Moon News  
MOON DAILY
Watch worn by US astronaut on Moon sells for $1.6 mn
By Jennie MATTHEW
New York (AFP) Oct 23, 2015


An exceptionally rare watch worn by an American astronaut on the Moon which bears remnants of lunar material has sold for more than $1.6 million, a US auction house said Friday.

Dave Scott, the commander of the 1971 Apollo 15 mission, wore the Bulova Chronograph while conducting experiments on the Moon after his standard-issue Swiss Omega became damaged.

It is the only watch worn on the Moon in private hands and was bought by a Florida businessman in a frenetic, 12-minute bidding war with a rival in Britain, said Boston-based RR Auction.

It is also the only American-made watch worn on the Moon and its $1,625,000 price smashed the auction house's pre-sale estimates of $750,000 to $1 million.

It was exposed to the lunar surface for more than four hours, and bears remnants of chalky, ash-type lunar material on its band and scratches on its face, the auction house said.

"It's worth what it sold for," Bobby Livingston, Executive VP at RR Auction, told AFP. The watch "played a major role in the safety of the mission," he added.

The dozen American men who have walked on the moon all wore NASA-issued Omega Speedmasters, which are considered US government property, and many are housed in institutions.

Omega won the contract to equip the Apollo program, bidding against five or six other companies, but Bulova was determined to get NASA to change their mind, testing their watch rigorously against the Speedmaster, Livingston said.

After he returned to the cabin following his second moonwalk, Scott saw that the crystal of his Omega had popped off, so for his third moonwalk, he strapped on his personal backup, the Bulova.

- Amazing scratches -

"Among the decisions I made, the monitoring of time was perhaps most important," said 83-year-old Scott in a detailed five-page letter that accompanied the sale.

Timing was the only way he could know how much oxygen was left in his life-support system, as he risked his life on a mission where every moment was filled with conducting experiments.

Until now, the watch has been in his personal collection. He offered it for sale to help raise money to support scholarships for the next generation of astronauts, RR Auctions said.

Scott used the watch during the four hour, 49 minute and 50 second mission on the Moon's surface, during which he drove the lunar rover in the open air, gathered lunar material and conducted other scientific experiments, Livingston told AFP.

"The scratches on the crystal are just amazing, because it just shows you what conditions the Bulova was under," he said.

Scott is photographed saluting the American flag on the Moon with the watch strapped to his left wrist and after splashing down to safety in the ocean with a big smile on his face.

"Bidding was incredibly fierce and emotional, it was great," Livingston said. "The live portion took about 10-12 minutes."

The watch was the highlight of a space and aviation auction, which sold just under $3 million worth of items in 400 lots.

Another standout item was the Mercury 9 flight plan roller used by Gordon Cooper, the first American to spend more than 24 hours in space, which sold for $89,775.

Apollo 15 was the fourth manned lunar landing mission and the first to visit and explore the moon's Hadley Rille and Apennine Mountains on the southeast edge of the Sea of Rains.


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


.


Related Links
Mars News and Information at MarsDaily.com
Lunar Dreams and more






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

Previous Report
MOON DAILY
Europe-Russia Lunar mission will make them friends again
Moscow (Sputnik) Oct 21, 2015
Despite the current freeze in relations between Russia and the West, the European Space Agency (ESA) and its Russian counterpart, Roscosmos, plan to launch a probe to the Moon's southern pole to look for water and the raw materials necessary for making fuel and oxygen. The mission, Luna 27, which is set for launch in 2020, is the first step towards the establishment of a permanent base on ... read more


MOON DAILY
Landing site recommended for ExoMars 2018

You too can learn to farm on Mars

The Martian Astrobiologist

Opportunity parked for solar panels to charge up for winter

MOON DAILY
Closest-ever Views of Saturn's Moon Enceladus

Cassini Begins Series of Flybys with Close-up of Saturn Moon Enceladus

Cassini Begins Series of Flybys of Enceladus

Saturn's Moon Enceladus Hosts A Global Ocean

MOON DAILY
Maneuver directs New Horizons towards next potential target

Mysterious Pluto moon Kerberos imaged by New Horizons

Scientists predict cool new phase of superionic ice

New Horizons team publishes first research paper presenting numerous Pluto system findings

MOON DAILY
Watch worn by US astronaut on Moon sells for $1.6 mn

Europe-Russia Lunar mission will make them friends again

Mound near lunar south pole formed by unique volcanic process

Lunar Pox

MOON DAILY
Umbrella-shaped diamond nanostructures make efficient photon collectors

Anti-clumping strategy for nanoparticles

Are cars nanotube factories on wheels

New design rule brings nature-inspired nanostructures one step closer

MOON DAILY
NASA Completes Critical Design Review for Space Launch System

US expert questions ban on Russian rocket engine purchases

The Mysteries of Astronautics

Russian Rocket Engine Delivery to China May Be Agreed by December

MOON DAILY
The Last Tiangong

China aims to go deeper into space

Latest Mars film bespeaks potential of China-U.S. space cooperation

Exhibition on "father of Chinese rocketry" opens in U.S.

MOON DAILY
RSC Energia patented inflatable space module for ISS

Clearing the Space Fog on ISS

International Space Agencies Meet to Advance Space Exploration

Meet the International Docking Adapter









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.