#1. The Birth of the Speedmaster
Paragraph 1: The Omega Speedmaster is an iconic timepiece that has been worn by astronauts on every lunar mission since the Apollo 11 landing in 1969. It is a testament to the watch's precision, reliability, and durability that it has been trusted with the lives of those who have ventured into the unforgiving environment of space.
Paragraph 2: The Speedmaster was originally designed in 1957 as a racing chronograph. It quickly became popular with racing drivers for its ability to measure elapsed time with great accuracy. In 1964, NASA selected the Speedmaster as the official watch for its manned space program after it passed a series of rigorous tests.
#2. The Speedmaster in Space
Paragraph 3: The Speedmaster was first worn in space on the Gemini 3 mission in 1965. It quickly proved its worth when astronaut Edward White performed the first American spacewalk and used the Speedmaster to time his excursion. The watch was also used on the Apollo 11 mission in 1969, when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the moon.
Paragraph 4: The Speedmaster has played a vital role in many other space missions, including the Apollo 13 mission in 1970, when the watch was used to time the critical mid-course correction that saved the lives of the crew. The Speedmaster has also been worn on spacewalks, satellite repairs, and even on the International Space Station.
#3. The Speedmaster's Features
Paragraph 5: The Speedmaster is a mechanical chronograph watch with a manual winding movement. It features a 42mm stainless steel case, a black dial with luminous hands and hour markers, and a tachymeter bezel. The watch is water-resistant to 50 meters.
Paragraph 6: The Speedmaster's chronograph function is operated by two pushers on the right side of the case. The top pusher starts and stops the chronograph, while the bottom pusher resets it. The chronograph seconds hand makes one revolution around the dial in 60 seconds, and the 30-minute and 12-hour counters are located at the 3 and 9 o'clock positions, respectively.
###3.1. The Tachymeter Bezel
Paragraph 7: The Speedmaster's tachymeter bezel is a scale that allows the wearer to measure speed based on time and distance. To use the tachymeter, the wearer starts the chronograph when an object passes a known point and stops it when the object passes another known point. The speed can then be read from the tachymeter bezel.
###3.2. The Hesalite Crystal
<img src="https://tse1.mm.bing.net/th?q=Omega+Speedmaster+hesalite+crystal" alt="Omega Speedmaster hes