From space to Stuttgart: Eppli invites you to the special watch auction "OMEGA ONLY" - with the "Space Flown" Speedmaster X-33 by German astronaut Hans Schlegel as the highlight

Passionate watch collectors should make a note of May 3, 2024: On this day auction house Eppli, invites you to the special "OMEGA ONLY" auction. Around 70 Omega watches from the 1950s to 2010s will be auctioned off at the Eppli location on the market from 2 pm. The highlight of the auction is the "Speedmaster Professional X-33" with quartz movement by German astronaut Hans Wilhelm Schlegel. He wore the watch in 2008 during a space shuttle mission of the space shuttle Atlantis to the International Space Station (ISS). It is the first watch by a German astronaut ever to be offered at auction. Bidders therefore have a unique opportunity to acquire a rarity - the starting price is 28,000 euros including buyer's premium.

Reinhold Messner, James Bond, Buzz Aldrin: Pioneering spirit for the wrist

For over 170 years, the Swiss luxury watch brand Omega has stood for the highest standards of watchmaking, innovation and precision, but also for an adventurous pioneering spirit: The first team to reach the North Pole by land wore an Omega watch. 20 years later, mountaineer Reinhold Messner also relied on an Omega Speedmaster when he became the first person to cross the Antarctic on foot. And since "GoldenEye", James Bond has solved every tricky mission with various Omega Seamaster models.

Omega achieved the most spectacular milestone in its history on July 21, 1969: On the wrist of space traveler Buzz Aldrin, an Omega Speedmaster was the first watch to be worn on the moon as part of the Apollo 11 mission. This historic event earned it the auspicious nickname "Moonwatch". Since then, owning a watch that has been to space is probably the ultimate for many passionate collectors.

Mission possible 2008: The Omega Speedmaster Professional X-33 on its space launch

Omega has been an official partner of NASA since 1965 and has equipped many manned space missions. These include the STS-122 space shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS) in February 2008, during which the German astronaut Hans Schlegel carried out a space exit lasting several hours and, together with his crew, put the "Columbus" laboratory into operation. With him the whole time: his Omega Speedmaster Professional X-33, which will be auctioned by Eppli at the OMEGA ONLY auction on May 3, 2024.

"We are very proud to be able to offer such an extraordinary and unique collector's item in the form of Hans Schlegel's space watch," says Ferdinand B. Eppli, auctioneer of the OMEGA ONLY auction. "So far, only a few watches have been in space - but this is the first watch by a German astronaut to be sold at auction," he adds.

The watch with its titanium bracelet and embossed NASA logo on the case back is being offered as a "full set" with all warranty cards, barcodes and tags, signed with the number of the Atlantis space shuttle - exactly as Omega delivered it to NASA in 2007. In addition, a certificate from Hans Schlegel confirms that he wore the watch on his space mission. "With the Space-Flown Speedmaster X-33 by Hans Schlegel, we want to appeal to collectors all over the world. And of course we hope that this extraordinary unique piece will attract a great deal of attention," says Peter Dwornik, watch expert at Eppli.

Many coveted collector's items in one auction

The majority of the watches that Eppli is auctioning off as part of the OMEGA ONLY auction come from a private Omega collection. This includes Hans Schlegel's watch. In addition, there are other special pieces: from the Omega Constellation from the 1950s to the iconic Speedmaster and elegant Seamaster to the Speedmaster "First Omega In Space" from the 2010s, everything is included. "Many of the watches are absolute classics that have remained almost unchanged in the Omega range for years. They have a high recognition value and lasting value. It can be assumed that the value will continue to rise due to the rarity or uniqueness of some models," predicts Dwornik. Anyone who buys one of these models at auction should therefore keep an eye on its value - or wear it with pride.

Would you like to find out more about the OMEGA ONLY auction? The Eppli website gives you an overview of all the items to be auctioned and their starting prices. You can also bid live worldwide: