Buzz Aldrin Auctions Apollo 11 Pen for $800,000 to $1.2 Million

Q: With his iconic Moonwatch lost, which of Aldrin's watches for sale tomorrow will become the new holy grail for collectors?

The likeliest new grail is Aldrin’s 1990s Omega Speedmaster Professional, the replacement he bought after his Apollo-era Moonwatch was lost. Among the 24 watches at Sotheby’s, it has the strongest symbolic pull because it is the closest surviving watch in his collection to the model most associated with his place in history. Collectors prize the Speedmaster not just as an Omega, but as the NASA-qualified “Moonwatch” with unmatched spaceflight pedigree. Aldrin’s replacement Speedmaster carries that lineage directly, even if it was not worn on Apollo 11. That makes it more compelling than the other standout lots for most buyers chasing a “holy grail.” The Jaeger-LeCoultre Shark Deep Sea is arguably the most interesting non-Omega piece: scarce, vintage, and tied to Aldrin’s love of diving. It should attract serious watch collectors on rarity and design. The Omega X-33 “NASA” Gen Two also has strong space-program relevance because it remains tied to modern astronaut use. But neither has the same emotional and historical proximity to Aldrin’s lunar legacy as his personal Speedmaster. There is one caveat. If collectors value narrative over horology, the box of eight souvenir watches could become the most talked-about lot because it maps Aldrin’s life across education, military service, and space advocacy. Still, if the question is which watch is most likely to emerge as the auction’s defining collector trophy, the answer is the 1990s Speedmaster Professional.

Q: Beyond space, what does a rare dive watch reveal about the secret passions of moonwalker Buzz Aldrin?

It reveals that Aldrin’s great passion beyond space was scuba diving. The clearest evidence is the presence in his Sotheby’s sale of a rare Jaeger-LeCoultre Shark Deep Sea, a scarce late-1960s/around-1970 diving chronograph from his personal collection. Unlike the Omega “Moonwatch” models that define his NASA legacy, this piece points to a different side of Aldrin: an enthusiast drawn to underwater exploration. Sotheby’s and related reporting describe the watch as reflecting his love of diving, and Aldrin himself has said, “My favourite thing to do on this planet is to scuba dive.” The watch’s condition adds to that picture. Its dive bezel and signs of wear, including oxidized components and a scuffed crystal, suggest it was not simply stored as a collectible but likely used in the water. That makes it more than a luxury object; it is evidence of an active hobby pursued seriously by one of history’s most famous astronauts. In that sense, the Shark Deep Sea broadens the public image of Aldrin. It shows that the man known for the Moon was also fascinated by another extreme environment: the ocean. The auction’s many Omega space watches tell the story of his professional identity, but the rare dive watch offers a more personal insight into his adventurous life off the launchpad.

3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jul 15

$800,000 to $1.2 million is Sotheby’s estimate for the felt-tip pen Aldrin used to press Apollo 11’s broken engine-arm circuit breaker, plus the snapped switch itself, in a New York sale on Wednesday.
The improvised fix mattered because Mission Control could not reroute power to the ascent engine after the breaker broke inside the lunar module, leaving Aldrin and Neil Armstrong at risk of being unable to lift off from the moon.
Aldrin later wrote that he likely knocked off the switch with his backpack and chose the plastic-tipped pen because he did not want to use his finger or anything metallic on an electrical circuit.
The lot comes from Aldrin’s personal collection and joins other space memorabilia already in Sotheby’s broader Buzz Aldrin sale, as NASA targets a lunar return in 2028 and China aims for a crewed landing around 2030.