A spectacular auction featuring space exploration and aviation pieces has been taking place online at the house of RR Auction in Boston, Massachusetts. Superb and unique pieces are coming under the hammer like a Cosmonavigator watch that flew to the International Space Station (ISS), initially worn by the cosmonaut Salizhan Sharipov who remained on board for 192 days. Its second trip was with the cosmonaut Pavel Vinogradov, remaining on the ISS for 168 days before returning on board the Space Shuttle Atlantis.

The Cosmonavigator watch was produced by the house of Vostok specifically for use in space onboard spacecraft in low Earth orbit and is regarded as a true space watch. It was designed by a cosmonaut, Vladimir A. Dzhanibekov, and its unusual color-coded 24-hour dial is designed to indicate the point on Earth that the space craft is flying over at the time. The blue segments represent oceans and seas, red is Europe and Russia, black is Africa, yellow is Asia, purple is North America, brown is South America, and green is Australia. Also included in the auction is NASA Flight Director Neil B. Hutchinson’s Rolex GMT-Master wristwatch, worn daily throughout his career in Mission Control and from the vantage point of Hutchinson’s wrist, this iconic timepiece witnessed the key events from the age of Apollo through the early Space Shuttle missions. 

One of the major pieces at the auction is the Apollo 11 22-karat gold moon that once belonged to the Duke of Windsor. A stunning 22K gold spherical moon sculpture crafted to commemorate the Apollo 11 lunar landings will also be auctioned by the Boston-based RR Auction.  The exquisite piece was created by Louis Osman and Malcolm Appleby measuring approximately 2.25″ in diameter and weighing 6.85 ounces, with a diamond inset at the Apollo 11 landing site in the Sea of Tranquility. Hallmarked for 22K gold, London, 1969, it features Osman’s maker’s mark and Appleby’s monogram. The moon was produced in a limited edition of what is thought to be between five and 14 pieces. The Space Exploration & Aviation auction conducted by RR Auction began April 15th and will conclude on April 22nd. Stay tuned for result.
©Trish Valicenti for The Gourmet Gazette
https://www.rrauction.com/