The official crew photos of the two-man Gemini project all have Omega Speedmaster chronographs in them... .
I'm guessing this pic has been posted before but since Gemini 3 was launched on this day in 1965, here's John Young pre-launch
One of only two pictures I have ever found of Armstrong wearing his Apollo XI BA145.022 Gold Speedmaster. If you can get past the pants and matching tie you might notice the watch. Ralph Spitzen happened to be snapping pictures for his aero engineering club in 1974 when Neil Armstrong made a surprise appearance. "I was in the right place at the right time to capture a photo of Armstrong doing something you wouldn't expect an individual like him to be doing. It shows you that he was as down to earth as any of the rest of us." So how did the famous astronaut's designs fly? We'll never know. "He chose not to test-fly them," Spitzen recalls. Credit - University of Cincinnati Magazine - 1974
March Gemini III tribute --> https://moonwatchuniverse.tumblr.com/archive John Young was often wearing two wristwatches in those days ...
What can I say ? This is my favorite Gemini III photo, clearly showing the Omega Speedmaster ST 105.003 chronograph at Young's wrist .
April must be the month of Thomas Ken Mattingly... assigned CMP - Command Module Pilot for Apollo 13, he was grounded after exposure to German measles but flew as CMP on Apollo 16 in April 1972 .
April 12, 1972... Ken Mattingly checking the time and adjusting his Speedy. By the clock on the wall its about 9:20 a.m. on Apollo 16 launch day .
Here is an interesting find I noticed on the watch worn by Apollo 15 Command Module Pilot Al Worden. Al Worden seen below in May, 1971, wearing his 105.012 #45 Speedmaster with what appears to be an Alaska Project bezel.
Meanwhile, 47 years ago, the original Apollo 13 crew had been changed as Mattingly was exposed to German measles and replaced by Swigert... here's a great shot of the original Apollo 13 crew after a last countdown check... At least 4 Omega Speedmaster chronographs in sight .
April 1970, Apollo 13 planting the US flag in the Fra Mauro highlands... it was never to be... The ejecta blanketed region was visited by Apollo 14 in January 1971. .
44 years ago, NASA's Skylab space station was ready to be launched... trying to please Omega & Seiko aficionados, sharing a great photo of the late USAF Colonel Bill Pogue onboard Skylab-4 wearing the SEIKO 6139-5000, the first automatic chronograph in space... .
. Exactly 45 years ago... April 1972 Speedmaster incident of Apollo 16 LMP Charlie Duke's hesalite pop-off during the third EVA in the Descartes highlands: At depressurization, just prior to the third lunar extravehicular activity, the Lunar Module Pilot noted that his chronograph crystal was gone. The chronograph hands and face were not hit. However, about 12 minutes later the movement stopped. Most likely, warpage caused by thermal cycling allowed the differential pressure across the acrylic crystal to pop it out of the case. The exposure to and penetration of lunar dust contamination about the Lunar Module Pilot's sleeves probably caused the failure of the chronograph movement. The Apollo chronograph is a secondary timing device and is not critical to mission success or crew safety. There are no plans for corrective action. Apollo 16 mission report Post Scriptum: note the small mirror added onto the long velcro strap next to the Omega Speedmaster chronograph
Thanks for Your kind remark ! The best is yet to come, as May 2017 marks the 55th anniversary of the first use of an Omega Speedmaster chronograph in spaceflight (training for Mercury "Aurora 7"). ... Meanwhile trying to please the Omega Flightmaster fans with this 1992 photo showing Italian TeleComs engineer Franco Malerba onboard space shuttle Atlantis. Looks like he was wearing an Omega Flightmaster 145.036 calibre 911 with 24 hour function recognizible by its thicker watch case. Malerba is a wristwatch aficionado and when You see him, he's always wearing a "special" watch .
Hopefully no repeats. Did delete a couple already shown. First and Last Funky Staffords Sorry about the Getty watermark. I don't remember seeing Mr. Young's thread "Is it safe to wear my Speedmaster for lifeguard duties"
Cool stuff indeed @Emeister . Looks like Lovell is going bezel free and I didn't even notice the gold watch on Stafford because I was distracted by the shirts. I guess he and Armstrong shopped at the same store.