Archives & heritage

From Bulova to Omega: 50 years of lunar adventures

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By Pierre-Yves Donzé, Professor at the university of Osaka

March 2020

Today, we tend to associate the conquest of space with the Omega Speedmaster – the only watch worn on the moon, as the Swatch Group manufacture emphasises in its communications. The Europa Star archives provide a more nuanced insight, showing when and how Omega appropriated the image of watchmaking partner of NASA for itself, mainly to the detriment of US company Bulova.

From Bulova to Omega: 50 years of lunar adventures

FROM OUR ARCHIVES

Español Français

By Pierre-Yves Donzé, Professor at the university of Osaka

March 2020

From Bulova to Omega: 50 years of lunar adventures

Today, we tend to associate the conquest of space with the Omega Speedmaster – the only watch worn on the moon, as the Swatch Group manufacture emphasises in its communications. The Europa Star archives provide a more nuanced insight, showing when and how Omega appropriated the image of watchmaking partner of NASA for itself, mainly to the detriment of US company Bulova.

D

uring the 1960s, space exploration was not tied up with any unique relationship between Omega and NASA. The latter used watches from several watchmaking companies. In their advertising, all emphasised two fundamental aspects: the strict selection process of the American space agency and the engineering prowess of Swiss watches.

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