Speedmaster references with sapphire crystals and "flight qualified" casebacks

Archer · Oct 30, 2021

cvalue13
As I understand it, mineral/glass crystal is used in equipment found elsewhere in shuttles/stations (instrument panels, etc.).

Perhaps that intel is bad.

But if not, it’s made it unclear why the emphasis for watches. I suppose internal equipment aren’t subject to the possibility of a micrometeorite hit during EVA?

To me something at the end of an arm that is constantly being waved around is likely to be broken more than an instrument panel gauge...

Foo2rama · Oct 30, 2021

So in 68 was mineral glass or sapphire common?

padders · Oct 30, 2021

Omega fitted their first sapphire crystal I believe in the 1930s but for all I know it was prohibitively expensive and perhaps the tech wasn’t around to make larger sizes until the 1980s when they started to become more common. Mineral glass is very brittle, sapphire much less so. In the 60s the choice was clear, today not so much.

Speedmaster references with sapphire crystals and "flight qualified" casebacks

Archer

Foo2rama

padders

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