June 1, 1965...The Speedmaster is "Officially" Flight Qualified 60 Years Ago Today

Please allow me to point towards another important discussion ;

So here's what I have in the history books:
1965, March 1 NASA completed the qualification test report for high accuracy flight crew chronographs : Omega was accepted as Government Furnished Equipment but no official statement. A day later, NASA Office of Manned Space Flight held Gemini manned space flight design certification review in Washington D.C. for all flight hardware.
During the March 23 Gemini III mission, both Virgil Grissom and John Young each wore a battery-powered tuning-fork movement Accutron Astronaut pilot watch and a manual winding Omega Speedmaster 105.003-63. These Omega Speedmaster were more than probably part of the 1964 delivery to be tested as the first batch was only officially delivered by April 23, 1965.
1965, June 1 NASA Gemini program office issued official Letter of Qualification for the Omega Speedmaster chronograph.
So, the June 3, 1965 Gemini IV astronauts James McDivitt and Edward White were the first to officially use the Omega Speedmaster, both wearing two Speedmaster 105.003-63 as to keep time for launch control Florida and mission control Houston Texas. White's 20 minutes long spacewalk (Open hatch for 36 minutes) was the first true test of the Speedmaster in space !
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https://www.fratellowatches.com/introducing-the-omega-x-swatch-speedmaster-moonswatch-1965/

60 years ago... Omega Speedmaster chronographs delivery readied!
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In late February 1965, we saw Virgil Grissom & John Young training in the new David Clark Gemini spacesuit with an Omega Speedmaster. Moreover, Gemini III backup pilot Thomas Stafford was also given an Omega Speedmaster.
As NASA still didn't receive a batch of Speedies, these February 1965 photos must show Speedies NASA received in October 1964, survived the tests and were distributed for training!
1965, March 2 NASA Office of Manned Space Flight held Gemini manned space flight design certification review in Washington D.C. for all flight hardwareNASA Office of Manned Space Flight held Gemini manned space flight design certification review in Washington D.C. for all flight hardware, the Omega Speedmaster mentioned as planned Government Furnished Equipment.
It looks like the SWATCH Group took the March 1 & 2 date to launch a commemorative moonSwatch (with dummy Wittnauer en ....X watches).
So on April 23, 1965 NASA received a first batch of 17 Omega Speedmaster 105.003-63 chronographs and a week later we saw some of these on the wrists of James McDivitt and Ed White during the Gemini IV preflight press meeting in Washington D.C.
However, it was on June 1, 1965 that NASA officially announced the Omega Speedmaster as the flight-qualified chronograph for manned spaceflight missions of Gemini & Apollo program!
During 4 days on Gemini IV, 4 Speedies were worn as both astronauts each wore two Speedmasters as for the first time launch control was in Florida and mission control was in Texas!
At the end of the Gemini program, NASA had received 45 chronographs but had 48 astronauts on "active flight status". In fact during both Gemini & Apollo programs, NASA always reserved far in advance which NASA-issued Speedies would be worn on a specific mission !
(Photo: NASA/AP)
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the March 1, 2025 moonSwatch in Swatch store Bienne - Switzerland
(Photo: MoonwatchUniverse)
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Title needs to become " 60 years ago "

Hodinkee has an article on " 60 years " CERTIFICATION
https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/omega-celebrates-60-years-of-nasa-qualification
Fratellowatches earlier last month:
https://www.fratellowatches.com/vis...ary-of-the-speedmasters-flight-qualification/

... all the rest is gonna be moonSwatch ... so I'm out 😉