A Rolex watch that was flown to the moon is now the most expensive astronaut timepiece to sell at auction.
The personal GMT-Master chronometer worn by NASA astronaut Edgar Mitchell as lunar module pilot on the 1971 Apollo 14 mission sold for $2.2 million (or to be precise, $2,163,199) on Thursday (Oct. 24). The watch attracted more than 30 bids during the course of RR Auction’s latest space-themed sale, which ran from Sept. 26 on the New Hampshire firm’s website.
The hammer price (prior to the buyer’s premium) that clinched the moon-flown Rolex — one of only two that are known to have been sold — was $1,730,559. Before the sale began, RR Auction estimated the watch would fetch more than $400,000.
“We are thrilled with the result, because Ed Mitchell’s Apollo Rolex is the most expensive item we’ve ever sold,” Bobby Livingston, RR Auction’s executive vice president for public relations, told collectSPACE.com soon after the auction ended. RR previously auctioned the first seat on Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket for $28 million, but Mitchell’s Rolex was the most expensive physical item the company has sold since its founding in 1976.
“There is a huge crossover appeal to watch collectors who don’t necessarily collect space material,” said Livingston. “Watch collectors appreciate the importance of reliable timepieces that were used on historic lunar missions.”
NASA issued each of its Apollo crew members with an Omega Speedmaster Professional chronograph to be used in space. The “Speedys” were government property and today are in the care of the Smithsonian.
Related: The Apollo Program: How NASA sent astronauts to the moon
Some Apollo astronauts chose to bring a second watch. Mostly hidden from view, as only the Omega watches were authorized to be worn on Velcro straps atop the astronauts’ spacesuits, these personal timepieces were largely unknown to the public.
Eagle-eyed collectors and enthusiasts “discovered” the existence of these secondary watches by scouring the pre-launch, in-flight and post-landing imagery that was taken of the astronauts. Mitchell’s Rolex can be seen in photos and film stills of him suiting up for his Jan. 31, 1971 launch and while aboard the Apollo 14 command module….
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