On 1 April 2026, NASA’s Artemis II successfully launched four amazing astronauts — Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen — on the first crewed lunar mission in over 50 years. While the mission itself is historic, it also continues a long‑standing link between space travel and iconic timepieces.
The Watch Choice for Deep Space
Astronauts on Artemis II are wearing Omega Speedmaster X‑33 Generation 2 watches — a modern evolution of the legendary Speedmaster lineage. This isn’t just a fashion choice: the X‑33 has been flight‑qualified by NASA, designed with analog and digital displays to support mission timing tasks in space. One more big tick for Omega and their moon watches.
Omega Speedmaster X‑33 Generation 2 is crafted in lightweight grade 2 titanium and featuring multiple chronograph, countdown and UTC functions suited for space environments. This watch has a deep association with aerospace missions: it was originally developed with input from NASA and has been part of space missions since the late 1990s.
More Than Just One Timepiece
While the X‑33 is the official mission watch, there are intriguing sightings and conversations in the watch community about additional timepieces the astronauts have been seen wearing in press photos or press events:
Breitling Navitimer/Cosmonaut models: Some crew appear to have additional watches — like vintage Breitling designs — on press day or in pre‑launch photos. It’s not confirmed whether all of these made the journey aboard Orion, but they’ve certainly stirred excitement among collectors.
Astronaut personal pieces: In past missions, astronauts would sometimes bring personal watches — often returned after — adding another layer of lore to “watches in space.” Recent media sightings show crews double‑wristing with different models, sparking speculation about which pieces are truly going into space.
Space, History & Collector Value
This mission marks the first crewed trip beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo. As such, any piece of gear — especially mechanical or space‑qualified watches — that actually travels on Artemis II carries added collector allure. Watches worn during deep‑space missions tend to become significant historical artefacts in the watch world. We are excited to see the new ranges and models that come from this!
Collectors will surely keep a keen eye on:
- How the Speedmaster X‑33 performs throughout the mission
- Whether additional personal watches are officially logged as “worn in space”
- Any commemorative or limited editions Omega or others release tied to Artemis II
- Here’s a breakdown of the personal pieces spotted so far (not NASA‑issued) — great for watch lore and collector discussions:
Victor Glover - Omega Speedmaster X‑33 Gen 2 (official)
- Breitling Navitimer — classic pilot’s chronograph with a 24‑hour scale
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Omega Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch — traditional manual‑wind Moonwatch he acquired recently
Christina Koch - Omega Speedmaster X‑33 Gen 2
- Breitling Navitimer
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Her father’s Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch — a personal, sentimental piece
Jeremy Hansen - Omega Speedmaster X‑33 Gen 2
- Breitling Navitimer
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Omega Speedmaster “Dark Side of the Moon” — a ceramic‑cased Speedmaster variant
Reid Wiseman - Omega Speedmaster X‑33 Gen 2
- Breitling Navitimer
- Another Omega Speedmaster Professional; specifics not publicly confirmed just yet.
Whether you’re inspired by the watches soaring aboard Artemis II or just love iconic collectors timepieces, Watch Buyers can help you find your perfect moon watch -Omega or Breitling or any other luxury brand.
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You can of course sell your current timepiece- in order to perhaps fund your own mission to space- by contact us via the Quote form.