On Thursday, the anniversary of Apollo 11's launch, we recapped seven "space" watches that we've covered here on Hodinkee. Today, the 40th anniversary of the actual moon landing, we are going to be talking about just one; The Omega replica omega Seamaster 300m Professional. The Speedmaster Professional is a manual wind chronograph that is is not too flashy, not all that expensive, and yet universally regarded as one of the watch world's masterpieces. Even those true watch snobs who would never consider purchasing something as plebeian as an Omega replica omega Speedmaster Broad Arrow GMT respect the Speedy Pro. Really, how could they not? Even before the Speedmaster Professional was dubbed the "First Watch on the Moon", it played an integral role in another first in exploring. The Speedmaster Professional was the watch worn by Ralph Plaisted on his famous trip to the North Pole. In fact, Plaisted and his team, who rode only 16 horse power snow-mobiles for over 43 days, used only a sextant and an unmodified Omega http://www.speedroc.com/replica-omega-speedmaster-broad-arrow.html Professional to navigate to true North. Even when temperatures reached -50 degrees Celcius, the Speedmaster kept ticking. When Plaisted's team finally made it to the North Pole, the US Air Force team in charge of monitoring them radio'd down with the words "Gentlemen, from where you stand, everywhere is South." We actually found one of the Speedmasters used in this expedition for sale not too long ago. So, even if the Speedmaster hadn't made it to the moon, it would've been known as a great explorer's watch. However, it did, and it one of the few watches that has transcended into popular culture because of that. The actual watch worn to the moon was Omega Speedmaster Professional reference 145.012-67. The 67 on the end of course means it was manufactured in 1967, a full two years prior to the moon landing. This confuses many people and often times those looking for a real "Moon Watch" end up buying a Speedmaster from 1969. The problem with this is that by then, Omega had changed the movements inside the Speedmaster from a .321 Caliber to a .861. So, the Speedmasters made around the time of the Moon Landing were not actually the same ones used by NASA. If you want a watch that is identical to the one worn by the Apollo Astronauts, you want a .321 Speedmaster. Guess what, that is exactly what we've found for you today. This 1967 Speedmaster Professional features the very same reference (145.012-67) as those worn by the Astronauts. On top of that, it is in excellent condition, and comes with the original box and store tags. It also comes with the original steel strap and a new leather strap. It is very rare you find a complete Speedmaster Pro .321 with original box and store tags, mainly because this watch was only made for two years (1966-1968) and because everyone wants them. These Speedmasters are poised to make a big move in price in the years to come, and yet this one is priced reasonably at around $3300. However, this price is certainly negotiable, as is stated in the watch's description. On this 40th Anniversary of the Moon Landing, there isn't a more perfect watch to own than this particular Omega Speedmaster Professional. Forget that it comes with the original box, tags, and bracelet, forget that it is getting increasingly hard to find. You want this Omega because it's very same watch that made it to the moon. It doesn't get much cooler than that.