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Privately-Owned Astronaut Watch Worn On The Moon Is Up For Auction

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The only privately-owned astronaut watch worn on the moon is about to go up for auction.

Apollo 15 Commander Dave Scott became the first and only astronaut to wear a personal watch on the moon in 1971, after secretly taking along the Bulova Chronograph on the 4th moon landing.

All other astronauts on the Apollo flights wore the Swiss-made Omega Speedmaster, designated by NASA as the official watch for the moon missions.

Scott agreed to carry the New York-made timepiece on board to demonstrate that an American watch could function just as well as, if not better than, a Swiss-made watch.

The Bulova can be seen on Scott’s wrist in photos of him saluting the American flag on the lunar surface. He wore it for the mission’s third moon walk after noticing a missing crystal on his NASA-issued Omega.

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Scott was the seventh person to walk on the moon, and the first to drive the lunar rover.

According to RR Auction, the watch displays significant wear from exposure on the moon and residual rust from Apollo 15’s splashdown.

The historic watch comes with a detailed five-page letter confirming its authenticity and background story.

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“Time is of the essence during human lunar expeditions—and exploration time on the surface is limited by the oxygen and water (for cooling) we can carry in our backpack,” says Scott in the letter, adding “as a backup to the standard issued Omega chronograph, I carried and used a Bulova chronograph on the lunar surface.”

The bidding is set to open at $50,000 (£33,000) on 15 October with the auction being live until 22 October.