Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch Alaska Project I

The Alaska Project the goal of this project, led by Pierre Chopard from the late 1960's to 1973, was to improve on the Speedmaster by creating a watch perfectly suited to the low temperatures in space. The Swiss patent CH 537170 was granted on 31 May, 1973, for an outer case designed to protect the watch from extreme temperature variations. The watch’s dial was coated with zinc oxide; this material provides the highest resistance to solar radiation. NASA’s response to the prototype, however, was that they saw no need to improve on the Speedmaster. The project therefore remained a prototype. The present watch is one of the first Alaska Project watches, featuring a cushion-shaped case in titanium, which in the picture is fitted with an additional heat shield.