Astronauts wore Rolex GMT's and not just Speedmasters. Say it isn't so...

Northernman · May 28, 2020

SpeedyPhill
Working on my " Time Peace " article on how the Omega wristwatch got behind the Iron Curtain into the Russian manned Spaceflight program...
Yes, Time Peace, like in peace & détente between the Cold War World Superpowers... alluding to Time piece 😁
... the very first photo I got in my hands showed Major General cosmonaut Andriyan Nikolayev wearing a Rolex GMT-master pilot watch while sitting in a Soyuz simulator with NASA astronaut Thomas "Tom" Stafford. (Photo: NASA)
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... again it becomes obvious that the Rolex GMT-master pilot watch remains the sole timepiece strictly chosen on a personal basis by both Russian cosmonauts and International & American astronauts !

Or perhaps kindly gifted to them by the talented marketing people at Rolex?
"Hey Tom! How about a free Rolex GMT?"😗

Let's also not forget that Rolex (and Omega) was not the only watches in space!

SpeedyPhill · May 28, 2020

@Northernman
It's the Soviet-Russian cosmonaut who wore a Rolex GMT-master in that picture... by then the Rolex GMT-master had been worn onboard the X-15 research rocket plane (as the Accutron Astronaut GMT) and onboard the Apollo 13 & 14 lunar missions... This is a Rolex topic after all 😗

Northernman · May 28, 2020

SpeedyPhill
@Northernman
It's the Soviet-Russian cosmonaut who wore a Rolex GMT-master in that picture... by then the Rolex GMT-master had been worn onboard the X-15 research rocket plane (as the Accutron Astronaut GMT) and onboard the Apollo 13 & 14 lunar missions... This is a Rolex topic after all 😗

Sovjet Union guys wearing Rolex watches was rather unheard of.
Regarding them as personal effects is perhaps stretching it?
Kosmonauts was "rock stars" in the old USSR, so maybe.....
If you asked the USSR gov at that time, I am quite certain they would claim these were gov property.
😀

SpeedyPhill · May 28, 2020

Yep, interesting thought... so far, between 1963 & 1974 we only saw three cosmonauts wearing a Rolex GMT-master...

SpeedyPhill · May 30, 2020

Not an astronaut, but an amazing pilot, who was shot down 60 years ago, May 1, 1960, over Soviet-Russia and exchanged for a Russian spy as depicted in the 2015 Steven Spielberg moviee "Bridge of Spies " ... Francis Gary Powers (1929-1977)
Powers and the early U-2 "Angel" reconnaissance aircraft pilots went though a proces called " Sheep dipping ", resigning from the USAF and work as civilian pilots for the CIA in order to hide their military backgrounds. The Lockheed U-2 was not invisible for Russian radar but untouchable at altitudes above 21000 meters until the Russians got their SAM sites organized. That May 1960 mission was Powers' 28th U-2 flight...
When Powers returned to the USA, he continued to work for Kelly Johnson & Lockheed between 1963 and 1969. This is a 1972 photo by Peter Davis, and shows Powers wearing a Gold Rolex Datejust, next to a general aviation Cessna...
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markie916 · May 30, 2020

I hope at the next service the repairer doesnt replace that bezel insert and dial to freshen it up "like new" ::facepalm1::

🤬

TLIGuy
I posted this over in the Rolex forum but I thought there may be a little interest here as well since many of us have a bit of space geek in us.

My interest and research is confined to a very small sliver of space occupied by the watches worn by astronauts beginning with Gemini 3 and ending with Apollo 17.

During my research I have seen a few images of Jim Lovell wearing his Rolex GMT. None were great and none could be enhanced without serious distortion to get a good look a the GMT.

The image below has been my favorite Lovell pictures with the crew of Apollo 8. They look ready for the task at hand and Lovell's pose with the bomber jacket wearing the shinny new GMT on his wrist has always been my favorite.

Now....I Finally get a good look at the GMT that he has worn all these years. Tuesday I received my images from a signing he did where I had a piece signed. Included in the signing was a CD with images from the event. As I looked through the images I spotted the pictures I had been hoping to find over the past few years.

What a great looking well worn GMT 1675. It also appears that the dial has a Naval Academy crest printed on it at the 9 o'clock position.

If this watch could talk I bet it would tell some great stories.

SpeedyPhill · Jun 25, 2020

During the month of June we can always enjoy a reminder of the " first Rolex-in-space " ( Space being USAF definition of 50 miles = 80 Km )
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SpeedyPhill · Jun 28, 2020

SpeedyPhill
Nice find : Rolex Submariner onboard space shuttle Atlantis STS-74 in 1995
https://monochrome-watches.com/the-...-8Rn-t3_BBmospbYn4z1BZuWK-xnfrF3gCnsqDulkVjkM

Just found by the SWFG - Space Watches Facebook Group:
Former Navy officer & Navy SEAL astronaut William Shepherd wore his Rolex Submariner 5513 diving toolwatch on STS-41 shuttle Discovery and STS-52 shuttle Columbia ... so we get closer to 1990 to find the first Submariner flown-in-space 👍
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SpeedyPhill · Jul 11, 2020

SpeedyPhill · Aug 31, 2020

On the eve of the Rolex release event, we remind that 30 years ago, in October 1990, a Submariner 5513 was flown in space onboard space shuttle Discovery, worn by former Navy SEAL William "Bill" Shepherd... who also wore it on STS-52 Columbia in 1992 !
As mentioned 2 posts here above...

mayankyadav · Aug 31, 2020

Saw some recent pics from inside iss

SpeedyPhill · Sep 26, 2020

Between 1965 and 2015, veteran Mercury & Space Shuttle astronaut John Glenn wore several Rolex GMT-master pilot watches.
Glenn was often seen wearing a Rolex GMT-master while piloting his personal Beechcraft Baron airplane, which he used during political campaigns
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👍

SpeedyPhill · Nov 1, 2020

November 1966... This NASA photo shows astronaut Frank Borman, crewmember of the "Apollo 2" crew and the astronaut responsable for contacts with North American Aviation, the firm producing the Apollo Command & Service Module, checking out an early Command Module.
Note astronaut Frank Borman wore his personal Rolex wristwatch on an oyster bracelet.
👍
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SpeedyPhill · Nov 7, 2020

Picture has all the information... James Lovell again wearing his personal Rolex GMT-master pilot watch
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SpeedyPhill · Nov 11, 2020

1967 veteran Mercury MA-8 and Gemini VI astronaut Walter "Wally" Schirra checking out the modified hatch of the Apollo Command Module...
Note Walter Schirra clearly wore his personal Rolex GMT-master 1675 pilot watch with red/blue Pepsi bezel.
65 years since its introduction, the Rolex GMT-master remains the sole timepiece strictly chosen on a personal basis by both military & civil pilots, Russian cosmonauts and International & American astronauts !
(Photo: NASA)
👍
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dscoogs · Dec 11, 2020

dscoogs
Man, I am not a Rolex person but starting to warm up to these GMTs thanks to this thread.

TLIGuy
I wasn’t a Rolex guy either until I tried one on. A nice condition late 60’s 1675 Pepsi GMT is a beautiful watch. Mine is my daily wearer. In the end, if I could only have one watch moving forward I would keep the GMT.

Well I (almost) surrender. While accompanying a relative to his AD to pick up the 2020 Sub that he ordered about 8 months ago, I decided to get on the waiting list for a 2020 steel Pepsi GMT. We'll see how long it's going to take.

SpeedyPhill · Dec 28, 2020

This has been an interesting topic, one for which I got the most feedback & reactions... more of this next year in 2021 !!!
😎
https://moonwatchuniverse.tumblr.com/archive

SpeedyPhill · Jan 11, 2021

Upcoming... 50 years Apollo 14 ... as we know, another 3 Rolex wristwatches on their way to the Moon !
It's very interesting to take a look at the Apollo14 backup crew, Eugene Cernan, Joe Engle and Ron Evans... note how Evans already wore his personal Rolex GMT-master 1675 Pepsi in this January 1971 video... a Rolex GMT-master that 23 months later was taken onboard Apollo 17 !
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cvalue13 · Jan 11, 2021

SpeedyPhill
65 years since its introduction, the Rolex GMT-master remains the sole timepiece strictly chosen on a personal basis by both military & civil pilots, Russian cosmonauts and International & American astronauts !
(Photo: NASA)

My armchair opinion is, Rolex GMT were favored by astronauts in part because of the 24 hour complication: after all, (1) NASA mission time is 24hr, and utilizes 24hr clocks, and (2) in space, day/night do not provide necessary information for discerning accurate time on a 12hr watch

watchyouwant · Jan 11, 2021

That's common knowledge. Rolex and Bulova GMT were worn and used in space. But NASA was testing Chronographs, not normal watches. They needed reliable backup timers for the Missions. And there every tested Brand failed. Except the Speedmaster. So, coexistence is king. As always in life. Kind regards. Achim