02:56 GMT

When I first saw the 40th Anniversary Apollo 11 Speedmaster, I thought it has deviated from the classic Moonwatch look: The red tipped hand is an outstanding touch and so is the small seconds dial which is now an Apollo 11 medallion.

An overall beautiful limited edition piece and a noteworthy point is the red lettering "02:56 GMT" on the dial. What is the significance of "02:56 GMT"? Read on the little extract I took from Omega site.

Extracted from Omega official news release:

The Omega Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch Apollo 11 “40th Anniversary” Limited Edition

The first manned lunar landing on the 20th of July, 1969 was the greatest, most dramatic scientific achievement in human history. When Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin stepped onto the moon’s surface at 02:56 GMT on the 21st of July, Aldrin was wearing his OMEGA Speedmaster and a legend was born. An interesting footnote: the electronic timing system on the Lunar Module was not functioning correctly so Armstrong had left his watch aboard as a reliable backup.