Omega Speedmaster Apollo XVII 40th Anniversary Edition Watch

First Look…”The Last Manned Lunar Landing”

In December 1972, NASA’s Apollo program came to a successful end as Captain Eugene Cernan, commander of the Apollo XVII, became the last human being to leave footprints on the lunar surface.    Compared to previous Apollo missions, Apollo 17 astronauts traversed the greatest distance using the Lunar Roving Vehicle and returned the greatest amount of rock and soil samples. Eugene Cernan, commander of Apollo 17, still holds the distinction of being the last man to walk on the Moon, as no humans have visited the Moon since December 14, 1972.  Cernan was also on the Apollo 10 mission in 1969, and the Gemini IX-a mission in 1966.

To celebrate 40 years since brand ambassador Eugene A. Cernan’s legendary last moonwalk, OMEGA is now out with the Speedmaster Moonwatch “Apollo XVII” 40^th Anniversary Limited Edition, a timepiece whose innovative technology and commemorative design serve as a lasting tribute to human ingenuity and the exploration of space.  We’ve got high-res closeups, specs and pricing — below.

Omega Speedmaster Apollo XVII 40th Anniversary Edition Watch

limited, numbered edition of to 1,972 pieces

PRICE:  $7,200, available November 2012

42mm stainless steel case, manual-winding Omega 1861 chronograph  caliber

OMEGA’s Speedmaster Moonwatch “Apollo XVII” features a 925 silver, hand-patina dial embossed with the Apollo XVII patch which captures Man, the Future, the Recollection of Apollo and the Flag.  This design inspiration drawn from the mission patch is similar to what we saw last year with the Omega Apollo XV 40th anniversary watch, although unlike the Apollo XV 40th tribute, this year’s piece is a precise replica of the actual patch.  The effect is that this piece is a bit more eclectic, and yes, the chronograph more or less useless, but this is not the point of this watch.

Of course Omega’s prominent role in space travel is well known, and in addition to the original issue pieces, Omega is known in more recent years for its tribute watches.  For example, this year saw the Speedmaster “First Omega In Space” reissue that we saw for 2012.  In 2010, it was the Omega Speedmaster Professional Apollo-Soyuz 35th anniversary watch.  In 2009, it was the Speedmaster Apollo 11 “40th Anniversary” Limited Edition.   And on back it goes!

Here’s a wrist shot from earlier this year at Baselworld — looks even better in the metal than in the press images, don’t you think?

The screw-in caseback (not pictured) is engraved with “THE LAST MAN ON THE MOON”, “DECEMBER 14, 1972”, “APOLLO XVII”, “40TH ANNIVERSARY” and “limited edition number”.

Apollo XVII Mission Patch

Closeups of the silver, hand-patina dial embossed dial — amazing reproduction of the mission patch!

Captain Eugene Cernan, Commanding the Apollo XVII Mission

“Last Man To Walk On the Moon”

 Apollo XVII Mission:  On the Moon, December 1972

Photos: NASA

If you are interested in more of the history of the Apollo XVII mission , I recommend the very good pages on the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum website.

As noted above, this Omega Speedmaster Apollo XVII 40th Anniversary Edition Watch drops in November at a price of $7,200.