A replica Speedmaster Apollo 15 watch is a copy of the Omega Speedmaster Professional Apollo 15 40th Anniversary Limited Edition. Omega released that model in 2011 and capped production at 1,971 pieces. Replica sellers ship versions in stainless steel with a 42 mm case and a hand-wound chronograph movement. Prices run from about $80 for quartz copies to $400 and up for mechanical copies. No replica uses an Omega caliber 1861.
The original watch
Apollo 15 launched on July 26, 1971. David Scott and James Irwin landed the lunar module Falcon at Hadley-Apennine on July 30, 1971. The mission carried the first Lunar Roving Vehicle. The crew spent 67 hours on the surface, and Scott and Irwin made three moonwalks that totaled more than 18 hours.
replica speedmaster apollo 15 watch
NASA qualified the Omega Speedmaster for manned spaceflight in March 1965. Speedmaster casebacks from 1969 onward read "FLIGHT-QUALIFIED BY NASA FOR ALL MANNED SPACE MISSIONS" and "THE FIRST WATCH WORN ON THE MOON." Scott's own Speedmaster lost its crystal during the first moonwalk. He wore a Bulova prototype on the third. That Bulova sold at auction in 2015 for $1.625 million.
Speedmaster Apollo 15 Copy: 1:1 Replica Buyer's Guide
What the replica copies
- Case: 42 mm steel, about 14 mm thick, 20 mm lug width.
- Crystal: domed hesalite or flat sapphire.
- Dial: black, sub-dials at 3, 6 and 9, baton hands, printed mission patch near 9 o'clock.
- Caseback: solid steel with the Apollo 15 patch engraved.
- Bezel: steel with a black tachymeter insert.
Some copies use the "dot over 90" bezel insert found on Speedmasters from 1969 to 1971. Others use the later insert with a plain 90.
Speedmaster Apollo 15 Replica Model: A Buyer's Guide
Movements
Most mechanical copies run a Seagull ST19. That is a hand-wound, column-wheel chronograph derived from the Venus 175. It runs at 21,600 vibrations per hour and holds a power reserve near 40 hours. Quartz copies use a Miyota or Seiko based movement. Automatic copies use a 7750 type movement.
None of these movements match the 1861 layout. Sub-dial spacing differs, and the 12-hour and 30-minute hands may not reset to zero.
What to check
- Measure the case. The real watch is 42 mm across. ST19 cases often run 15 mm or more thick.
- Look for a date window. The 40th Anniversary model has no date. A date window is a defect.
- Check the sub-dial layout. On the 1861 the 30-minute counter sits at 3 o'clock, the 12-hour counter at 6, and the small seconds at 9. A 7750 based copy puts the 30-minute counter at 12 o'clock.
- Read the caseback text. Most copies use a generic engraving and skip the limited edition number.
Limits
Replicas carry no NASA flight qualification. They hold no collector value and resell for a fraction of the price paid. Service depends on the movement. Any watchmaker can service a 7750 or an ST19, but parts for Chinese movements come from the same sellers who supply the watch. Claims of "1:1" or "first copy" have no agreed standard. Judge the watch on the case, the dial and the movement in the photos.