There is a huge movement for very wealth business owners to take trips to space being that this is not something that can be done very easily. The individuals that have travelled to where few people have gone have had a huge impact on society and continue to impact our discovery of space. This past week, Jeff Bezos was the latest to launch on a mission to the beyond and of course the watch on his wrist was a big part of the trip, especially for us watch enthusiasts. The watch; an Omega Speedmaster.

On July 20th, 2021 at 9:15am, Bezos’ mission launched. The mission was from his company, Blue Origin, and was named NS-16. The spacecraft he launched in was called ‘New Shepard’ and was a project Bezos has been working on the create an autonomous and computer piloted craft. The crew consisted of 4 people, Jeff Bezos, Mark Bezos (his brother), Wally Funk (a former astronaut, and Oliver Daemen. On the mission, New Shepard shot into action and climbed to the Kármán line which is between Earth’s atmosphere and space. Here, the crew got to enjoy what very few are able to.

Of course, us watch enthusiasts were looking at the crews wrist the whole time. And what we saw rang true to space travel. The crew was wearing an Omega Speedmaster that was gifted and customized by Omega. The watches had the wearer’s name, flight number, and Blue Origin emblem engraved on the caseback of the watch. The watch came on a long, Velcro strap which came in handy for who Bezos and crew wore the watch. The watch was fastened on each wearer over their ‘space suit’, which paid homage to the way astronauts of the past wore their Speedmasters. There was plenty of controversy around the space trip, as well as the way they wore their watches.

Many criticized the need for such a watch for this mission. The mission did not actually go into space, although it was 86km higher than Richard Bransons space trip. But, one could say wearing any type of sports watch is pointless if one is not engaging in the correct activity. So it would be like saying one cannot wear a Rolex Submariner unless they are actually diving. Many also criticized how Bezos and crew wore the Speedmaster over their suit - but hey, it was a good way to pay homage to the incredible feats of those who came before us. Regardless of your opinion, it is always nice to see a watch involved in such major event.

Enjoy!