A Mondia Moonlander is not the first watch you associate with the space race, but it is an interesting slice of history.
HOW DO WE DATE THIS WATCH?
On the case back there is a pressed image of the Lunar Excursion Module (LEM, or moonlander) used to land men on the moon, and these were used between 1968 (test runs), 1969 with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, and then on the remaining moon landings up until 1972. Less news worthy in 1969 was the merger of Mondia with Zenith and Movado, and this watch does not have any markings of the joint company. We believe this watch was made in 1969 or very close to it.
CONDITION
The case wears larger than the measurements suggest, thanks to the thickness and the squared off design of the case. The AS 1816 movement is running nicely, and the downside to this day date movement is that the date is not quick set – you have to turn from midnight to 20.00 and back to midnight to set the date, and the day wheel has no quick set at all. The day window is in German only. The stainless steel case does show signs of wear, as does the Tropic Sport rubber strap. We have never seen a blue tropic sport strap before, and it would not surprise us if someone bought this watch for the strap as standard black tropic sport straps are always wanted. However the strap is missing the retainer for the strap tail. The case does have some marks, but the signed crown is original. The acrylic crystal is new.
This watch will be supplied with our Certificate of Authenticity.
Please see the HD video for more detail. All photos and videos are part of the description and are of the actual watch unless mentioned. We do not photoshop any pictures, and the images are copyright of birthyearwatches.com and should not be used without permission.
SIZE
Width with crown 36.3 mm
Width without crown 33.7 mm
Between lugs 18 mm
Lug to lug length 36.7 mm
Case Thickness 13.5 mm
All sizes are approximate.
Included with this watch is a 2 month guarantee and free delivery to UK addresses. If you live outside the UK we can still deliver to most countries. Please see our Worldwide Shipping information, or Contact Us. Payment can be made by most credit or debit cards, bank transfer or PayPal.
