This week’s gone full Speedmaster. On Saturday, it was the 50th Anniversary of the Apollo 13 mission, deemed to be a “successful failure”, because there was indeed a major malfunction, but all astronauts on the mission lived to talk about it. I was very fortunate to have heard this story told by one of the men who played a part, US astronaut Jim Lovell – at the NASA Space Centre in Houston. In short, when all the astronauts had to cram into the lunar module to make it back to earth after an oxygen tank exploded on board, the Speedy played its part in helping Jim nail the precise moment to trigger and then cease a crucial 14-second fuel burn to get the module angled correctly to re-enter the earth’s atmosphere. Using the earth’s horizon line as a guide and his chronograph for the fuel burn, they successfully made it back home and Omega was awarded the Snoopy Award for their crucial role in getting the astronauts home safely.
Astronaut James A. Lovell Jr, commander for NASA’s Apollo 13 mission.
If that wasn’t enough, we are also keeping an eye on the sale of an Omega Speedmaster belonging to a Russian cosmonaut that was worn in space. Nikolai Budarin wore the watch during the US and Russian space program Shuttle–MIR, and even wore the watch outside the space station where he was based in 1995. Not your average Speedy, that’s for sure.
Keeping the Omega Speedmaster theme going, this week on Every Watch Tells A Story, we speak with Tasneem about why he loves his Omega Speedmaster. It’s safe to say he loves the watch for its history and how it feels on the wrist, but he also reminds us of the most important part of watch collecting. Community. His friend who helped him along the decision-making process also introduced him to a number of other Speedy fans, people he now considers his friends.
There is always one watch that sends you headfirst into the watch community, and for Tasneem, his Omega Speedmaster helped him build a sense of belonging in a group of likeminded people. Well done on taking the plunge on your Speedy, Tasneem, and welcome to the #watchfam.
