Wristwatches · Wristwatch
Stainless Omega Speedmaster Professional Apollo 11, c. 1989
- Maker / attribution
- Omega (maker)
- Date
- c. 1989
- Historical period
- Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)
- Country of origin
- Switzerland
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Materials / technique
- stainless steel
- Auction house
- LiveAuctioneers auction archive
- Lot
- Item 60347722
- Credit line
- Auction lot record: lot 168, Estate Jewelry, Antiques & Collectibles, Kotler Galleries & Auctioneers (2018), via LiveAuctioneers
- Catalogue title (original)
- Stainless Omega Speedmaster Professional Apollo 11 (English)
View the source record (auction lot) ↗ (opens another website in a new tab)Suggest a correction
Record summary
Catalogued by LiveAuctioneers auction archive (lot Item 60347722), this is a wristwatch by Omega, made in Switzerland, dated c. 1989. The Atlas places it in the Quartz Revolution period (1969 – 1990) of its Wristwatches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: stainless steel. The record is illustrated with 4 photographs.
Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.
Catalogue description
Lot description — Kotler Galleries & Auctioneers
Stainless Omega Speedmaster Professional Apollo 11 Lunar Landing Xi 2890.59 Chronograph Watch An outstanding Men's Stainless Steel Omega Speedmaster Professional Apollo 11 Lunar Landing XI, Circa 1989, ref no. 2890.59, edition 1981/2000, automatic Swiss movement, 100 meter water resistant screw down case reads" THE FIRST WATCH WORN ON THE MOON -FLIGHT QUALIFIED BY NASA FOR ALL MANNED SPACE MISSIONS", insignia crown, tachymetric scale bezel, scratch resistant sapphire cyrstal, signed black tritium stick dial with Luminescent index hands, sweep center seconds, chronggraph registers with fully functional push buttons, signed integrated link #812 rapid folding deployment clasp band. Comes with Omega Presentation Box. DETAILS: - CASE SIZE: 42mm Diameter (without crown). - BAND SIZE: Fits up to 7-3/4 In. Wrist. - CONDITION: Normal wear consistant with age, overall excelent working condition. BACKGROUND: This watch was originally released in 1989 to commemorate the 20 year anniversary of the Apollo XI Lunar Landing. Watch has long since been completely sold out and is extremely rare being made in only 2000 individually numbered pieces. There were actually 3 Speedmaster Versions released to commemorate Apollo XI 20 Year Anniversary of the Lunar Landing in 1989. Each of these versions can with different presentation boxes, accessories, etc. and each watch was engraved on the 9:00 side of the case differently as follows: Version 1 made for German Market was made in 250 pieces and engraved: xxx/250 Apollo XI 1969 - 1989 Version 2 made exclusively for the USA market in only 2000 individually numbered pieces and engraved: xxxx/2000 Apollo XI 1969. Version 3 was the most common release made for worldwide market in around 4000 pieces and engraved: Apollo XI. These watches were not individually numbered.
Historical context
Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)
Seiko's Astron begins mass quartz timekeeping; traditional industries contract sharply.
Quartz and digital watches transformed the market after 1969. Swiss employment collapsed, Japanese and Hong Kong production soared, and the Swatch (1983) helped the Swiss industry recover; mechanical watches survived as luxury goods.
Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Modern Mechanical Horology
Atlas type guide
Wristwatches
Bracelet watches were worn by women from the early nineteenth century — Breguet made one for Caroline Murat, Queen of Naples, in 1810–12 — but the wristwatch only became a man's instrument with military use and aviation in the early twentieth century. Between the World Wars it overtook the pocket watch; the 1920s and 1930s brought rectangular Art Deco cases, water-resistant cases and the first automatic winding systems.
After 1945 the wristwatch became a carrier of identity — dress watches, sports and dive watches, chronographs, calendars — produced by Swiss, American, Japanese, German, Soviet and Chinese industries. The quartz revolution after 1969 and the mechanical renaissance since the 1990s, including the rise of independent watchmakers, complete the story.
What to look for
- The reference number (between the lugs or inside the case back) and serial number, the starting point for dating.
- The calibre: its maker and number are often stamped under the dial or on the bridge.
- Originality of dial, hands and crown — refinished ('redial') dials are common.
- Case material marks: 18K/750, 14K/585, stainless steel, gold-filled, plated.
Dating clues
- Wire-lug cases: before c. 1925.
- Water-resistant screw-down cases: from 1926.
- Quartz movements: from 1969; sapphire crystals widespread after c. 1980.
General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.
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