The Swiss luxury watch brand known for the NASA “Moonwatch” chronograph is Omega.
The watch is the Omega Speedmaster Professional, a hand-wound chronograph first introduced in 1957. It was originally designed as a sport and racing watch, not specifically for spaceflight. Its tachymeter bezel and robust mechanical movement later made it a strong candidate for NASA’s demanding tests.
NASA evaluated chronographs under extreme heat, cold, vibration, shock, humidity and pressure conditions. The Speedmaster passed the qualification process in 1965 and became closely associated with the Gemini and Apollo programs. Ed White wore one during the first American spacewalk on Gemini 4.
The nickname “Moonwatch” comes from its lunar history. During Apollo 11, Buzz Aldrin wore his Speedmaster on the Moon while Neil Armstrong left his inside the lunar module as a backup. “Moonwatch” usually refers to the manual-winding Speedmaster Professional, not every watch carrying the Speedmaster name.