Model: NASA “Space Shuttle Tile” Spinoff
Year: 2000s
Limited Edition: 500 Pieces
Features:
The Origin. In the early 2000s, the President of a small discount shop in Japan somehow managed to convince NASA to part with some of its proprietary material so that he could get Seiko to build him 1,000 custom watches. I was prepared to accept I would never know how any of that came to be, but the President of that tiny shop gave a simple explanation during an interview: he had a friend that worked at NASA’s Spinoff program. Ah, the old “not what you know, but who you know” adage!
The Program. For anyone unfamiliar with the Spinoff program, it refers to companies repurposing NASA’s space-related technologies for non-space-related things - for example, memory foam was originally designed to protect test pilots but would eventually become widely used inside our mattresses. So what’s been repurposed here?
The Artifact. The photos have probably already given the game away, but in case you haven’t spotted it, the dial was constructed from one of the heat-resistant tiles designed to clad space shuttles.
The Specifics. There’s a big difference between something that’s been deemed space-worthy, and something that’s actually been into space. Over the years, certain brands have muddied the cosmic waters with claims of “a watch like this watch went into space - isn’t that cool?” We get it, Omega, that is cool - but a literal part of this watch shielded the Endeavour Shuttle from heat damage as it re-entered Earth’s atmosphere.
The Mission. Not to dwell too much on the mission itself, but the decision to use the silica-based tiles from the STS-47 mission wasn’t random. It was a Japanese-American research shuttle that conducted experiments in space for almost eight days, but most poignantly, it was the first NASA mission primarily dedicated to Japan’s experiments.
The Collaboration. The project was undertaken in collaboration with Space Age America Inc., whose president was former NASA astronaut Richard F. Gordon Jr. He might not be a household name like Armstrong, but he had the distinct honour of being part of the three-man Apollo 12 mission - the second crewed mission to land on the Moon. Gordon’s signature even appears on the documentation supplied with the watch.
The Summary. Its quiet Japan-only existence has made people erroneously assume it must be some sort of fake, because how could a real Seiko x NASA watch not be better known? It’s a reasonable question, but one I’ve hopefully answered clearly today:
It’s an authorised NASA design, made by Seiko, in collaboration with Space Age America Inc for Otoboke Co., Ltd, a small Japanese discount shop in Koto, using the thermally resistant cladding of the STS-47 shuttle that travelled into space during the 1992 Endeavour Spacelab-J mission.
Specifications:
Condition: In very good condition overall. Some minor marks can be seen on the case.
Scope: Box and papers
Movement: Seiko VD57 Chronograph
Dimensions:
- Case Width: 42.9mm
- Lug to Lug: 46.8mm
- Case Thickness: 12.3mm
- Lug Width: 20mm
- Bracelet Length: Up to 7.5 inches
