Ahead of the international watch auction season that kicks off in a few weeks, Boston-based RR Auction has opened an online auction that will interest those hunting especially rare, space-flown watches.

Simply titled Space, the auction is focused primarily on space memorabilia, and includes three space-flown wristwatches that warrant a closer look, including a French astronaut’s Speedmaster that spent almost six hours in space.

Known for its sales focused on historical memorabilia, particularly those relating to space exploration, RR Auction has notched up several notable watch sales in the past, including a Bulova chronograph worn on the Moon that sold for almost US$1.6 million in 2015.

We round up highlights from the upcoming sale, which closes October 24, 2024. The catalogue and bidding are available online.

Lot 6286 – Rolex GMT-Master II flown on Apollo 14 by Edgar Mitchell 

First up is the Rolex GMT-Master II ref. 1675 worn by astronaut Edgar Mitchell on the Apollo 14 mission that landed on the Moon in February 1971. Enhancing its appeal, the watch has tangible provenance: actually be seen in archival footage recording prior to take-off and in onboard footage taken during the mission.

While the GMT-Master II was not uncommon among astronauts of that period – it was conceived as a watch for pilots after all – few actually made it to space. This example is only the second lunar Rolex to be sold publicly, after Ron Evans’s GMT-Master II worn on Apollo 17, which surfaced at Heritage Auctions in 2009, where it sold for over US$131,000.

The watch can be seen in numerous archival images of the mission

Mitchell later had the back of his watch engraved, “Worn by Cdr. E. Mitchell on Apollo 14, 1971, To Karlin—My Daughter.”

Accompanied by a letter of authenticity signed by Edgar Mitchell, the lot carries at estimate of over US$400,000.

Lot 6311 – Omega Speedmaster Professional Apollo 11 owned by Dave Scott

Next is astronaut Dave Scott’s Omega Speedmaster Professional ref. BA 145.022 “Apollo 11”. The very first Speedmaster in gold, the BA 145.022 was special edition introduced in 1969 to mark the Moon landing (and reissued in 2019).

Omega gifted the early examples to notable individuals associated with the lunar mission. Richard Nixon was offered the very first example, but he declined the watch, which is now in the Omega Museum. Twenty-six examples were gifted to the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo astronauts in 1969, with this example being no. 16.

Mr. Scott evidently wore the watch regularly, as described by the accompanying letters and evident in the condition of the watch, enhancing its charm. The lot description notes that the watch has been cleaned but never restored, and that all parts are original.

The case back is engraved “Astronaut David R. Scott, Gemini 8 – Apollo 9 – Apollo 15”. Interestingly, since Apollo 15 took place after the watch was presented to Mr. Scott on November 25, 1969, Omega requested that the watch be returned to have the Apollo 15 engraving added later.

This is not the first time RR Auction has sold one of the original 26 watches. In October 2022, the firm sold Wally Schirra’s example for nearly US$2 million.

Dave Scott wearing the watch at a 1971 press conference

The watch includes a letter of provenance signed by Dave Scott, which contains charming details such as “[the watch] was presented to me by the Omega Watch Company at a gala dinner at the Hotel Warwick in Houston, TX, on November 25, 1969” and further states that it “…has been in my personal possession since then…”

The lot carries at estimate of over US$200,000.

Lot 6514 – Omega Speedmaster flown on Mir by Jean-Loup Chrétien

The final watch worth mentioning is French astronaut Jean-Loup Chrétien’s Omega Speedmaster, which he wore on the Mir space station during the three-week Aragatz mission in 1988. A Speedmaster ref. 145.022 that was delivered to Moscow in 1976, this is a truly international space watch: “Swiss-made, American-proved, and French-worn on Russian spacecraft” as described in the catalogue.

Though the price point is more accessible than the other lots featured, this Speedmaster spent about twice as much time in space as Edgar Mitchell’s GMT-Master II, as Mr Chrétien wore this watch during a spacewalk that lasted almost six hours.

This Speedmaster includes a letter signed by Jean-Loup Chrétien, certifying this was his personally-worn watch from the Aragatz mission. It carries an estimate of over US$30,000. For details, see the catalogue entry.

Auction information

Space is now live through October 24, 2024. The sale includes five watch-related lots (and even a controller from the Apollo 14 lunar module), with the catalogue and bidding available online at rrauction.com.