Following the success of NASA’s Apollo 11 mission, Armstrong was broadly known as the first man on the moon. Shortly after returning from space, he was gifted the watch.
The watch is one of 28 created for a celebratory event in 1969, where US President Richard Nixon was given the first production model of the yellow gold Moonwatch with burgundy bezel.
Each watch was engraved with the following: “To mark man’s conquest of space with time, through time, on time.”
RR Auction is hosting the sale, which ends on 17 April. Half the proceeds will be donated to select charities. Mark Armstrong, son of the iconic astronaut, said this sale would strengthen the legacy of that mission further.
“This watch, which my father liked to wear on special occasions, symbolises one of the most remarkable achievements in the history of mankind,” he said.
“A substantial portion of the proceeds from the sale of this watch will benefit charitable causes my father believed in, furthering the impact that he and many other Americans made to humanity more than half a century ago.”
At the time of publication, bidding has reached $USD292,820 ($AUD464,600). In November, a Rolex owned by another NASA astronaut was sold in Boston for $USD2.2 million ($AUD3.3 million), obliterating its presale estimate.
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