This Crazy New Timepiece Completely Rethinks the Moonwatch Genre

The Apollo Instruments DSKY Moonwatch is a love letter to spacecraft and the aerospace engineers who make them.

A male wrist wearing the Apollo Instruments DSKY Moonswatch on his wrist pointing straight down. The wrist wearing the watch is shown on top of a black background speckled with stars

Published December 20, 2024

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Updated December 20, 2024

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Few things add sex appeal to a watch, like a tie-in with space travel, at least to a specific subset of consumers (including yours truly).

For that reason, it’s a watch genre that’s more crowded than many realize. From the iconic Omega Speedmaster to its affordable MoonSwatch cousin, to lesser known b-sides like the Bulova Lunar Pilot and Accutron Astronaut, or even important watches like the Breitling Navitimer that many forget also made it to space, or IWC’s new Polaris Dawn watch made for the new era of commercial space flight, there’s a surprisingly wide array of space watch options for anyone who wants one.

But the recently revealed DSKY Moonwatch made by the timekeeping newcomer Apollo Instruments is far from more of the same.

In fact, its design completely turns the entire concept of a space watch on its head.

A Moonwatch That Honors Aerospace Engineers

The display and keyboard (DSKY) unit used on the F-8 Digital Fly-By-Wire (DFBW) aircraft during Phase I of the fly-by-wire program. The piece of spacecraft equipment is shown by itself laying flat against a dark blue background. — The so-called Display Keyboard (or DSKY, spoken as “dis-key”) was the primary computing interface used by Apollo astronauts that appeared in both the command and lunar modules of the spacecraft.

While the rest of the genre tends to celebrate the brave and pioneering astronauts and test pilots associated with various space missions or testing prep, the Apollo Instruments DSKY Moonwatch is, first and foremost, a love letter to aerospace and computer engineering.

Specifically, it’s a painstakingly faithful (and boy do they mean faithful) 4:6:1 scale recreation of a part of the Apollo Guidance Computer (ACG) , which played a key role in every spacecraft used in NASA’s famed Apollo missions to the moon.

The so-called Display Keyboard (or DSKY, spoken as “dis-key”) was the primary computing interface used by Apollo astronauts that appeared in both the command and lunar modules of the spacecraft.

The Apollo Instruments DSKY Moonwatch being worn on a man's wrist. The man's hand is sitting inside the pocket of a pair of navy blue pants. The watch's display is lit up to show the various glowing yellow buttons and bright green screen. — The Apollo Instruments DSKY Moonwatch is a painstakingly faithful 4:6:1 scale recreation of the iconic Apollo mission computing interface.

Its most relatable design features included a simple glowing green display paired with an oversized number pad designed to be easy to use by the fat fingers of Astronauts sealed in space suits. The massive keys were used for a revolutionary form of computing input at the time, which was developed by MIT.

The input system involved astronauts following a so-called “noun and verbs” approach, which boiled down to inputting a series of two separate numeric codes to trigger different actions. As unsophisticated as that might sound today, the technology represented a significant leap forward in computing interface at the time compared to using punch cards.

The Hardware Is the Result of Obsessive Attention to Detail

Two Apollo Instruments DSKY Moonwatchs shown against a lunar background. One features a black strap. the watch next to it on the right features a brown watch strap. — The Apollo Instruments DSKY Moonwatch costs ~$818 and is available for pre-order in two different strap color options.

The team behind Apollo Instruments could have quickly settled on creating a plastic watch that looked like the DSKY interface and called it a day.

But based on reporting from outlets like CollectSpace.com, it’s clear that Apollo Instrument’s CEO Mark Clayton viewed the project less as a mere object and more as a miniature simulator that allows modern-day civilians to experience a small taste of what it was like to be an Apollo astronaut.

“It’s clear that Apollo Instrument’s CEO Mark Clayton viewed the project less as mere object, and more as a miniature simulator that allows modern day civilians to experience a small taste of what it was like being an Apollo astronaut.”

Over the course of five years, Clayton’s team, which apparently included two former F1 engineers, pieced together the hardware, which includes a case made from billet 316L stainless steel, a micro-OLED display, a keypad featuring tactile micro switches enclosed by hermetically sealed keycaps, and even custom LED light color filters that make the miniaturized warning lights LEDs match the warmer incandescent glow of the original computer.

According to the company’s product page, the watch measures 38.1 x 44.2 x 13.05mm, which the company points out is similar in size to the Apple Watch Ultra and the iconic square Tag Heuer Monaco.

It’s Also a Functional, Wrist-Sized Simulator

The Apollo Instruments DSKY Moonwatch shown being worn on a wrist with a finger reaching out to press one of the watch's buttons. — The watch was developed over the course of five years by a team that included two former F1 engineers.

The team also developed open-source code based partly on a port of the original Apollo software code developed for the lunar module, initially written by Presidential Medal of Freedom winner Margaret Hamilton.

As a result, the DSKY Moonwatch features a variety of so-called “original operations” that include the ” GPS-driven P66 landing routine, V35 lights and display test, power down and standby routines.”

The watch can also be connected to a computer-based spaceflight simulator, where wearers can input the same commands used by Apollo astronauts, including the most famous of them all, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.

The Apollo Instruments DSKY Moonwatch shown being worn on a mans wrist. The hand and wrist are shown typing on a laptop keyboard — As if the hardware details weren’t enough, the DSKY Moonwatch can also technically be connected to a computer-based spaceflight simulator, where the watch can then be used to input the same commands used by Apollo astronauts.

Dedicated tinkerers can even upload and run their own code on the watch via a micro-USB port on the rear of the device, which is also used for charging. Clayton and his team have even included a proprietary I/O port that will connect to future products, including “breadboard interfaces, development enclosures, and robotic systems” and “an enclosure replicating the main chassis of the original Apollo guidance computer.”

The company is also teasing future miniaturized circuit board designs that DSKY watch owners can install and program into the watch.

Of course, the wrist computer can also serve as a count-up/down timer, alarm, and stopwatch and show the time and date in various formats. Integrated GPS functionality also allows the watch to automatically adjust the timezone and free roaming, waypoint and spot fix GPS navigation options.

Purchasing and Availability

The Apollo Instruments DSKY Moonwatch shown being worn on a mans wrist. The wrist is held up to show the watch. In the background is the wearer's white dress shirt.

Apollo Instruments is now taking pre-orders for the DSKY Moonwatch in black and brown strap options. A deposit of £240.00 (~$302) will reserve a spot in line. A remaining balance of £409 (~$515) will be collected immediately before the watch is ready to ship. As of right now, though, Apollo Instruments isn’t sharing exact details on when units will ship, though it is apparently targeting Q1 of 2025.

The company also has clarified that the DSKY Moonwatch isn’t a limited edition, although given production constraints, it’s likely to remain rare for quite some time.