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New reveals about the NASA Space program watch choice

Omegafanman
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SpeedyPhill SpeedyPhill
Apollo program

What a great bit of research - succinctly presented. The 'Buzz' photos are what pulled me into the Omega family so Apollo and the moon missions are very close to my heart. I know the late Chuck Maddox and others have done a lot of work listing detailed information. I would love to see an updated detailed list with current locations and reference numbers for all flown/EVA and moonwalk manual speedies. The fact some were used again for Skylab and the shuttle make it even more interesting. Throw in the manual Speedy watches used on ISS launches + as Speedy Phill noted the Alaska for Apollo/Soyuz and it is a very big topic / a lot of data to crunch / a long list - but worth it IMHO. Thanks Phill for this amazing post,
 
henrikaa
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SpeedyPhill SpeedyPhill
Apollo program
1967 Apollo 1 Gus Grissom , Edward White , Roger Chaffee L= Speedmaster
1968 Apollo 7
Walter Schirra L= Speedmaster
Donn Eisele L= Speedmaster R= Speedmaster
Walter Cunningham L= Speedmaster
1968 Apollo 8
Frank Borman L= Speedmaster
James Lovell R= Speedmaster
William Anders L= Speedmaster
1969 Apollo 9
Jim McDivitt , David Scott , Russell Schweickaert L= Speedmaster
1969 Apollo 10
Tom Stafford L= Speedmaster
John Young L= Speedmaster ( L underneath spacesuit Speedmaster on JB Champion )
Eugene Cernan L= Speedmaster ( L underneath spacesuit Speedmaster on JB Champion )
1969 Apollo 11
Neil Armstrong R= Speedmaster
Edwin Aldrin L= Speedmaster
Michael Collins R = Speedmaster
1969 Apollo 12
Pete Conrad L= Speedmaster
Alan Bean L= Speedmaster
Richard Gordon L= Speedmaster ( R underneath spacesuit Speedmaster on JB Champion )
1970 Apollo 13
James Lovell R= Speedmaster
Fred Haise L= Speedmaster
Jack Swigert L= Speedmaster ( L underneath spacesuit Rolex GMT-master 1675 Pepsi )
1971 Apollo 14
Alan Shepard L= Speedmaster
Edgar Mitchell L= Speedmaster ( L + R underneath spacesuit Rolex GMT-master 1675 + 1675/3 )
Stu Roosa L= Speedmaster ( L underneath spacesuit Rolex GMT-master 1675 Pepsi )
1971 Apollo 15
David Scott L= Speedmaster ( PPK contained Bulova 88510 chronograph worn on the Moon )
James Irwin L = Speedmaster
Alfred Worden L= Speedmaster
1972 Apollo 16
John Young L= Speedmaster
Charles Duke L= Speedmaster ( L underneath spacesuit Speedmaster )
Thomas Mattingly L= Speedmaster
1972 Apollo 17
Eugene Cernan L= Speedmaster ( L underneath spacesuit Speedmaster on JB Champion
Harrison Schmitt L= Speedmaster
Ron Evans L= Speedmaster ( L underneath spacesuit personal Speedmaster 145.022 )
( PPK contained Rolex GMT-master Pepsi 1675 carried to the Moon )

Edit: Apollo 17 Evans's 3rd watch was a personal Speedmaster 145.022 ( so another 861 to the Moon )

Phil this is an amazing write-up of all the watches that have been to space... Thanks for the big work carried out!
 
SpeedyPhill
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@henrikaa
Thx it would be even better if I had included the reference for each Speedmaster... but that's a task for Omega Heritage team to complete !
 
SpeedyPhill
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Lots of Instagram "Certified by NASA" images with the Speedmaster selection of March 1965... 55 years ago !
Will Omega grab this anniversary to bring out some information about their historic selection of the Speedmaster for NASA manned space missions ? Official announcement was dated June 1, 1965...
Anyway, let's not forget that on Gemini III, March 23 1965, besides the Speedmaster 105.003-64, both Young & Grissom also wore an Accutron Astronaut microsonic tuning fork GMT pilot wristwatch.
BTW which were the Speedmasters they used on Gemini III, were these 2 chronographs from the tests... and what about the 4 Speedmaster chronographs used on Gemini IV ... as probably one of the tested Speedmasters suffered damage in testing
😕
 
SpeedyPhill
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You're welcome
This kind of topic might turn me in a persona-non-grata at Omega events as I'll ask too much "difficult" questions on the early NASA days...
Part of the questions posed here above are already answered in this topic... a recap;

March 1965:
James Ragan ended heavy duty testing the wristwatches which were sent in to participate in the contest to become NASA's spacewatch... the Omega Speedmaster won.
As far as I know there're no photos of the actual tests, all photos showing the test-equipment were made later, especially the watches shown are Omega Speedmaster chronographs with pusher & crown guards... so photos taken during the Apollo program.
Did NASA keep all wristwatches and how many Speedmaster chronographs surviced the tests without major problems?
At least 2 as both Grissom and Young were issued one for weight- & balance testing... and each astronaut used one during the March 23, 1965 4 hours 52 minutes Gemini III mission...

April 23, 1965:
NASA received 17 new Speedmaster chronographs for the Gemini program...
So that answers the question from which batch the 4 Speedmaster chronographs on Gemini IV came from...

Next deliveries were in 1966, 1967 and 1968... I only have estimate numbers for those deliveries, so no need to share those here...
Nice to know during the 1968 Apollo-era delivery NASA still received 105.003 non-Professional Speedmaster chronographs...
🍿
Come on Omega... it has been 55 years, time to bring the complete story with numbers & details as both spaceflight fans and the #SpeedyTuesday community are interested in this topic... because we're worth it.
 
SpeedyPhill
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Here it is, while most watch makes are sitting idle, MoonwatchUniverse goes full steam ahead...
Next year it will be 50 years since things were set in motion to get the Omega wristwatches in the Russian Space Program, here's a preview of the intro text for our article "" Time Peace - How the Omega watches got behind the Iron Curtain & into the Soviet-Russian Space Programme ""
.
MoonwatchUniverse_ASTP.jpg

Stay tuned for more... 📖
 
watchyouwant
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Just in case, somebody wonders about taking the Bulova Astronaut as well..... They were the watches, many US air force test pilots wore, before they were assigned to become NASA personel..... kind regards. Achim
 
SpeedyPhill
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moonwatchuniverse_SpeedyPhill.jpg

Photos of Accutron & Bulova watches have been posted on MoonwatchUniverse... it's our favorite topic !
All Mercury Seven astronauts received at least 1 Accutron/Bulova wristwatch, this has been documented in several of our articles...
All X-15 test-pilots also got an Accutron, so far we have documented 7 of the 12 X-15 pilots wore it on an X-15 research flight:
M. Adams, N. Armstrong, W. Dana, W. Knight, R. Rushworth, R. White and J. Walker
.
CIA_Accutron.jpg

The Accutron was also worn by CIA pilots flying the Lockheed A-12, on top of the inner pressure suit, with an opening in the top layer of the glove to check the time in the cramped cockpit...
However, checking 1960s fighter pilots photos, You will find more Hamilton pilot, Bulova 3818, and Rolex watches than the Accutron Astronaut.
.
STS07.jpg

The Accutron Astronaut was flown on Mercury-Atlas 9 by Gordon Cooper, on Gemini III by both Grissom & Young on Gemini V by Gordon Cooper (probably same watch as on MA-9, which he later offered to Russian astronaut Major Belyayev during a meeting in Greece) and on space shuttle Challenger by Norm Thagard STS-7 in 1983...
Edit: Photos added !
☕
Edited:
 
SpeedyPhill
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For reference, AFAIK some firsts with NASA photo-reference numbers:
March 3, 1965
1st good photo showing a Gemini astronaut wearing a NASA-issued Speedmaster = John Young ( 104-KSC-65C-1886 )
May 7, 1965
1st good photo showing a Gemini IV astronaut with a NASA-issued Speedmaster = Edward White ( S65-29655 or 65-H-275 )
June 1973
First visit of cosmonaut ( Aleksei Yeliseyev ) at the Omega HQ in Bienne/Biel Switzerland ?
April 1974
1st good photo showing Russian ASTP crewmembers wearing a Flightmaster = Alexei Leonov ( 74-H-317 )
Omega Speedmasters for ASTP came in early 1975...
.
Omega.jpg
 
SpeedyPhill
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Without starting another topic...
Does anyone care to share his/hers information on the NASA-numbered Speedmaster chronographs of the Gemini era ?
NASA received the first batch of 17 on April 23, 1965 and another lot in early-1966... there was probably a 2nd lot in 1965 ?
👎
For the year 1965, there were at least 13 astronauts involved in the Gemini program for that year... prime & backup taken into consideration;
Grissom, Young, McDivitt, White, Cooper, Conrad, Borman, Lovell, Schirra, Stafford, Armstrong, Collins and See...
So with 17 watches in the first NASA batch, how could Thomas Stafford get NASA numbered Speedmasters #20 and #27 ?
 
J
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any word on a speedy going up today on the SpaceX Dragon capsule?
 
Foo2rama
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J joe band
any word on a speedy going up today on the SpaceX Dragon capsule?
Well in press shots in the dragon one clearly wire an x-33.
 
SpeedyPhill
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The 26th May 2020 Fratellowatches article brought up the fact that James McDivitt's Gemini IV Speedmaster was NASA number #4 , later used by Frank Borman during the long-duration 14-days Gemini VII mission in December 1965.
There was no information mentioned about McDivitt's second NASA-issued Speedmaster worn on Gemini IV in June 1965...
As mentioned before, in 1965 NASA had a pool of 28 medical fit astronauts for the two-men Gemini program...
Donald Slayton selected 20 astronauts as either prime or back-up member for a Gemini-flight... and 16 astronauts flew during Gemini missions.
Another 4 remained rookies as they were backup... Anders, Bean, See and Williams.
☕
We can assume, as in April 1965 NASA only received 24 Speedmaster 105.003 chronographs, they didn't have enough watches to outfit every astronaut. Moreover, some astronauts got more than one watch and astronauts White, McDivitt, Conrad and Stafford wore two Speedmaster 105.003 chronographs on their Gemini missions.
Checking my notes, this brings up following numbering of Speedmaster models' NASA serials:
#28 = highest NASA serial 105.003 ( Eugene Cernan on Gemini IX, Apollo 10 & Apollo 17 ) ?
#32 = lowest NASA serial 105.012 ( Walter Schirra on Apollo 7 ) ?
#73 = lowest NASA serial 145.012 ( Michael Collins on Apollo 11 ) ?
👎 anyone care to share his/hers notes on the subject 👎
.
MWU_notesNASA.jpg
Edited:
 
SpeedyPhill
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As already shown with several photos...
At the time of Gemini III, March 23 1965 NASA only had 3 or 4 Speedmaster chronographs... each Gemini III astronaut got one ( Grissom & Young ) while training & Gemini III prelaunch photos show clearly that the Gemini III back-up astronauts also wore a Speedmaster; Stafford a NASA-issued Speedmaster and Schirra still wore his personal CK2998 Speedmaster (without a bezel)...
It looks like the first batch of Speedmaster chronographss was delivered to NASA April 23, 1965 ( 17 or 24 pieces ? ) and we're trying to find out how Gemini IX crew ( Thomas Stafford #20 & #27 and Eugene Cernan #28 ) ended up with the highest number NASA serials Speedmasters 👎
 
snunez
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SpeedyPhill SpeedyPhill
As already shown with several photos...
At the time of Gemini III, March 23 1965 NASA only had 3 or 4 Speedmaster chronographs... each Gemini III astronaut got one ( Grissom & Young ) while training & Gemini III prelaunch photos show clearly that the Gemini III back-up astronauts also wore a Speedmaster; Stafford a NASA-issued Speedmaster and Schirra still wore his personal CK2998 Speedmaster (without a bezel)...
It looks like the first batch of Speedmaster chronographss was delivered to NASA April 23, 1965 ( 17 or 24 pieces ? ) and we're trying to find out how Gemini IX crew ( Thomas Stafford #20 & #27 and Eugene Cernan #28 ) ended up with the highest number NASA serials Speedmasters 👎
Maybe the NASA numbers were given at a later date?
 
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