On Apr 1, 2026 NASA’s Artemis II launched despite potential technical issues and set its sights on the stars for the first manned space mission to the Moon since 1972. The goal of the mission is to test crucial components of the long journey from deep-space radiation to life support systems and communications technology as the astronauts travel thousands of miles beyond the Moon in an effort to prepare for a future landing, the first in over half a century.
Image: NASA
Aboard Artemis II are four astronauts: Reid Wiseman (NASA) the commander, Victor Glover (NASA), the pilot, Christina Koch (NASA) a mission specialist, and Canadian Jeremy Hansen (CSA) , also a mission specialist.
[toc-section heading=”Background”] Each of the astronauts are highly qualified, and highly trained for the mission at hand and each will go down in the history books in contribution towards the human exploration of the Cosmos. For our purposes, they also contribute to the inextricably linked legacies of space and watches – a tradition whose gravity is oft centered around the Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch – aptly named for having been worn on the Moon when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin first stepped foot on the lunar surface in 1969 (for a complete history, check out our documentary “The Watches of NASA“).
Image: NASA
Artemis II is especially interesting for watch enthusiasts because in addition to the expected wrist kit, are some surprises – perhaps watches not even yet released that will surely become part of the lore of humankind’s return to the Moon.
[toc-section heading=”Omega Speedmaster X-33″] 
Image: NASA
Artemis II’s launch showed us that the tradition of the Speedmaster and NASA is alive and well, though instead of the traditional Moonwatch mechanical Speedmaster, the astronauts have the more modern X-33 ana-digi edition ref. 3291.50. Launched in 1998 and nicknamed the Marswatch, it became the second Speedmaster flight qualified by NASA, and while it is no longer a production watch for Omega from a consumer standpoint, the Artemis mission proves that it is very much still a relevant piece of kit.
So much so, that it made history during the launch as the four astronauts stepped out for the first time before boarding with their orange suits on, and the Speedmaster X-33 strapped prominently around their arms.
Image: NASA
The X-33 has ben a fixture of this mission for some time now, from press conferences to the pre-flight rehearsals so this isn’t technically breaking news but rather confirmation of the next historical chapter for the Speedmaster in its association with NASA.
[toc-section heading=”Breitling Cosmonaute”] 
But it hasn’t been the only watch seen on the wrists of this group of astronauts in the lead up to launch. In fact another brand with serious ties to the stars has also gotten serious wrist time. That would be the Breitling Cosmonaute – ostensibly a Cosmonaute B01 – which is significant because of it’s ties to Scott Carpenter who requested to wear a Breitling as he orbited Earth three times on Mercury 7. The watch was a special Navitimer with a 24-hour dial since named to cement its place in history.
It would appear that all three male members of the crew have come into possession of a Cosmonaute in connection to this mission. A special shoutout goes to Niccoloy on Instagram for going the extra mile beneath the wrist of Jeremy Hansen to confirm that he has one in addition to Reid Wiseman and Victor Glover. Wiseman has also been spotted wearing a Breitling Endurance Pro on an Outerknown strap during the leadup to launch.
The Cosmonaute does not seem to be a regular production model, and perhaps is a special edition made by Breitling specifically for the crew as an extra wink to the Carpenter past. The reason I say this is because it has a dark outer ring, and dark subdials whereas the current production model has contrasting white subdials and a white outer ring. The closest watch I could find to this Cosmonaute is a Japan limited edition (pictured above) with a grey dial where images I’ve seen on Wiseman’s wrist make it look more blue.
Image: NASA
[toc-section heading=”Concluding Thoughts”] Christina Koch, record holder for the longest single spaceflight by a woman, has been the only consistent wearer of the Speedmaster X-33 having been seen wearing it, conventionally, on a human wrist-sized strap at press events (it should be noted that Glover has also been seen wearing his X-33 at the same events but on its bracelet). It is possible Koch also has possession of a Cosmonaute but there are no photos to confirm that as of now.
Image: NASA
The best part about all of this – from Breitling to Omega – is that both brands and watches have distinct historical ties to space exploration. While we did not see the Cosmonaute on the wrists of the astronauts as they boarded the Artemis II, there is still a possibility that the watches are on board in some fashion. We’ll continue to monitor the mission and report back.
