Buzz Aldrin's Watches Set for Auction
Buzz Aldrin’s personal watch collection, featuring a range of Omegas, a Jaeger‑LeCoultre Shark Deep Sea chronograph, an Omega X‑33, a Constellation Manhattan Day‑Date, and a box of commemorative pieces, is being offered in Sotheby’s Space Exploration auction. The lot includes 24 watches, each with its own history and condition, such as the JLC Shark priced at US $8,500, the Speedmaster X‑33 estimated between US $4,000‑6,000, and the Constellation Day‑Date valued at US $5,000‑8,000. While the original Apollo‑11 Omega Speedmaster remains lost and owned by the U.S. government, the auction presents the closest alternatives to Buzz’s historic Moonwatch, with several pieces currently bidding around US $8,000. The auction, scheduled to begin live bidding on July 15th in New York, reflects a shift in collector preferences from classic steel tool watches to neo‑vintage and precious‑metal pieces. Despite the diminishing “cool factor” of older celebrity watches, Aldrin’s status as a pioneering astronaut and watch enthusiast ensures sustained interest in his collection, distinguishing it from more fleeting pop‑culture icons.
Buying Time Analysis: The story is important because it showcases the auction of Buzz Aldrin’s historic watch collection, emphasizing the preservation of space‑exploration heritage and its influence on the watch‑collecting market.
