Astronaut Edgar Mitchell wearing his Rolex watch onboard the Apollo 14 in 1971. The GMT-Master “Pepsi” timepiece is one of two Apollo-flown Rolex watches ever sold at auction.
Boston—RR Auction in Boston is holding its “Space Auction” online now until Oct. 24.
The offering includes five watches that were either worn in space or commemorate an astronaut’s trip there.
The standout of the watch auction comes from the late Edgar Mitchell’s private collection. The pilot, engineer, and astronaut’s Rolex GMT-Master “Pepsi” timepiece (Ref. 1675) is estimated to sell for $400,000 or more.
Mitchell wore it in 1971 on his Apollo 14 mission, as the timepiece was designed for optimal performance in aviation and space travel. It was during this trip that Mitchell became the sixth man to walk on the moon.
It features a blue and red “Pepsi” bezel, a black dial, and a 26-jewel Oyster Perpetual movement. The watch also has a rotating bezel designed by Rolex and Pan American World Airways so its wearer can track local time and GMT simultaneously.
The caseback is engraved with “Worn by Cdr. E. Mitchell on Apollo 14, 1971, To Karlin—My Daughter.”
The Rolex GMT-Maser “Pepsi” watch worn by Edgar Mitchell on Apollo 14. Engraved on the back is “Worn by Cdr. E. Mitchell on Apollo 14, 1971, To Karlin—My Daughter.” It is estimated at $400,000 or more.
NASA would issue Omega Speedmaster Pros for its Apollo missions, but Mitchell and other astronauts occasionally preferred to wear their personal Rolexes.
Astronauts Stuart Roosa and Ron Evans also wore Rolex GMT-Master timepieces on Apollo 14 and Apollo 17, respectively.
Because it is unusual for astronauts to wear privately owned watches on a mission, and the government-issued Omega Speedmasters are property of NASA, it is not often that a watch like Mitchell’s Rolex comes up for auction, RR Auction noted.
It is also only one of two Apollo-flown Rolex watches ever offered at auction; the other was Evans’ Apollo 17 GMT-Master “Pepsi,” which sold in 2009.
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Another watch from Mitchell’s personal collection is also being offered in the auction.
His Bulova Astronaut Mark I watch with custom “Houston” dial (Ref. 138492) is estimated to sell for $1,000 or more.
Another standout piece in the “Space Auction” is astronaut Dave Scott’s Omega Speedmaster Professional Apollo 11 Commemorative Watch (Ref. BA 145.022) in 18-karat yellow gold.
The watch comes from his personal collection. Omega (then the Omega Watch Company) gifted it to him in 1969 to commemorate his achievements as a NASA astronaut.
Nineteen astronauts, including Scott, were given these personalized timepieces at an exclusive dinner at the Warwick Hotel in Houston, known as “The Tribute to Astronauts.”
The lot comes with a letter of authenticity signed by Scott telling his account of the dinner.
From Dave Scott’s personal collection is his Omega Speedmaster Professional Apollo 11 Commemorative watch in 18-karat yellow gold gifted to him by the watch company in 1969. It is estimated at $200,000 or more.
Dave Scott’s watch comes with a signed letter of authenticity providing his version of the exclusive dinner where he was gifted this timepiece.
Engraved on the back of the watch is the quote, “to mark man’s conquest of space with time, through time, on time,” as well as Scott’s name and the missions he flew.
The Speedmaster features a gold bezel with burgundy-colored aluminum inlay and a chronograph caliber 861 movement with a steel brake that uses 17 jewels.
It is estimated to sell for $200,000 or more.
The last watch taken to space that is listed in the auction was worn by French cosmonaut Jean-Loup Chrétien aboard the Argatz expedition in 1988.
This watch worn by Jean-Loup Chrétien is engraved with “Flight-Qualified By NASA For All Manned Space Missions, The First Watch Worn On The Moon.”
On the caseback of his Omega Speedmaster “Moonwatch” Pro (Ref. 39185737) is an engraving that reads, “Flight-Qualified By NASA For All Manned Space Missions. The First Watch Worn On The Moon.”
It is estimated to sell for $30,000.
A TAG Heuer Formula 1 SpaceX commemorative watch (Ref. PJ5535) rounds out the selection of timepieces offered in the auction. It is estimated at $8,000.
Along with these five lots, RR Auction is offering other space artifacts in its sale, including a Lunar Module Attitude controller that was flown on the moon’s surface during Apollo 14.
To browse the lots and bid, visit RR Auction’s website.
