1960s. Like Dieter's wife's investment, this one was under $500 which felt like an extravagance at the time. My buddy was into car rallying and this watch had special stopwatch features and turned out to be the same type used by the famous actor-driver Paul Newman. My buddy claims he sold this Rolex last year for more than what Dieter's house brought on the real estate market. Like, wow. For a watch.

Maybe my LIFE magazines that have articles about Apollo will fetch me some money some day.

[49er]

 Great link peter, thanks for sharing.

John

[wwheeler]

I was a young Draftsman working at North American Rockwell in the 60's and was lucky enough to work on the Apollo program (Command Module, Escape system and the Saturn 5's second stage).

You're the next best thing to a Rocket Scientist!

[49er]

 Thanks Wallace for that compliment but I was far from that title. I did get to work with many others that truly were "Rocket Scientists" though along with great mechanical engineers. With so many people that worked on the Apollo program around the country, I am sure there must other members here that contributed as well.

John   

[hauser]

You'll always remember your first watch no matter what it is or was!  However when you get a Rolex...

https://www.rolex.com/every-rolex-tells-a-story.html

[DaveB]

If anyone hasn't yet seen the amazing resource for following those events now, check out http://apolloinrealtime.org/11

that is exceptional!

[Bonnyboy]

I have wanted an Omega Speedmaster ever since I accidentally came across a stack of Playboys in the basement and saw an add for the Omega moon watch and the MkII.   I thought it was cool that you had to wind it rather than being an automatic but in space what would make the rotor go around??     46 years later,  I still don't have a Speedmaster moon-watch as the price has gone crazy and putting food on the table and trying to keep up with the payments for my kids edumication seems to be more important nowadays.   

Every year for the past 10 yrs I have said that I want a Speedmaster for my birthday.  It can be scratched and ugly but it has to work and be real.  One daughter actually went around to pawnshops and watch shops to see how realistic my request was and the other daughter still doesn't know what a Speedmaster is.   I'm not holding my breath.....

If anyone has a Speedmaster for sale that needs restoration and is cheap, let me know - I may be interested even if it is a reduced. 

[PSB]

I agree with those who say they wear their Rolex every day and don't need another watch .
A very long story of how I got my Rolex.....
There was a famous Spaniard, Pedro Domecq ( brandy, sherry ,..horses ) who supposedly gave out Rolex watches to friends on some "non special " occasions.
A lawyer friend of my grandfather back in colonial day Mozambique was a big fan of Domecq. In the early 1960s and wanting to be compared to Domecq he also decided to give some friends ( my grandfather included) a few Rolex submariner Oyster Perpetual after he returned from a trip to Europe.
He pulled out this new Rolex in a box and told my grandfather that it was a present for him "the best diving watch in the world". My grandfather said "thank you, but I don't dive so here Joao ( my father)  you dive , it's yours " . The friend's jaw dropped as my grandfather passed it onto his 30 year old son.
For the next 45 years ( until his death) my father did not wear another watch. He was pretty active .......He raced cars, boats ( all pretty amateur in those days in Mozambique) flew and did acrobatics in open cockpit planes like a tiger moth, scuba dived including "wreck recovery type work" etc etc . I don't ever recall seeing my dad,s wrist without the Rolex Submariner ...... As someone said on this thread "he also never had another watch". When he died we naturally agreed that my older brother keep it . That was 12 years ago and he has never worn another watch ...so it has now been worn every day for 60 years  ( only exception being the "maintenance " to replace the grease every 7-10 years ,,,at 500€ each time ... But a recent valuation put it at +- 50k$). Shortly after my dad's death I was still feeling quite down and walking past a watch shop saw new Rolex for sale that still looked almost identical to my dad's one made 50 years earlier ( the classic steel submariner ). It was something that I always identified with my dad and my wife said " I know you would have liked your dad's one ...you didn't get it , buy this one ." And when I acted surprised and hesitant said .. "Don't think about it just buy it !"  ( very out of character for her , and very different to the conversation when I bought the Pagda )... But I remembered that for 45 years my dad never had to buy another one ...So I walked in a bought it . That was 12 years ago ... And again I have worn it every day and never bought another watch ! ... Has gone for 1 maintenance ( grease starts to dry ...) and I do hope to never buy another one.
First photo my 2007 Rolex, second picture one like my Dad's 45 years older than mine ...almost the same . Classic timeless look( imho of course)
Pedro

[hauser]

My first Roles was a quartz.  Yes it needed a battery every three years or so but it was my favorite watch ever until I lost it two years ago at the beach.

[MikeSimon]

For the life of myself, I have no idea where I was when Apollo landed on the moon in 1969. I know, I was still in Germany in high school, I was probably dating the girl who later became my first wife, and if I was wearing a watch, it was a "Kienzle" that my parents gave me for my 14th(?) birthday.

[alpina]

Fake Daytona.

[Garry]

They were selling those in Malaysia when i was living there for $20 Aust in 2000. They were saying they were genuine fakes.  They had the guts of a Rolex and were very difficult to pick other than the serial numbers.. Brother in law purchased one and its still going strong. 


Maybe they were Genuine Fakes........

[Jack Jones]

Years ago a fake Rolex was just that and easy to spot especially when the price was $25 like the hundreds I could buy in either Korea or Singapore. Today the fakes are at a different level where even dealers are having issues with authenticating them at a first glance and the prices are into the thousands of dollars but generally priced to good to be true. Be careful and have an expert verifying any Rolex purchase outside of an authorized dealer.   

[MikeSimon]

There was a famous Spaniard, Pedro Domecq ( brandy, sherry ,..horses ) who supposedly gave out Rolex watches to friends on some "non special " occasions.
 

Wow! Somebody else knows Pedro Domecq, nicknamed "The Nose". Owner of the Bodega that carries his name and which used to make my favorite "Fino": La Iña
No longer in existence, I think! Cannot get the Fino anymore and there are no records of the Bodega in Xerez that I can find. Visited there in 2007