Q Timex NASA Honors Apollo 17 as Artemis II Returns

Four astronauts splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on April 10, 2026. They’d just finished Artemis II, a 10-day trip around the Moon and the first time humans made that journey in over 50 years. The crew of Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen traveled more than 252,756 miles from Earth, breaking the distance record Apollo 13 set back in 1970. It’s the kind of moment that makes space feel close again.

Price: $259
Where to Buy: Timex

Timex picked a good time to look back. The Q Timex NASA is a modern take on the brand’s 1970s Q Timex, built as a tribute to the 1972 Apollo 17 mission. That was the last time anyone walked on the Moon before this new era of Artemis flights began. At $259 on a stainless steel bracelet or $239 on a leather strap, it connects two parts of the same story: the final Apollo moonwalk and the astronauts now picking up where that crew left off.

A Moon Mission on the Dial

The Q Timex NASA runs a multifunction quartz movement behind a black dial packed with space-themed details. Three sub-dials track the day of the week, the date, and a day/night indicator with sun and moon artwork. Together they give the face a layered look that reads more like cockpit instruments than decoration. The standout detail sits in the day-of-the-week sub-dial: a luminous moon graphic that glows with the same lume fill used on the hands and markers. When the lights go down, it shines like the Moon itself.

That lume choice is more than a visual trick. Because the moon graphic uses the same fill as the indices and hands, the whole dial glows together in low light rather than leaving the moon stranded against dark markers. It’s a small decision that shows Timex thought about how this watch looks on the wrist at night, not just in product photos. The black dial keeps things grounded enough to wear outside of a space museum, and every element on the face earns its spot.

The Blue Marble on the Case Back

Flip the Q Timex NASA over and you’ll find the “Blue Marble” photograph engraved on the case back. The Apollo 17 crew captured that image on December 7, 1972, about five hours after launch on their way toward the Moon. It became one of the most widely shared photographs in history. Putting it on the underside of a watch that honors that same mission is the kind of quiet detail that rewards the wearer, not the onlooker.

The 40mm stainless steel case stands 13.5mm tall with a lug-to-lug span of 46.3mm. Those numbers keep it wearable on a wide range of wrists without feeling oversized. On the wrist, that 13.5mm height disappears faster than you’d expect for a watch with a domed crystal.

The brushed bracelet tapers slightly toward the clasp, which keeps the weight centered on the case and stops it from looking chunky on smaller wrists. A fully brushed finish on the case and bracelet gives the whole package a rugged texture that fits the space program look. The ornamental tachymeter bezel rounds out the cockpit vibe, and a domed acrylic crystal on top adds the warm, vintage feel that Q Timex collectors expect.

Why the Timing Matters

Timex released the Q Timex NASA in March 2026, weeks before Artemis II launched on April 1. Whether that timing was planned or just lucky, the result is a watch that hit wrists right as a new crew was heading for the Moon. Apollo 17’s crew took the last steps on lunar soil in 1972. Artemis II’s crew just completed the first crewed flyby of the Moon since that era, traveling farther from Earth than any human before them. That distance record stood for more than half a century, held by a crew that never even landed. Artemis II just shattered that mark, and with a lander test and a crewed landing still on the schedule, the program is only in its opening chapter.

That link between the two missions is what makes the Q Timex NASA feel current instead of nostalgic. This isn’t just another Timex space watch coasting on vintage looks alone. It’s a $259 quartz piece that ties 1972 to 2026 through details that mean something if you know what you’re looking at. Water resistance sits at 50 meters, the deployant clasp on the bracelet is solid, and the 18mm lug width opens up strap options for anyone who wants the leather version’s look without buying the second reference.

Price: $259
Where to Buy: Timex

The Q Timex NASA is available now through Timex on a stainless steel bracelet (TW2Y56700, $259) and a leather strap (TW2Y56800, $239). Artemis III is set to test a lunar lander in 2027, and NASA is targeting 2028 for the next crewed Moon landing. As a Timex Artemis-era tribute to Apollo 17, it’s arriving at a moment when the story it tells is still being written.