In 1995, Ron Howard released his epic space film about heroes acting in the face of disaster and death. Apollo 13, starring Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, and Kevin Bacon is more than just a big-budget Hollywood flick with big marquee names. It’s a film about a group of astronauts who believed they would be the third crew to step foot on the Moon only to have their spacecraft malfunction, forcing them to scrap their dreams and attempt to return home despite near-impossible odds.
Sure, the effects are dated, but the heart remains intact. What we get is a picture of American life in 1970, post-Moon landing when the greater public interest in space exploration had waned, but the determination of the astronauts themselves is at an all-time high. Of course, the space race and NASA are synonymous with particular AAA UK Omega replica watches brand – and this film has no shortage of a certain space-faring chronograph on the wrists of almost everyone, but especially on Tom Hanks who plays Jim Lovell, commander of the infamous Apollo 13.
Why We’re Watching
This weekend, many Americans will be turning on their grills and cracking open some ice-cold beverages to celebrate the Fourth of July. In honor of the holiday, I’ve chosen Apollo 13 to celebrate an event in American history where things didn’t turn out as expected. However, through determination – despite adversity – the impossible was overcome. And if you spend your holiday weekends in the cinema, you’ll also find the film’s lead, Tom Hanks, encountering a different kind of trouble in Elvis, the latest biopic from Baz Luhrmann.
What’s great – and admittedly expected – about Apollo 13 is just how many watches there are. In almost every scene, you can catch a watch on the wrist of every NASA employee at Houston’s Mission Control (as well as every astronaut). The majority of those timepieces are high quality fake Omega Speedmaster watches which, famously, became the watch of the NASA Space Program as it was the only watch officially flight-qualified for space flight.
Any movie about NASA has to get the details right because, well, space nerds are about as pedantic as watch nerds. Imagine tuning into any historical film about space exploration in the 1960s and ’70s and seeing any watch but the best Omega Speedmaster replica watches being strapped onto the suits of the mission-ready astronauts. Cinema is about suspending disbelief, but that would be a bridge too far.
The good news is Apollo 13 didn’t make that mistake. Today we are zeroing in on Tom Hanks’ Jim Lovell who, as mentioned, commanded the Apollo 13 mission. Lovell himself had a history in space exploration going back to the Gemini program and was a contemporary of space luminaries Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. In this film, Hanks plays Lovell as only Hanks can. There’s no mimicry here, just an earnest performance. I’d venture to say that the only bit of copycat-ing was his watch – perfect Omega Speedmaster copy watches (likely the ref. 105.012 in real life, though it’s difficult to discern if the film got that 100 percent right). Hanks wears his Speedy both on Earth and in space throughout the film.
We see him wear the Swiss movements replica Omega watches with a blue Lacoste polo, strapped to the outside of his spacesuit, and tucked under the sleeve of his uniform while aboard the spacecraft. There’s a reason everyone loves a Speedy – it goes with everything.
But it’s also a tool watch, and it proved to be the most useful tool for the three heroes of our film. Shortly after recording a segment for live television, to greet the people of Earth from space (a video recording which, sadly, was never picked up by any national television stations), the crew encountered oxygen tank failure which set in motion a life-or-death course correction from the Moon back home. The crew had to retreat to the Lunar Excursion Module and use it as a lifeboat – instead of a vessel to land, and walk, on the Moon. On the fifth day of the journey, Lovell, Fred Haise (Paxton), and Jack Swigert (Bacon) needed to meticulously time an engine burn to reorient the LEM and get themselves on the correct course back to Earth – a task that, as it turns out, required a watch. As the film portrays this pivotal historical moment, we see Swigert time the burn with the super clone Omega Speedmaster watches for sale strapped to his wrist.
Interestingly, there’s some conjecture when it comes to just what watch the real-life Swigert wore when this actually happened. A good amount of photographic evidence shows that Swigert wore a Rolex Pepsi GMT-Master daily prior to the Apollo 13 launch. It’s believed that Swigert may have worn his GMT aboard Apollo 13 and used it instead of the luxury Omega Speedmaster replica watches to time the crucial burn. However, HODINKEE heard it from Jim Lovell himself that it was the Speedmaster. And since we’re talking about the film, and the film shows the Speedy, I’m going with the Speedy. As was once said in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), “When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.”
Speaking of Pepsi bezels, there’s a great spacey Easter egg of a watch courtesy of Ed Harris’ Gene Kranz (NASA’s Chief Flight Director) who wears a Seiko Speedtimer with a blue and red bezel. And you’ll also notice that Haise wears not one, but two cheap fake Omega Speedmaster watches. Double-wristing in space is serious business.
This film is yet another example of just how important the top replica Omega Speedmaster watches is in the history of space exploration. It’s also cool to see the astronauts wear it both professionally and casually – a sign that this wasn’t just a piece of issued kit, but a timepiece that they bonded with. And I can’t blame them.
When We’re Watching
Early in the film, we find Lovell sitting with his wife in their backyard after the Armstrong/Aldrin moon landing. They’re laying on lawn chairs, staring up at the Moon imagining the crew looking back up at Earth. As Lovell ponders the impossible made possible, enjoying the evening with his wife, we can see the Omega Speedmaster fake watches store site affixed to his wrist [00:06:59]. If only he (and the watch) knew what lay ahead.
Every space film has the hero Speedy shot, and this one is no different. As we watch the Apollo 13 astronauts get suited up for their mission on launch day, we see Lovell being fitted by the crew. We get everything from the suit to the oxygen system – and of course, the watch. The camera cuts to a close-up of Lovell’s wrist and we see the crew members affix China replica Omega Speedmaster watches over his flight suit with that oversized strap [00:29:36]. It’s a moment of excitement for the Apollo 13 astronauts and a celebration of the watch associated with the NASA space program.
