Omega has just launched the Spacemaster Z-33 watch, its powered by a new multifunction thermo-compensated quartz movement – calibre 5666.

Like their X-33 speedmaster model it combines analog and digital displays. The digital display provides self-programmable professional pilot functions as well as date, UTC and two time zones, also a chronograph function and a countdown timer.

The brushed, polished and sandblasted case is built from grade 5 titanium and features a “double wall” construction which acts as a resonance chamber to amplify the alarm sound.

Transreflective LCD Technology guarantees readability under any lighting conditions. This technology not only cleverly adjusts the luminosity of the digital display so it can easily be read during night flights, direct sunlight or when wearing polarized glasses but it also saves battery power.

Water resistant to 30m it comes on either a rubber or leather strap.
No news on price as yet. You can read more about it at the omega site

The “Spacemaster” was worn by astronaut Zhai Zhigang on the 29 September 2008 on the first spacewalk by a Chinese astronaut.

This is the third space watch by Fiyta having developed two earlier watches for previous manned space missions by Chinese taikonauts, since 2003 having worked jointly with the Astronaut Centre of China.

The watch comes equipped with an 8 hour rotating bezel since the survival period inside the Chinese Feitian EVA spacesuit is 8 hours.

Further features include blue and green 30 and 40 minute indicators which correspond to the time lengths of tasks carried out on the missions as well as a morning/afternoon indicator to help the astronauts keep track of earth time.

Two versions of this space watch exist; 53 piece LE has a 54 mm case, 699 piece LE has a 45 mm case. Each one having been tested by the China National Horological Quality Supervision.

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Omega Speedmaster Pro

Probably the most famous of all Space watches, the Speedmaster was qualified by NASA in 1965 for all manned space missions. It was the first watch to be worn on the moon when Buzz Aldrin famously landed there in 1969.

Early in the 1960’s a NASA employee anonymously bought a selection of potential space watches.
These were chronographs by the most well known watch brands, the Omega Speedmaster was the only one to pass its stringent tests.

In April 1970 the Apollo 13 suffered an electrical fault which caused one of the two oxygen tanks to explode resulting in the loss of oxygen as well as electrical power. The Speedmaster played a part in rescuing the mission by being used as a timer.

The original mechanically powered Speedmaster has since been replaced by the newer quartz driven X-33 for space missions which can also display GMT time.

Although, the Speedmaster Professional remains the only watch certified for extra-vehicular activity.

Source:Link Price:$4000~

Fortis Cosmonauts Chronograph

Fortis was chosen to be the exclusive supplier of space watches for manned space missions by the Russian Federal Space Agency since 1994.

Fortis decided on an automatic chronograph for their space watch, and in order to see whether a self-winding movement could keep accurate time in space it was subjected to a number of tests.

Firstly it was successfully tested at three different angles to a force of 12 G (12 times the Earth gravitational pull) using a centrifuge.

Next, a series of steep climbs and dives aboard an MDK four-engine jet in order to see how it coped with zero gravity conditions. Finally it was subjected to extreme vacuum conditions. It passed the tests and had its first mission in 1994.

The watch shown is the B42 Official Cosmonauts Black Chronograph featuring Swiss Movement Valjoux 7750, a 42mm case diameter with a caseback engraved with the emblems of the Russian space Agency.

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Sturmanskie Gagarin chronograph.
The Sturmanskie was the very first watch worn in space and this model is named after of course the first man in space, Russian Yuri Gagarin.

The Sturmanskie still holds the record for a space watch that has spent the longest time in zero gravity conditions. So its just as worthy of a title of ’space watch’ as the Omega Speedmaster.

The Gagarin Chronograph features a Russian mechanical movement with a 42 hour power reserve. Another nice feature which is rarely seen is a rotating inner bezel. This is very useful for the tracking of a second time zone and can be adjusted by turning the uppermost crown.

Sturmanskie is one of the oldest Russian watchmakers and was bought and resurrected by Volmax.

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Spring Drive Spacewalk – specially designed and built to accompany the first private individual to conduct a spacewalk. Seiko wanted to become involved with creating a space watch because of the technical challenges it presented.

The challenge for the Seiko engineers was to create a space watch that would be able to have accurate timekeeping, be reliable and comfortable and also withstand the harsh environments of not only space flight but also a space walk.

Seiko decided to use a spring drive movement since its less affected by extreme temperatures due to its Tri-synchro Regulator as opposed to a traditional regulator.

The mechanism provides the following functions: hours, minutes and seconds, calendar, GMT , 72-hour power reserve, and 12-hour chronograph.

Jack Swigert April 11, 1970 Apollo XIII

Although not a NASA certified space watch the GMT Master proved it had the ‘right stuff’ when Jack Swigert wore his Rolex GMT Master on the Apollo XIII mission in April 1970.

It was also worn by Ron Evans, Mission Command Module Pilot of Apollo XVII and  Ed Mitchell of the Apollo XIV misssion also wore his Rolex GMT Master on the moon.

So we can safely say that it is a worthy inclusion on the list of space watches, not only does it have some impressive space credentials but the GMT Master was also worn by Chuck Yeager when he was the first person to pilot a fixed wing plane to the speed of sound, when no one knew whether a plane, or a human could endure such forces!

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Like the G-Shock the Ironman is a watch that has a reputation for toughness. Because of this it was chosen by astronauts and certified by NASA for space missions, it has accompanied astronauts and Russian cosmonauts to outer space.

From the Timex sponsorship of the Ironman Triathlon event came the eventual partnership and the acquiring of the rights to use the Ironman name in 1986.

Its very popular with sporting enthusiasts due to its rugged design and the Ironman has since became the companies flagship watch and worlds best selling sports watch.



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When it was first launched the G Shock was developed to be the ultimate tough watch. Casio engineers followed a development concept called “Triple 10″ aiming to create a watch that could withstand a ‘10-meter’ free fall, have ‘10-bar’ water resistance and a ‘10 year’ battery life.

They reached 200 prototypes before they achieved their goal. To achieve this they used a hollow structure and floated the movement inside using cushioning at critical points.

Various G-Shock models have been flight qualified for NASA space missions. The one pictured is the DW-5600E.



Source:Link Price:$70

Halda Space Discovery

The first thing that’s very noticeable about the Halda is that its a unique space watch in that it has interchangeable “Time Modules“. The watch is covertible depending on the environment, whether its terrestrial or not.

Each module being created for optimum performance in its environment. One mechanical “Earth” module and one electronic “Space” module for Space use.

Halda’s first venture into space was with Mission STS-128, a space shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS) that launched on August 28, 2009.

Made from a new NASA certified material called TECAMAX, which is of extraordinary lightweight and resistant to extreme temperatures as well as acid and chemicals.

The Space Discovery has an impressive array of functions, including ‘mission countdown’ and ‘G-force measurement.’

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