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"He lives on the International Space Station, but astronaut Chris Hadfield still has to keep Earth time. However, he can't rely on just any watch. With zero gravity and pressurized cabins, an astronaut's timepiece has to be engineered for out-of-this-world conditions.\nHadfield wears an Omega Speedmaster, which is certified for the thermal vacuum of a spacewalk. However, Hadfield isn't necessarily a trendsetter when it comes to his wristwatch. The Speedmaster has its own history in orbit: It was the first watch worn on the moon.\nIn 1962, NASA purchased samples of commercially sold wristwatches to test for space missions, and the agency went with Omega's model. NASA supplied each of the Apollo astronauts with a standard-issue Omega Speedmaster Professional manual-wind wristwatch, along with a Velcro strap. \nSEE ALSO: What Happens When You Wring Out a Washcloth in Space?\n\nThe watch can be worn for both intra- and extra-vehicular activities. When inside a pressurized cabin such as the ISS, astronauts wear the watch on their wrists just like on Earth. For a moonwalk or other missions outside the cabin, astronauts attach the watch to the outside of their spacesuits using the Velcro strap (see photo above).\nChris Hadfield wears his watch on the wrist while inside the International Space Station. Image courtesy of NASA\nBesides its obvious function of keeping time, the Speedmaster also has a stopwatch on the dial's large third hand. There are also three interior dials on the face: a second-hand, ancillary to the conventional time function, a minute-elapsed counter for the chronograph and an hour-elapsed counter. The outside of the dial acts as a Tachymeter, which measures miles per hour (hence the name \"Speedmaster\").\nAstronaut Ed Mitchell's Flown Speedmaster. Image courtesy of NASA/Ulli Lotzmann\nAll astronauts, including Hadfield, set their watches to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) \u2014 halfway between Houston and Moscow \u2014 in order to keep in touch with mission control.\nBONUS: The Best Photos Taken From Space\n\n\n20 Epic Photos From Astronaut Chris Hadfield\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAntipodes Islands - April 7\n\n\"Antipodes Islands, looking like an island flag.\"\nImage courtesy of Chris Hadfield\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIstanbul, Turkey - April 7\n\n\"Istanbul, Turkey at night, historic vital crossroads, clear as can be.\"\nImage courtesy of Chris Hadfield\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nNew York City - April 6\n\n\"Morning in NYC. Downtown Manhattan casts quite a shadow.\"\nImage courtesy of Chris Hadfield\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nNew Zealand - April 3\n\n\"I, for one, appreciate a healthy moustache, like this one inching along over New Zealand.\"\nImage courtesy of Chris Hadfield\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nFogo, Cape Verde - April 2\n\n\"Fogo, Cape Verde - a volcano so big it peaks above the Atlantic. Last active 18 years ago.\"\nImage courtesy of Chris Hadfield\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nUnnamed Pacific Island - April 2\n\n\"A island off the Pacific coast of Mexico spins clouds into swirls of lace.\"\nImage courtesy of Chris Hadfield\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRising Moon - March 29\n\n\"While looking for the approaching Soyuz, I caught a glimpse of another orbiting body in the distance.\"\nImage courtesy of Chris Hadfield\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nStorm From Space - March 25\n\n\"An angry thunderstorm stands out against infinity.\"\nImage courtesy of Chris Hadfield\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nNewfoundland, Canada - March 22\n\n\"A gyre frozen into the ice, Newfoundland, Canada.\"\nImage courtesy of Chris Hadfield\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDubai - March 20\n\n\"Some of the things we build for ourselves are puzzlingly visible from space. Such as the islands of Dubai.\"\nImage courtesy of Chris Hadfield\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nHoms, Syria - March 20\n\n\"Homs, Syria. Currently enveloped in fighting - an uncertain future layered upon a storied past.\"\nImage courtesy of Chris Hadfield\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSouth Africa - March 18\n\n\"The Earth's fault lines are especially visible from orbit, like this one in South Africa.\"\nImage courtesy of Chris Hadfield\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSoyuz Departure - March 16\n\n\"Soyuz departing - Oleg, Kev &amp; Evgeni passing underneath Space Station on their way home after 5 months.\"\nImage courtesy of Chris Hadfield\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nKalkan, Turkey - March 9\n\nCommander Hadfield had only one comment for this photo: \"!\"\nImage courtesy of Chris Hadfield\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCalcutta, India - March 5\n\n\"Kolkata (Calcutta), India. 14 million of us living closely together on the Hooghly River in a huge developed wetland.\"\nImage courtesy of Chris Hadfield\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nWaiting for SpaceX Dragon - March 3\n\n\"Like a Praying Mantis, Canadarm2 poised to reach out and grab Dragon.\"\nImage courtesy of Chris Hadfield\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPyongyang, North Korea - Feb. 28\n\n\"Pyongyang, North Korea. A shrouded city of much global concern. In stark contrast with the South, not too far away.\"\nImage courtesy of Chris Hadfield\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nZero-Gravity Bubble - Feb. 13\n\n\"Air and pepper oil suspended in a water blob. I blew on it to make it wiggle.\"\nImage courtesy of Chris Hadfield\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBorder of Israel and Egypt - Jan. 18\n\n\"A rare space sight. Most borders are invisible from orbit. This one between Egypt and Israel isn't.\"\nImage courtesy of Chris Hadfield\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nOuadane, Mauritania - Jan. 16\n\n\"Undoubtedly one of the coolest space sights on Earth, the Richat Structure of Mauritania.\"\nImage courtesy of Chris Hadfield\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nImage courtesy of Chris Hadfield"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2013/05/06/omega-watch-astronauts/>