Apollo 15 commander's watch clocks up $1.6m at auction

A timepiece worn by Apollo 15 commander Dave R. Scott on the surface of the Moon has sold at auction for an astronomical $1,625,000. Apollo astronauts normally strapped a standard NASA-issue Omega Speedmaster Professional to their wrists, but Scott carried a personal Bulova Wrist Chronograph as back-up on the 1971 mission. It …

[Anonymous Coward]

Where is Buzz's?

Buzz was the first man to wear a watch on the moon. The clock in the Aquarius LEM had cracked, and NASA ordered Neil to leave his watch pinned to the cockpit in case the built in one stopped.

Back to Earth 1971, Buzz's was lost in transit in or about 1971 whilst en route to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum...

How much is THAT worth, to however stole it?

https://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/omega.html

[MyffyW]

Re: Where is Buzz's?

@linicks How much is THAT worth, to however stole it?

Quite literally priceless I guess, because it can't be legitimately sold, and the provenance would be difficult to verify on the black market.

[Ian Michael Gumby]

Re: Where is Buzz's?

The watches have serial numbers on the case and movement.

So it would be easy to verify the watch if it ever turned up.

[heenow]

Re: Where is Buzz's?

The instrument panel clocks all had Accutron movements, so this was hardly the first Bulova timepiece on the Moon. It was, however, the first Bulova watch. Interesting stuff.

[Anonymous Coward]

Image in 2100...

The 1st AAPL watch worn on Mars is up for sale!

[Chozo]

Sod the watch, I want to find Shepard's golf ball.

[allthecoolshortnamesweretaken]

Shepard's golf ball

I'll help you looking for it if you arrange transport.

[Your alien overlord - fear me]

Why is anyone wearing a watch under a spacesuit?

Do you pull off your glove to see the time?

Or has it got a really,really,really long strap?

[John Bailey]

"Why is anyone wearing a watch under a spacesuit?"

Because it wouldn't fit over it.

"Do you pull off your glove to see the time?"

No. You get a nice man to write it down for you on a piece of paper. Then apply the method explained here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tjHlFPTwVk

[Anonymous Coward]

"What time is it Eccles?"

You silly, twisted boy, you! From "The Mysterious Punch-up-the-Conker", if I'm not much mistaken.

I was hoping that your link was to this exact piece of dialogue between the famous Eccles and Bluebottle. What sublime idiocy that is! :-)

I have all my Goon Shows loaded on my phone, for those times when the insanity of the modern world needs to be counteracted by the lunacy of an earlier time.

[Dave 126]

>Or has it got a really,really,really long strap?

It does indeed have a really, really long Velcro strap.

See image here:

https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/moon-watch-sells-for-$1million

[scrishton]

So what sound does it make?...

...a Lunar Tick?

[Anonymous Coward]

"Went under the hammer yesterday"

Seems a shame to destroy a watch that has been on the Moon, but I guess if he didn't need it anymore...

[MajorTom]

Irony

I've always felt bad about the Apollo 15 crew getting into hot water with NASA and Congress over the Postage Stamp Incident...their attempt to make a little money on the side through a private deal with a German stamp dealer. Several of the private deal stamp covers were brought along to the moon (presumably into orbit only, not down to the surface) together with a sheaf of "official" ones. The fallout once the private sale was discovered has tainted the crew for a long time.

So now we're talking about the very public sale of yet another Apollo 15 artifact. Seeing the article (before reading it) made me think maybe the Apollo 15 guys were in trouble again...