A HISTORIC HANDSHAKE

In 1975, the Apollo and Soyuz capsules became the first ever spacecraft to meet and dock in space. For America and Russia, it represented the possibility of thawing Cold War tensions. When Commanders Stafford and Leonov embraced and shook hands, they, and the rest of the crew, wore OMEGA Speedmasters – one side set to Houston, the other to Baikonur time.

Soon after this mission, the Speedmaster was adopted as the official watch of the Russian Space Agency, mirroring the certification extended by NASA ten years earlier. The Speedmaster is still regularly seen today upon the wrists of astronauts and cosmonauts on board the International Space Station.