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New reveals about the NASA Space program watch choice

J!m
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I would love to see that, but I refuse to join Facebook with their track record of security...
 
SpeedyPhill
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@J!m
Nothing special 馃 Just clear photos of each-and-every Mercury astronaut wearing the bespoke black 24 hours dial LeCoultre wrist watch.
As we're talking about the early NASA space program here...
(Photo: NASA)
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1959-LeCoultre.jpg
 
SpeedyPhill
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And US Navy Lt Scott Carpenter wearing the 24 hours dial LeCoultre wrist watch.
(Photo: LIFE)
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1961_Carpenter_LeCoultre24.jpg
 
SpeedyPhill
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February 1962, US Marine Corps LtCol John Glenn wearing the 24 hours dial LeCoultre wrist watch.
(Photo: NASA)
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1962_Glenn_LeCoultre.jpg
 
SpeedyPhill
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In February 1961, the NASA STG - Space Task Group announced that 3 Mercury astronauts were selected for special training to become the first US astronaut: USMAC LtCol John Glenn, USAF Capt Virgil Grissom and US Navy LtCmdr Alan Shepard.
No wonder Alan Shepard became the most photographed of the Mercury 7 astronauts in Feb-May 1961 time period.
April 1961, "Mercury 7" astronauts Virgil Grissom and Alan Shepard at the launchpad, both wearing the 24 hours dial LeCoultre "astronaut watch".
(Photo: NASA)
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1961_Grissom-Shepard_LeCoultre.jpg
 
SpeedyPhill
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And finally Wally... Walter Wally Schirra and Virgil Grissom at Mercury Launch Control in May 1961...
The 24 Hours dial LeCoultre "astronaut watch" with distinctive bracelet.
(Photo: LIFE)
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1961_Schirra.jpg
 
SpeedyPhill
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Indeed the late 1950s bespoke 24 hours dial "LeCoultre" article itself is superb, as are the LeCoultre Quartermaster versions, but MoonwatchUniverse' article on the "65th anniversary of the Mercury 7 receiving these time pieces" will be interesting with some rarely seen photographs... 馃槜
 
SpeedyPhill
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Remember these "LeCoultre" 24 hours dial watches were the very first astronaut watches, even before they received the Accutron pilot watches.
Sorry, already revealed way too much on OF... Aficionados know where to find (much) more !
upload_2024-4-14_12-42-41.png

(Photo: NASA)
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z-LeCoultre_NASA.jpg
 
SpeedyPhill
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A bit of an exclusive preview 馃槈 "" First Watch ""
65 years ago... NASA procured the very first astronaut watches!
In September 1959 the close cooperation between the NASA Space Task Group and an important wrist watch brand was fulfilled by the delivery of bespoke 24 hours dial anti-magnetic stainless steel wrist watches for the "Mercury 7" astronauts.
How and why this was accomplished can be read soon in another MoonwatchUniverse article on wrist watches in spaceflight....
(Screenshot: MoonwatchUniverse)
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FirstWatch_MoonwatchUniverse_.jpg
 
wwhntr
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SpeedyPhill SpeedyPhill
NASA-issued Speedmaster... April 1965 to December 1968...
Are pictures coming soon? (I cannot see any pictures of watch.)
 
J!m
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Ah, here we are. Not sure what was up with that hot link...
 
SpeedyPhill
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"Accutron Astronaut" GMT pilot watch...
Responding to a question, a short story about the Accutron Astronaut pilot watch as worn by "Mercury 7" astronaut Leroy "Gordo" Cooper.
While in 1959 the "Mercury 7" astronauts were officially issued a bespoke 24 hours dial & movement LeCoultre watch, they all received more than one Accutron tuning fork pilot watch. Gemini era NASA astronauts were still offered an Accutron at ceremonies !
USAF Major Leroy "Gordo" Cooper is the best showcase as lots of photos show him clearly wearing different versions of the Accutron. In 1962 a one-line dial version but by March 1963 a two-line dial version, which he wore onboard his 22 orbits MA-9 "Faith 7" mission in combination with his personal Omega Speedmaster CK2998. In August 1965, Cooper wore the two-line dial again on Gemini V and a month later during a meeting with the Voskhod II crew, gifted a two-line dial "Accutron Astronaut" to cosmonaut Pavel Belyayev.The cosmonaut wore this Accutron until his death in1970!
(Photos: NASA/MoonwatchUniverse)
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Accutron_COOPER.jpg Accutron_COOPER-.jpg Accutron-COOPER-65.jpg Accutron-COOPER-70.jpg
 
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