A Rolex watch worn by a NASA astronaut on the surface of the Moon in the early 1970s has shattered its presale estimate at auction in the US.
RR Auction in Boston hosted the Space Auction on 24 October. The event’s highlight was the sale of Edgar Mitchell’s Rolex GMT-Master ‘Pepsi’ watch.
Mitchell was the pilot for the Lunar Module of Apollo 14, the third crewed mission to land on the Moon. He completed two walks on the surface wearing the Rolex.
The watch entered the auction with a presale estimate of $USD400,000 ($AUD605,200). That estimate was smashed, and a final price of $USD2.2 million ($AUD3.3 million) was reached.
The watch is named ‘Pepsi’ due to its blue and red bezel. Bobby Livingston, executive vice president of RR Auction, said the timepiece was an important piece of history.
“This Rolex GMT-Master isn’t just a watch — it’s a piece of space history, flown on one of humanity’s greatest adventures,” Livingston said.
“It represents both the precision of Rolex craftsmanship and the daring spirit of Apollo astronauts.”
Mitchell’s watch is the second Rolex owned by an astronaut from the Apollo program to appear at auction. The first was Ron Evans’ Apollo 17 Rolex GMT-Master, sold in 2009.
The auction returned $USD4.27 million ($AUD6.46 million) in total.
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