Astronaut Buzz Aldrin Lands at the Omega Store in New York City

15 Feb Astronaut Buzz Aldrin Lands at the Omega Store in New York City

When you go on a trip, it’s only customary to buy a souvenir to remind you of your voyage. For Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin, the second man to set foot on the moon, one of his souvenirs from his lunar excursion is an Omega Speedmaster watch. The timepiece, which is the only watch chosen and certified by N.A.S.A. for all manned space missions (even today), was given to Aldrin around the time he was selected to be on the backup crew for Gemini 9. “I got my badge of honor, and that was to wear an Omega watch as we went through training,” Aldrin said yesterday at the Omega store on Fifth Avenue, in New York City, where he was, er, launching the brand’s new, limited-edition Speedmaster Apollo 11 Moonwatch. Aldrin’s Speedmaster eventually accompanied him to the moon, making it the first and only timepiece worn on the lunar surface.

Was it important for Aldrin to know what time it was when he made that small step for man, but one giant leap for mankind?

“Whether you are walking on the moon or fixing the Hubble Telescope, I think it’s worth asking the question: For a space-walking person, what’s the value of knowing what time it is in Houston, Texas? Probably not imperative,” Aldrin said.

In fact, the astronauts didn’t use Greenwich Mean Time to keep on schedule, but rather relied on Ground Elapsed Time, which starts from lift-off. But Aldrin still sees the value in his watch.

“It’s nice to have a personal piece of property that you become attached to and take it along with you,” he said. “There comes a day when you are going to leave N.A.S.A., and now you have something that was with you when you were on the surface on the moon.”