Neil Armstrong's Watch Just Sold For $2.1 Million
- Editor OGN Daily
- Apr 28
- 2 min read
Neil Armstrong made history on 20 July 1969 when he became the first person to walk on the moon. Now his commemorative watch has been sold with a “substantial portion” of the proceeds going to charity.
Not long after he returned to Earth from his “one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind,” Armstrong attended a gala dinner at the Hotel Warwick in Houston. While there, he was presented with a special gift: an 18-karat gold Omega Speedmaster Professional watch. Made of solid yellow gold, the rare timepiece is one of the “Tribute to Astronauts” watches made to commemorate the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs.
Now, more than 50 years later, the late astronaut’s timepiece has sold at auction for $2.1 million, according to RR Auction.
The back of Armstrong’s watch is engraved with his name, as well as Gemini 8 (Armstrong’s first spaceflight) and Apollo 11 (his moonwalk mission). It also features the phrase “To mark man’s conquest of space with time, through time, on time.”
Armstrong, who died in 2012, liked to wear the timepiece on special occasions. The device “symbolizes one of the most remarkable achievements in the history of mankind,” says his son, Mark Armstrong.
RR Auction says that a “substantial portion” of the proceeds from the sale will go toward charitable causes Armstrong believed in, as determined by his son.
In 1965, after rigorous testing of watches by four different companies, NASA selected a stainless stell Speedmaster for astronauts to wear on future flights, deeming it “flight-qualified for all manned space missions.” This gave rise to the model’s “Moonwatch” nickname.
The “Moonwatch” has been worn on all six lunar landings. The stainless steel watch Armstrong wore into space has been housed at the National Air and Space Museum since NASA donated it in 1973.
