Neil Armstrong’s 18-karat gold Omega Speedmaster Professional chronograph has made history once again, selling for a staggering $2.2 million at auction on April 17, 2025. The sale, conducted by RR Auction in Boston, sets a new record for the highest price ever paid for an astronaut’s timepiece.
The legendary watch was not worn on the lunar surface but holds profound historical significance as part of Omega’s exclusive “Tribute to Astronauts” series. Presented to Armstrong four months after his historic moon landing, it was one of just 26 gold commemorative timepieces created specifically for NASA astronauts.
“This watch, which my father liked to wear on special occasions, symbolizes one of the most remarkable achievements in the history of mankind,” said Mark Armstrong, son of the late astronaut.
Armstrong’s chronograph, numbered “17” in the series, features distinctive elements including a burgundy red aluminum bezel, solid gold dial, and onyx hour markers set in gold frames. The caseback bears a special engraving: “Astronaut Neil A. Armstrong, Gemini 8 – Apollo 11” and “To mark man’s conquest of space with time, through time, on time.”
The timepiece showed signs of actual use, with the auction listing noting scuffs to the bezel and scratches to the caseback, preserving its authenticity as Armstrong was photographed wearing it during his tenure as a professor at the University of Cincinnati. Half of the hammer price—$850,000—will be donated to charitable causes Neil Armstrong believed in, as selected by his son. The anonymous seller has also pledged a portion to the Brian LaViolette Scholarship Foundation.
This sale surpasses the previous record set in 2022 when astronaut Wally Schirra’s similar gold Speedmaster sold for nearly $2 million. Armstrong’s watch now claims the title of most expensive Omega Speedmaster ever sold and stands as the third highest-priced space artifact in auction history, behind only a Soviet Vostok capsule and Buzz Aldrin’s Apollo 11 jacket.
The extraordinary price demonstrates the enduring legacy of the first human to walk on the moon and collectors’ undiminished fascination with artifacts connected to humanity’s greatest adventure.
