It is not common for extremely rare timepieces associated with the Apollo-era space race to be sold at watch and space auctions. Even more unusual is the discovery of several distinctive examples of rare watches from two leading Swiss brands associated with man’s voyage to the moon. RR Auctions’ current Space Exploration and Aviation auction includes a series of “Space Watch” lots featuring interesting timepieces from the Space Race era. Two of them have special meaning to me because I have known their owners for many years. They are Edgar Mitchell’s Rolex GMT-Master 1675 and Dave Scott’s gold Omega Speedmaster Apollo 11 commemorative watch.
As you may remember, Thomas van Straaten has already shared his insights about Mitchell’s 1675 here. But today, I wanted to share some more personal stories and anecdotes to further shed light on why these watches (and the men who wore them) are so noteworthy.
To the moon with the Rolex GMT-Master 1675
Edgar Mitchell’s family has put his Rolex GMT-Master 1675 up for sale at RR Auctions’ Fall Space Exploration Auction, which ends on October 24th. Edgar wore this watch during his flight to the moon in January 1971. Only four Rolex GMT watches from this era are known to have flown into lunar orbit. Jack Swigert wore this watch on Apollo 13, but traded his Rolex for a new GMT. Its brown bezel earned it the nickname “root beer.” Ron Evans carried this watch with him in his PPK bag during Apollo 17, and his wife Jean sold it at auction in 2009. Stu Roosa also wore this watch during Apollo 14. This makes Edgar’s watch the last known Rolex to fly to the moon during the Apollo mission. It will be sold at public auction.
Image: RR Auction
Image: RR Auction
Image: RR Auction
Image: RR Auction
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Image: RR Auction
Edgar was once asked about how to wind a watch while flying, and he told the questioner, “I’ve never worried about how to wind a watch since I’ve been wearing a Rolex.” This claim can be proven by looking at photos taken during the flight.
Image: RR Auction
A word to Edgar Mitchell’s daughter Carlin
I had the opportunity to speak with Edgar’s oldest daughter, Karlyn Mitchell. She received the watch as a gift from her father on December 31, 1979. Karlin told me that her father loved this watch. He showed it to his family and explained how he could tell the time in two different places at a glance. “He loved the GMT (bezel) and said he could see the current time and Greenwich Mean Time at the same time.”
Her father told me that he almost always wore a Rolex GMT-Master. They also looked for an automatic winder. Although we know that Edgar wore the watch during his mission through photographic evidence and a Certificate of Authenticity (LOA) stating that he flew to the moon, Carlin said his father wore the watch on the moon. I understand that it was worn.
Edgar Mitchell wears his watch, and a second watch is visible under his other sleeve — Image: NASA
From astronaut to collector
Edgar was my first moonwalker in 1999. For many years I advised on Edgar and Apollo era astronaut collections. They all kept the memorabilia, but trying to explain the value of the flying object and the need to establish proper provenance made the landscaper realize that his shovel was an extremely valuable tool. I realized that it is the same as trying to explain something. For moon travelers, as well as landscapers, such objects were considered tools of the trade. As a result, organizing, cataloging, and establishing value for the flying objects in our possession has become a daunting task.
Image: RR Auction
This obscures the engraving and authenticity text on the case back. In 1979, Edgar had an engraving on the back of his Rolex indicating that he wore the watch “on Apollo 14.” For him, that meant being worn on the moon. He also dedicated it to his eldest daughter, Karlin. Unfortunately, the jeweler spelled her name with an “i” instead of a “y”. Edgar’s making this most personal gift has meant the world to Carlin over the years.
Its rarity and provenance are further enhanced by the Edgar-signed Certificate of Authenticity confirming ownership and confirming that this Rolex flew to the moon.
Image: NASA
edgar mitchell
Although this article is about vintage watches, my thoughts go back to the man who wore this watch to the moon. I knew Edgar for over 15 years before he passed away. i miss him. We visited each other’s homes quite often. He was a kind gentleman with diverse knowledge about the world. Edgar proved his integrity many times during our time together. He was a listener who respected other people’s opinions. I miss the conversations and “debates” about topics like science and technology, religion and spirituality, alien landings, and the paranormal. Edgar Mitchell was a unique man who looked beyond the moon into space and discovered that we are made of stars.
Image: NASA
dave scott
Dave and I have known each other since we first met in 2004 at a space event in Los Angeles. We got to know each other better after I gave him a white paper I co-authored in 2009 titled “The Future of Human Spaceflight.” Currently in the MIT Space Policy Group. Dave surprised me by commenting that he had read the paper and wanted to share his thoughts about it with the group. After I was satisfied that he had read our paper, I recovered and invited him to MIT to discuss the paper. He came and stayed at our house, discussed his ideas for group papers, and lectured on space flight to our engineering classes.
Dave is a really good, well-read, articulate guy. Every time I brought up a new topic, Dave had already read about it and would send me links to engineering or science papers for me to read. He kept me alert. Dave is a true explorer.
A night to remember, but how…
On November 25, 1969, Omega held a special dinner at the Warwick Hotel in Houston. Nineteen astronauts from the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs who have already flown in space attended the official dinner at Omega’s invitation. During the event, Omega presented each astronaut in attendance with an 18K gold Omega 1969 Apollo 11 Commemorative Speedmaster. As far as I know, no information about this amazing event has been made public, other than a small article in the Houston Chronicle at the time. I was told that Omega does not have any photos of this event. The only way we know about this event is through the stories told by watch historians like Chuck Maddox.
Image: RR Auction
RR Auctions’ Fall Space Exploration Auction features Dave Scott’s gold Omega Speedmaster Apollo 11, serial number 16. Omega presented Dave with this watch to commemorate his participation in the Gemini 8, Apollo 9, and ultimately Apollo 15 space flights. What makes this watch unique is that Dave provided a personally signed certificate of authenticity. As an actual recipient, Dave included in his letter his memories of attending the presentation dinner. He is one of the few astronaut honorees left to provide an eyewitness account of this spectacular dinner.
Image: RR Auction
Dave Scott’s Golden Omega Speedmaster Apollo 11
I asked Dave about his memories of the gold Speedmaster and that November 1969 dinner in Houston. His first comment was that the watch’s exquisite beauty and rarity were “mouth-watering.” We kept a good time. “On a more serious note, Dave said Omega presented the watch to him at an elegant black tie dinner. An Omega representative handed each astronaut an individually engraved watch. Ta.
Image: RR Auction
Image: RR Auction
Image: RR Auction
Image: RR Auction
Image: RR Auction
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Image: RR Auction
Dave also said the gold Speedmaster was important to him as a symbol of achievement. That meant he was part of the team that accomplished the engineering feat of landing on the moon. Unlike other gold Omega 1969 Apollo 11 Commemorative Speedmasters sold in recent years, this watch is completely original and was made directly from the Moonwalker himself. Also included is a signed letter detailing the story behind the watch and event. The provenance of this watch is truly perfect.
final thoughts
I was fortunate to know both Edgar and Dave over the years. We stayed at each other’s houses. We shared stories of exploration. I helped them build a collection that included both of these watches. As a watch collector, I have owned or handled numerous space flight watches and space-related presentation watches. Edgar’s Rolex GMT-Master and Dave’s gold Omega Speedmaster Apollo 11 are two of the most interesting examples of watches related to space and lunar exploration that I’ve ever seen. It is extremely rare to see two watches of this caliber in the same space at the same time. As Dave once told me, “time is of the essence” in spaceflight.
The Edgar and Dave watch is currently for sale online at RR Auctions. Edgar’s Rolex GMT-Master is lot number 6286 (as of this writing, bidding is $551,406 with an estimate of over $400,000). Dave Scott’s 18k gold Omega Speedmaster Apollo 11 is lot number 6311 (currently below its $200,000 estimate) $49,460). BIdding ends on October 24, 2024.
Editor-in-chief’s note:
Special thanks to Larry McGlynn for putting this article together and sharing his unique insights. If you want to know more about the fascinating character of Larry and his passion for space objects, we recommend checking out his appearance on the Discovery show Space Dealers here.
