Artemis II Astronauts Take the Iconic Omega Speedmaster Back to Space
Half a century later and the Moonwatch still knows how to clock a trip to the Moon
On the first day of the month of April 2026, the long-awaited Artemis II mission soared skyward, marking the return to the Moon with its first crewed journey since Apollo 17 in 1972.
Marking the lunar voyage, the four astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen are currently orbiting the Earth aboard the Orion spacecraft on a 10-day mission to extract vital data without landing on the Moon. So, time is a critical asset. To quote the famous author Tennessee Williams in The Glass Menagerie, "Time is the longest distance between two places."
Few human pursuits demand the kind of precision, endurance and reliability as a space travel and so a wristwatch becomes something more than an accessory that's part of the space suit. And so its good to know that the four NASA astronauts are onboard with Omega Speedmaster X-33- the second generation model.
Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor J. Glover and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen are all equipped with X-33 Gen 2( reference: 3291.50.00), a watch with deep roots in spaceflight. Originally developed in the late 1990s with input from astronauts- including Thomas P. Stafford- the X-33 was conceived as a mission tool before it became a luxury timepiece.
Crafted from grade 2 titanium, the watch prioritises lightness and durability, critical in a space environment. Not only that its hybrid analog-digital display holds mission elapsed time (MET), multiple time zones, alarms, and chronograph capabilities which are all integrated into a highly legible interface designed for operational use.
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A Notable Shift From Apollo Era
The Artemis II crew is keeping the traditions going with not only Omega Speedmaster X-33 but even pieces like the Breitling Navitimer with a 24-hour display that was donned by the commander a week before the take off. The Breitling Navitimer Cosmonaute is the first Swiss wristwatch in space that astronaut Scott Carpenter wore while orbiting earth in the Mercury-Atlas 7 mission of 1962.
Nevertheless, the Omega X-33 is all the rage though there is a notable shift from the 1972 Moonwatch. The quartz size chronograph timepiece is crafted from lightweight titanium , designed explicitly for the rigours of spaceflight with both analog hands and digital LCD screens.
The case is grade 2 titanium, measuring 45 mm. It’s light enough to wear over a pressure suit without adding noticeable bulk, and tough enough to handle the temperature swings and vibrations of spaceflight.
Interestingly, the developments of the X-33 includes inputs from seasoned astronauts like Thomas Stafford, commander of Apollo 10, to make sure the timepiece can handle the extreme environment of orbit and beyond. The watch first appeared in 1998, followed by a revised second-generation edition released in 2001, only to be discontinued for public sale in 2006. Yet NASA’s own stock remains fully operational.
The Speedmaster X-33 has long earned its place as a trusted companion for astronauts. From first Omega Speedmaster Professional, also called Moonwatch, accompanying the team of Nasa astronauts in 1972 to the latest Speedmaster X-33, watches have always been a trusted companion for the space crew.