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

Larry S
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Great thread. What drew me back into watches was the need to have a 24 hour scale which is invaluable for a jet lagged yank, used to a 12Hr time scale, quickly calculate time zones, and durability, which is why the GMT was my first self winder bought in an Airport after the battery died on my Victorinox. At the time I was literally living out of a suitcase, working globally on a synergy project.
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cvalue13
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cvalue13 cvalue13
It is, however, interesting that later when Omega offered up presumably equally robust speedmasters that included 24hr indicators, Omega for whatever reason stuck with the pure chronos

Adding a correction: apparently the watch offered to NASA did not have a 24hr indication, because they did not offer a cal.1040/1041 but instead a predecessor to the FIFA with the cal.1045 (without a 24hr indicator)
 
SpeedyPhill
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55 years ago... August 1967
Michael Collins at work as backup CMP during Apollo 8 training in Houston Texas.
More at #MoonwatchUniverse
(Photo: NASA S67-50589)
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SpeedyPhill
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60 years ago, November 1962, the “New Nine”
Westpoint graduate USAF Major Frank Borman during a medical check up as spacemen had to be in top physical shape at all times. Frank “Fred” Borman was selected as an astronaut in NASA group 2, known as the “ Next Nine “ for the upcoming manned Gemini & Apollo spaceflight programs. In this medical check-up photo, note his USAF senior pilot wing and his personal Rolex Oyster Perpetual wristwatch, which he wore since 1960 as a trainee at the USAF Flight Test School and Aerospace Research Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base.
Although NASA astronauts were issued a couple of Omega Speedmaster chronographs, several astronauts just wore their personal wrist watches. Photos show Frank Borman wearing Rolex watches between 1960 and 1974.
(Photo: NASA S62-6860) #MoonwatchUniverse #Rolex #swfg
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SpeedyPhill
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33 years ago: First Rolex Datejust in space, worn by Manley "Sonny" Carter onboard space shuttle Discovery STS-33
Just sharing a few photo examples of that 1989 mission and showing a completely new tab in my spreadsheet, which now, besides space-flown, also lists ALL Rolex watches worn by astronauts/cosmonauts spotted in photographs during training, press and social events...
(Photos: NASA/MoonwatchUniverse)
😗
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morethan1
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Anyone wonder what would happen to an automatic watch in space with that rotor spinning more freely than on earth?
 
SpeedyPhill
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Automatic wrist watches have been worn by astronauts in space since the Gemini program:
Charles Pete Conrad wore his Glycine Airman on Gemini V and Gemmini XI
On Skylab-4 both Gerald Carr (Movado Datachron HS360) and William Pogue (Seiko 6139) wore the first automatic chronographs in space !
 
64Wing
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SpeedyPhill SpeedyPhill
Automatic wrist watches have been worn by astronauts in space since the Gemini program:
Charles Pete Conrad wore his Glycine Airman on Gemini V and Gemmini XI
On Skylab-4 both Gerald Carr (Movado Datachron HS360) and William Pogue (Seiko 6139) wore the first automatic chronographs in space !
Nerd! 😜(Please accept this as a compliment lol) I love learning, especially from this thread!
 
SpeedyPhill
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December 15, 1966... End of Gemini
The astronauts of the final three Gemini crews, X, XI and XII celebrated the end-of-program Gemini at Cocoa Beach in Florida.
From left-to-right: Michael Collins, John Young, Charles Conrad, Richard Gordon, James Lovell and Edwin Aldrin.
Note, while Buzz Aldrin wore his NASA-issued Omega Speedmaster chronograph, both Michael Collins and James Lovell wore their personal Rolex pilot wrist watch, respectively a Rolex Turn-O-Graph and a Rolex GMT-master 1675 “Pepsi”.
(Photos: NASA)
. #MoonwatchUniverse for better versions
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SpeedyPhill
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December 1968... Christmas with Apollo 8
In 1962, USAF test pilot Frank Borman was selected in NASA group 2 and flew on Gemini VII (December 1965) and Apollo 8 (December 1968). Between December 21 & 27, 1968, as Commander of the Apollo 8 crew, he was the first of 24 astronauts to fly to the Moon. In June 1970, Borman retired from NASA and the U.S. Air Force as a full bird Colonel.
After an advanced management course at Harvard Business School, Borman joined Eastern Air Lines on July 1, 1970, becoming Director of Operations in December 1970. On December 29, 1972, Borman heard about the crash landing of Eastern Air Lines flight 401 in the swamps of the Florida Everglades and immediately took a helicopter to the scene. In darkness, the helicopter landed 150 m the crash site, and Borman waded waist-deep through the murky swamp, helping rescue crash victims and load survivors into rescue helicopters!
Between 1976 and 1986 Borman was CEO of Eastern Air Lines, making the airline profitable by 1978, before retiring to Southern Montana.
Note Frank Borman wore his personal Rolex Datejust on Jubilee bracelet.
Aged 94, Frank Borman remains the longest living NASA veteran astronaut, a true American Hero.
(Photo: NASA/Eastern)
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SpeedyPhill
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December 27... we remember Apollo 13 astronaut John Jack Swigert
In April 1970, John swigert was the first astronaut to wear a Rolex pilot watch on a Moon-bound Apollo mission.
S71-52266 official NASA WSS - White Space Suit portrait photo of Apollo 13 CMP John “Jack” Swigert. This portrait photo was taken post-mission (December 1971) so Swigert wore his gold Rolex GMT-master watch which he received from Rolex CEO René Jeanneret in return for his personal Apollo 13 spaceflown Rolex wristwatch. Nowadays, Swigert’s Apollo 13 spaceflown steel Rolex GMT-master 1675 Pepsi resides in the Rolex museum in Geneva.
For the rest of his life, Swigert only wore this magnificent/impressive gold Rolex GMT-master pilot watch!
(Photo: NASA)
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SpeedyPhill
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One of those space-flown Rolex models was the Datejust (used onboard STS-33 and STS-58)
Interestingly here're two examples showing the Rolex Datejust on the wrist of NASA astronaut Frederick Gregory (1989 STS-33 shuttle Discovery and 1991 STS-44 shuttle Atlantis).
Although Fred Gregory wore it in both crew photos and in his official NASA portrait, so far I didn't find a photo showing the Rolex Datejust on his wrist during the actual spaceflight missions... On STS-33 Manley Sonny Carter also wore a Datejust.
(Photos: NASA)
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TLIGuy
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I had the privilege of spending a few hours one afternoon talking to Fred about his career and watches. I do not believe he flew with the Rolex. He flew with an issued Casio and his issued radial dial Speedmaster. Fred is an absolute gentleman.

It is hard to find many pictures of his watches during his missions. STS-33 was a Top Secret DOD mission so very few images of the crew onboard activities exist.

Fun fact talking to Fred is that even though he flew 3 Shuttle missions his favorite flying was his time as a Huey helicopter pilot in Vietnam.

While with Fred he let me wear his 3 time flown Speedmaster for a few hours while we chatted. He still has the watch and wears it daily.

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Here are our watches picture taken on the hood of his yellow Corvette. I love the wear and tear of the Velcro strap.

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SpeedyPhill
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A few nice US Navy jokes ... Of course we use the word "Heroes" ... Note James Lovell as always wearing his wrist watch on his right hand wrist, while John Jack Swigert wore his Rolex GMT-master 1675, the first Rolex watch to be flown to lunar orbit.
 
SpeedyPhill
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March 14, 1928 ... so Happy 95th birthday to Frank Borman, the longest living NASA Gemini-Apollo era astronaut (11 days older than Jim Lovell)
From remarks at #SpeedyTuesday, it looks like he wore his Speedmaster on a folded Rolex Oyster bracelet in this June 1983 photograph
(Photo: EAL/AP) scan #MoonwatchUniverse
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