Stefan Osdene donated $17,000 to the Brian LaViolette Scholarship Foundation at Nicolet National Bank in Green Bay. The money comes after he auctioned off his solid 18-karat gold Omega Speedmaster watch that once belonged to Neil Armstrong, July 17, 2025. PC: Fox 11 Online
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — A donation that’s connected to the first man on the moon is making a difference for college-bound students in Northeast Wisconsin.
On Thursday, Stefan Osdene, a vintage and contemporary watch dealer and collector in Madison, presented a $17,000 check to the Brian LaViolette Scholarship Foundation at Nicolet National Bank in Green Bay.
The money comes after Osdene put his solid 18-karat gold Omega Speedmaster commemorative timepiece up for auction earlier this year.
The timepiece was gifted and worn by Neil Armstrong in November of 1969 after the Apollo 11 mission.
Osdene purchased the watch from a coin shop in Cincinnati, Ohio, unaware of its historic significance at the time.
On April 17, the watch went to auction at RR Auction House in Boston, where it broke a world record for commemorative Omega astronaut watches. It sold for $2.1 million.
Rather than keep the money for himself, Osdene chose to pay it forward.
Osdene donated a portion of the proceeds to his friend, Doug LaViolette, Brian’s father and co-founder of the Brian LaViolette Scholarship Foundation. The two became friends years earlier after Doug bought a watch from Osdene’s eBay store for $27.
“I live in Wisconsin, I spend a lot of time here in Northeastern Wisconsin, and the thought that it actually has an impact at the local level, the state level, that means a lot to me and that’s what makes me happy. It’s not just something abstract and distant, it’s not like I’m giving money to a huge organization that has multiple branches around the country. I’m doing something that has a local, regional impact,” Osdene said.
Osdene also made donations to charities selected by Mark Armstrong, Neil Armstrong’s son. The charities reflect the values Neil Armstrong held dear: exploration, education, and service to others.
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