Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch ST 105.012

Name: Omega Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch ST 105.012
Brand: Omega

Daniel Zimmermann, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

On July 20, 1969, Buzz Aldrin stepped onto the lunar surface wearing an Omega Speedmaster ST 105.012 on his wrist. Neil Armstrong had left his inside the lunar module as a backup timer. That made the 105.012 the first watch worn on the moon - and the most historically significant chronograph ever made. Original examples with the prized caliber 321 movement now sell for $16,000 to $25,000, with exceptional provenance pieces reaching $100,000+.

Quick Value Summary


Item	Omega Speedmaster Professional ST 105.012 "Pre-Moon"
Year	1964–1969
Category	Watches - Vintage Omega
Manufacturer	Omega
Movement	Caliber 321 (manual-wind column wheel chronograph)
Condition Range
Service parts, later caliber	$10,000 – $15,000
Good condition, original cal. 321	$16,000 – $25,000
Tropical dial, exceptional	$25,000 – $50,000+
Astronaut provenance	$100,000 – $1,700,000+
Notable Sale	Neil Armstrong's gold Speedmaster: $1,700,000 hammer (2025)
Rarity	Uncommon (several thousand made)

The Story

NASA didn't set out to find the Speedmaster. In 1962, astronaut Wally Schirra wore his personal Speedmaster on the Mercury-Atlas 8 mission. NASA noticed and decided to officially qualify a watch for spaceflight. They bought chronographs from multiple brands and subjected them to brutal testing: temperature extremes from -18°C to 93°C, vibration, shock, vacuum, humidity, and corrosion.

The Omega Speedmaster was the only watch that survived every test.

NASA ordered Speedmasters for the Gemini and Apollo programs. The reference that made history was the ST 105.012 - it succeeded the 105.003 (the first NASA-qualified reference) and featured refinements including a slightly different case and the legendary caliber 321 movement.

The caliber 321 is the heart of what makes these watches so collectible. It's a hand-finished column wheel chronograph - meaning each component was individually adjusted by a watchmaker. Later Speedmasters switched to the caliber 861, a perfectly good movement but one that uses a cam lever instead of a column wheel. Collectors treat the 321 with reverence. Omega acknowledged this by reintroducing the caliber 321 in 2019 - at considerable expense.

How to Identify It

Reference Number

The "ST 105.012" is stamped inside the caseback. Sub-variants include the 105.012-63, -64, -65, and -66, corresponding to production years.

Key Features

42mm stainless steel case with straight lugs
Black dial with three registers: 30-minute counter at 3, 12-hour at 6, running seconds at 9
Applied Omega logo (not printed) on dial
"Professional" text on dial
Hesalite (acrylic) crystal with Omega logo
DON (Dot Over Ninety) bezel on early examples

The Caliber 321

Open the caseback and look for the column wheel - a small, toothed wheel visible in the movement. This is the caliber 321's signature feature. Later movements (caliber 861/1861) have a cam lever instead.

Tropical Dials

Some 105.012 dials have changed color over decades - the black fading to brown, chocolate, or even purple. These "tropical" dials are not damage. They're prized by collectors and can add significant value to an otherwise standard example.

Value by Condition

Condition	Description	Value
Service parts	Later movement, replacement dial/hands	$10,000 – $15,000
Good, original cal. 321	Some wear, original dial and hands	$16,000 – $20,000
Excellent, original cal. 321	Clean, all original, good lume	$20,000 – $25,000
Tropical dial	Color-changed dial, original 321	$25,000 – $50,000+
Astronaut provenance	Documented connection to space program	$100,000+

What drives the spread: The caliber 321 is the most important factor. A 105.012 with its original 321 movement is worth significantly more than one where the movement has been replaced with a later caliber during servicing. This happens more than you'd think - Omega service centers didn't always preserve original movements during routine maintenance decades ago.

Authentication & Fakes

Verify the caliber 321 movement. This is non-negotiable for full value. Have a watchmaker open the caseback
Check case serial numbers against known 105.012 production ranges
"Franken-watches" - assembled from parts of different Speedmaster references - are common. Dial, hands, bezel, case, and movement should all match the 105.012 reference
Bezel insert should be period-correct. Replacement bezels are common after 50+ years
Original Hesalite crystal with Omega logo. Aftermarket crystals exist
Buy from reputable sources. Specialist vintage watch dealers, Phillips, Sotheby's, and trusted platforms like Chrono24

Where to Sell

Phillips / Sotheby's / Christie's - For exceptional examples with provenance
Chrono24 - The largest online watch marketplace, active Speedmaster market
Specialist vintage Omega dealers - Several dealers focus exclusively on vintage Speedmasters
eBay - Viable for well-documented, photographed examples with service history

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Common Questions

How much is a Speedmaster 105.012 worth?

With the original caliber 321 movement in good condition: $16,000 to $25,000. Tropical dials can push values to $50,000+. Watches with astronaut or space program provenance have reached $100,000 to $1,700,000.

Is my Speedmaster the "moon watch"?

The 105.012 is the specific reference worn on the moon during Apollo 11. However, multiple Speedmaster references were used during the Apollo program. If yours has a caliber 321 and dates to the 1960s, it's from the same era - even if it wasn't personally moonbound.

Why does the caliber 321 matter so much?

The caliber 321 is a hand-finished column wheel chronograph - essentially hand-crafted watchmaking at its finest. Later Speedmaster movements (861/1861) use a simpler cam lever design. The 321 sounds different, feels different, and collectors consider it superior. Omega's 2019 reintroduction of the 321 validated this.

What's a tropical dial?

Over decades, some Speedmaster dials change color from black to brown, chocolate, or purple due to UV exposure and aging. Rather than being damage, these "tropical" dials are considered beautiful and unique. Each one ages differently, making them essentially one-of-a-kind.