Omega watches celebrates one small step with one giant broadsheet

19 July 2019

omega watches moon landing newspaper

When Apollo 11 touched down on the moon on July 20, 1969, the Omega Speedmaster Professional became the first watch to be worn on the lunar surface. Since then it's been known as the "Moonwatch," and is still used by astronauts on the space station today.

buzz aldrin omega watch moon landing

Buzz Aldrin wearing an Omega Speedmaster Professional during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969. Photo via NASA.

As part of Omega's celebration of the 50th anniversary of the moon landing this month, the watchmakers produced a special edition newspaper, the Omega Daily, printed on our large format digital broadsheets.

The front page is dated July 16, 1969 – the day Apollo 11 launched into space – and features a brief history of Omega's work with NASA. (When NASA first approached Omega in 1964, they were one of four brands whose timepieces were then "tested almost to destruction, including thermal, shock, vibration and vacuum tests"— only the Omega Speedmaster watch made the cut.)

Omega Speedmaster moon landing newspaper

Omega Daily printed as a digital broadsheet newspaper.

The Omega Daily opens into a big poster of the Speedmaster Original BA145.022, the special edition gold watch Omega presented to the Apollo 11 astronauts at a gala in Houston after their return.

Omega Speedmaster moon landing newspaper

Omega Daily printed as a digital broadsheet newspaper.

The newspapers were used as part of a performance piece at Omega's epic space-themed dinner at Television Centre in London last weekend, produced by event planning studio Fiona Leahy Design. Below, some photos from the party, where guests dined beneath a 4.5 meter moon suspended above the table.

Omega Moon Landing Celebration Dinner