Omega Speedmaster Watch

摘要

MOST OF THE EQUIPMENT issued to Gemini and Apollo astronauts for use during spaceflight was custom-designed for the space program. But at least one critical piece of gear was off-the-rack: The Omega Speedmaster Professional watch, which had been for sale to the general public since 1957. Five years later, when NASA went looking for a waterproof, shockproof, anti-magnetic chronometer that could function reliably in temperatures ranging from zero to 200 degrees Fahrenheit and withstand 12 Gs, the Omega won out in rigorous EVA simulations. It was officially flight-qualified in 1965 and first. Worn in space on Gemini 3. The three interior dials within the face comprise a second hand, a minute counter, and an hour counter. The "Speedmaster" name acknowledges the bezei is marked for use as a tachymeter (measuring miles per hour) in conjunction with the stopwatch NASA-issue Speedmasters had Velcro bands: Ed White wore his Speedmaster on the outer sleeve of his pressure suit for his history-making Gemini 4 spacewalk, a practice his successors have continued.