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

Here's an original Yeagar GMT👍 This is from a set of pictures Jennie Engle sent me after Joe Engle signed a piece for my collection.

This is a picture of one of Yeager's Rolex GMTs gifted to his good friend astronaut General Joe Engle that is now worn by Engle's wife.

Just letting followers of this thread know that I've edited my earlier post about Chuck Yeager by inserting the link to the correct Hodinkee article and removing the incorrect one, which was about King Frederik of Denmark. Sorry for the confusion.

What a beautiful and historic timepiece! Much prefer these compared to the modern ones with ceramic bezels.

95 years ago, September 17...
1930, September 17, birthdate of aeronautical engineer, naval aviator, Officer & Gentleman, test pilot NASA astronaut Edgar D. Mitchell.
From 1965 to 1966, Mitchell attended the US Air Force ARPS - Aeropsace Research Pilot School, ending first in his class, before being selected into NASA astronaut group 5.
Edgar Mitchell served as support astronaut for Apollo 9, backup for Apollo 10 and missions operations team for Apollo 13. He was assigned Lunar Module Pilot for Apollo 14.

Wrist-watch-wise Edgar Mitchell & Alfred Worden are known to re-request a more practical bezel for the NASA-issued Omega Speedmaster chronograph and the agency produced six bespoke "60 seconds" bezels in 1971. These were used in training during five years!
In February 1971, Edgar Mitchell became the first astronaut to wear extra wrist watches on the Moon, wearing one for each of his two daughters. His beloved Rolex GMT-master 1675 "Pepsi" pilot watch on the righthand wrist.
Apollo 14 Moonwalkers, Shepard and Mitchell conducted two lunar EVAs, the first 600 m westwards from LM and a second 2900 m roundtrip eastwards from the Lunar Module Antares. They stayed 33 hours on the lunar surface and collected 42 kilograms Moon rocks & samples.

In October 1972, Edgar Mitchell left NASA and the US Navy, co-founded the Association of Space Explorers and spent the rest of his life in Florida, the Sunshine State.
(Photo: NASA)
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Relax, it's a Rolex...
Keeping this topic going, as we have currently at least 3 Rolex wrist watches onboard the ISS...
Rolex watches … Walter “Wally” Schirra
After the combined Gemini VIa & VII spaceflight mission, the 4 astronauts were awarded a Rolex GMT-master 1675 “pepsi” bezel pilot watch during a ceremony at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis - Maryland. While Walter Schirra, James Lovell and Thomas Stafford were naval academy graduates, US Air Force Major Frank Borman also got a Rolex GMT-master around that time via the US Military Academy West Point.
During 1967, Schirra, Lovell and Borman often wore their GMT-master pilot watch during NASA training.
Late 1966 onwards, we see Schirra developed a keen interest in Rolex watches, as besides NASA spacesuit training, he was always wearing his GMT-master or even a Rolex Daytona 6240 chronograph. He has always been a wrist watch aficionado as we know he at least wore a dozen different watches between April 9, 1959 and November 25, 1969.
Photo shows Wally Marty Schirra signing a plaque at the North American Rockwell Space Division plant in Downey California.
(Photo: NAR/NASA)
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Schirra celebrating the Apollo 11 landing in July 1969...

60 years ago... November 23, 1965... it's 10:07 AM at Michael Collins' Rolex Turn-O-Graph
Rolex had patented "Turn-O-Graph" on November 24, 1953 and between 1955 to 1960, the gentleman's watch with rotating bezel became the official pilot watch of the US Air Force "Thunderbirds" aerobatic display team.
In 1963, USAF Capt Michael Collins was selected as NASA astronaut in Group 3 and already wore his personal Rolex Turn-O-Graph during NASA training in May 1964. Collins continued to do so during astronaut training for Gemini VII, Gemini X and Apollo 11.
This November 1965 photo shows NASA astronauts James Lovell, Frank Borman, Michael Collins and Edward White during slide wire training at Launch Complex 19 at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Note Michael Collins wore his Rolex Turn-O-Graph 6202. In later life, Michael Collins wore a Gold Rolex Day-Date.
(Photo: NASA 104-KSC-65C-8689)
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55 years ago... on this date... February 7
As Apollo 14 began their return-trip to Earth, CMP Stuart Roosa performed the HFCD Experiment onboard CSM "Kitty Hawk". The experiment was done once, but during Apollo 17 it was done twice.
NASA TM X-64735, Heat Flow and Convection Demonstration (Apollo 14), 1973
This Heat Flow Convection Demonstration Experiment had a 16mm DAC - Data Acquisition Camera attached to it, and the images several times show Roosa's personal Rolex GMT-master 1675 with Pepsi bezel, a fighter pilot's favorite wrist watch !
Full DAC movie, speeded-up is on YouTube : ☕
In 1970, Apollo 13 CMP John Jack Swigert was the first to wear a Rolex to lunar orbit, but on Apollo 14, LMP Edgar Mitchell wore his Rolex GMT-master 1675 on the lunar surface underneath the A7L space suit! More photo on #moonwatchuniverse
(Screenshot: NASA)
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70 years ago... a Rolex Datejust Turn-O-Graph for the US Air Force "Thunderbirds".
Between 1956 and 1960, Rolex put the "supersonic" USAF air demonstration squadron, the "Thunderbirds" in the spotlights by awarding the pilots a Datejust Turn-O-Graph pilot watch.
During 4 years, it looks like both the Steel & Gold Thunderbirds logo dial versions were awarded to the pilot as can be seen in the 1956 and 1958 Thunderbirds pilots group photos.
Note William "Bill" Pogue, who later became a NASA astronaut and flew on Skylab SL-4.
By 1964, the "Thunderbirds" flew the Republic F-105 Thunderchief but returned using the North American F-100D Super Sabre up to 1969. Although 1960s film footage shows the "Thunderbirds" still wearing Rolex Datejust pilot watches, it's hard to make out but these were no longer logo dial versions...
(Photos: USAF/AP/Rolex)
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