I was doing a bit of research on NASA Speedmasters and ran by a page from the Smithsonian archive photos of their displayed and non displayed NASA flown Speedmasters. Two of of the Speedmasters are on bracelets which I may be interested in tracking down for my new 68' Speedmaster. Can any of you experts here identify and verify these two for me. Here are the two links to the Smithsonian collection. http://airandspace.si.edu/collections/result.cfm?qp=omega&startrow=1&showrecords=all http://airandspace.si.edu/collections/result.cfm?qp=speedmaster&startrow=1&showrecords=all Here are the two I'm interested in... Is this an Omega bracelet? I have not seen it before. If so, which bracelet is it and what end pieces would be needed? Is this the 1479 bracelet? It appears to be but I just wanted verification. Does the 1479 have solid end pieces?
Nice work! Took me about 10 minutes to figure out how to make it bigger. Thought I was going to break it. Ha
That's nothing...I took me one week before I realized that you undo the clasp to make it bigger. I spent a week unlatching the clasp piece that slides. I would spend 10 minutes sliding the clasp tighter with one hand and then locking down the clasp to secure it. It was a week before I realised the clasp unhoooked and the part I was sliding was meant to be set and locked. If you have this bracelet you know what I'm trying to describe. For the life of me I could not figure out why astronauts would wear it.
I'm worse. I was sliding it too. So, my 25 year old son was over one day and I thought I would frustrate him. Handed it to him and said how does this expand? Thought he would be befuddled. He grabbed it and had it open and disconnected in like 2 minutes. I thought he was breaking it when he did it.
I was thinking of getting the same style of band too, until I saw the prices, faaaark, my eyes are still watering!
Keep your eyes open. Now might be a good time. These were offered $600-$1000. a year ago. About 9 months ago, an antiques guy on eBay somehow got hold of like 20 NOS bracelets. He auctioned each separately. They went for prices of like $170.-$270. There are sellers maybe still around trying to flip these for a relatively small profit, I've seen them. So keep your eyes open.
There are reasonably priced ones that pop up every so often. It takes a bit of practice to learn how to put it on.
Hi Rich, it looks like you have two different ones there. Can you expound on which is which? thanks! Mark
JB Champions are cool enough... let's take a look to my friends blog...thanks Matteo http://themasterofspeed.tumblr.com/post/45626424744/jb-champion-nasa-bracelet ciao, chris
They are both JB Champion. The one on the right is on a 105.012-66 and is the one so often seen on the NASA watches. I think I got one of those 20 NOS ones. The one on the left is on my 145.022-69 pre moon and is also JB Champion. I'm not sure why I bought it. It looks really good in the drawer that I keep it in. LOL
The Forstner bracelets are a good alternative to the the Champions, being far less expensive. The jubilee pictured above is an OEM Mexican bracelet?
In the second post, last picture showing Apollo 15 Scott & Worden... nobody noticed the special bezel
Percentage of time bezel if I'm not mistaken. Also on the very first picture the jubilee bracelet is most likely a Holtzer purchased in Texas.
Wow!! One of my first post here. Al's bezel is from the Alaska Project prototype watch and seen here on his wrist in 1971.
Unearthed a whole series of Al Worden NASA photos showing this Speedmaster with a new "Minutes" or "Seconds" bezel designed with input from the astronauts and NASA engineer James Ragan... Indeed later in 1978 used for the Alaska II project as a Tachymètre has limited use or no use in space .
And another 60 minutes bezel Speedmaster worn during NASA training in July 1975 by ASTP CMP - Command Module Pilot Vance Brand .
