That’s right, in 1995 it was the 25th anniversary of the Apollo 13 mission (1970), beautifully documented in the “Apollo 13” movie with Tom Hanks. In case you haven’t seen it, you should. Omega decided to commemorate that year (and mission) with a limited edition Speedmaster Professional of just 999 pieces. That might not seem that limited, but the regular production run of Omega is huge of course and so is the demand for these type of limited edition Speedmaster watches. So basically the watch is identical to just any Moonwatch model from that period (movement, case, bracelet etc.) except for the dial, inscription on the caseback and packaging. As you can see on the image below, the caseback has – besides the regular “Flight-qualified by NASA for all manned space missions” and “The first watch worn on the Moon” inscription, an addition inscription stating “Apollo 13 Limited Series XXX/999”.

The dial has this beautiful Apollo XIII mission patch located on the 9 o’clock sub dial. It might have been actually one of the first Speedmaster Professional watches with a mission patch on the dial. The yellow, red, orange, blue and other colors match very well in this little mission patch. Instead of the names of the astronauts, it is one of those few patches that bears an expression.

In 1997 and 1998, Omega did 40 Mission Cases with 23 Speedmaster watches each, and an additional 2x 5 of these cases that weren’t supposed to go on the market (but some of them did). In these Mission Cases, there was also a similar Speedmaster Professional 3595.52 Apollo XIII model, but with the later ref.1499 bracelet. So I guess there are 1049 in total of these Apollo XIII mission patch Speedies. These 50 additional Apollo XIII Speedmasters have a Super LumiNova dial and hands. This 1995 model should come on a reference 1479 bracelet. It is quite a hair puller to be honest, but I love the look of the bracelet a lot. It tapers nicely towards the clasp and is not as smooth and shiny as the later bracelet references.

Like many special editions or limited editions at the time, the Speedmaster Professional 3595.52 Apollo XIII came in this flat square black leather box. A bit more flat than the red leather Omega boxes at the time. They also do not seem to decay as the red leather boxes tend to do. I have several red leather Omega boxes from the 1990s and it is not a pretty sight. On top of the black box, you will see the “APOLLO XIII” wording embossed in the leather. Insides there is a warranty booklet (world wide service center overview) as well as the instruction book for the caliber 861 movement. Then there is the plastic credit card format warranty card, with the reference number (3595.52.00) and serial number (mine starts with 48,xxx,xxx) a date and dealer stamp. In the box you should also find the fabric Apollo 13 mission patch. I wonder if anyone sewed it onto their jacket, I am afraid so to be honest. Then there is the authenticity certificate, which it really isn’t to be exact. It has a bit of documentation (mine is in German) on the Apollo 13 mission as well as on the watch, stating that it is a limited edition of 999 pieces. But no specific number (234) or signature to confirm it is authentic like we’ve seen on some of the other limited edition Speedmaster Professional watches. It is a nice “extra” though.

Information:

Pre-Owned: 25th Anniversary Omega Speedmaster Apollo 13

Reference: 3595.52

Dated: Undated

Limited: 999 Pieces

Dial: Tritium - indices have become a perfect pumpkin patina

Hands: Tritium - have become a nice beige patina matching dial very closely

Bracelet: 1479 clasp code paired with 812 endlinks - Stainless Steel Bracelet

Case Size: 42mm - Stainless Steel

Lug Width: 20mm

Movement: 861 - Manual

Functions: Hours, Minutes, Seconds, Chronograph

Accessories: Inner/Outer boxes, patch, booklets, caseback sticker, extra collars, serialized hangtag, limited paperwork, and warranty card

Crystal: Hesalite

Bracelet size: 7.5”

Condition:

Case is in great unpolished shape with light normal wear but nothing notable. Bracelet is in great shape with light wear on the buckle. Dial, hands, and crystal are in perfect shape