Saw The Martian yesterday. Brilliant film adaptation of a very good novel.
I had excitedly told my family that if at any time the hero needed to check the time, chances are he'd have a Moonwatch just like like Daddy's. This was, after all, a NASA mission involving manned space flight.
There I was, sat for over two hours, right hand gripping my left cuff, ready to whip it back to reveal to my sproglets and wife that I was wearing the same watch as our intrepid space traveller.
Sadly it was not to be. The one time Matt Damon peeled back the wrist cover on his space suit, he revealed another watch, most definitely not a Speedy.
The Omega marketing guys may have missed a trick here.

 

Thanks.
But automatic? Sapphire? In space? Oh deary me. Still, the 1000m WR should come in handy if he fell into one of those briny streams.

 

horrible. Hamilton is in vogue with space travel movies recently. 2 of their watches were featured in the smash hit "Interstellar"

 

Just saw the movie yesterday. Yep they missed out.

 

That's too bad, even some of the worst "space movies" get in a little nod to the Speedmaster.

Not a great movie, and I'm not sure if Omega paid for that spot (the way it went it looks like they likely did) but no space movie is complete without at least one character wearing a Speedmaster IMO

 

I gotta say though, I loved the project elrond reference by Sean Bean. Unfortunately I was the only one in the cinema who burst out laughing

 

I am glad Omega missed the opportunity, and I wish Hamilton had done the same. It was a pointless and poor taste product placement.

I enjoyed the movie but I don't understand why they removed most of the tension and stress that was in the book, they made it seem like a camping trip.

 

How would an automatic wind in zero gravity??

 

Not sure if sarcasm. Inertia.

 

No but the rotor needs gravity to swing, in space gravity is effected.

 

Really? I respect your opinion, but based on my own read of the book it was about as deadpan as it could get. The movie had a lot more tension.

 

Well it's too soon to go into details to discuss this more, many people haven't seen it yet but there were many episodes that were much easier to deal with compared to the book.

 

No it does not. Just like when you throw an object and it keeps going until something stops it, the rotor will turn as you move your arm even without gravity. There have been several automatic watches used in space with no effects on the automatic mechanism, the most famous probably being the Seiko Pogue.

 

Perhaps it just winds slower

 

@Dombo63...dude, you said "wrist cover".

I have a wrist cover [by Rothco]...actually, several wrist covers...six to be exact...two olive drabs, two blacks and two Wile E. Coyote browns. Wrist covers rock...they help prevent Speedy Gonzales 'watch bang' damage at the office.

 

I may be mistaken but isn't the Moonwatch a Manual Wind Movement?

 

It amazes me how often I see this debated (at length) on watch forums.

Newton - laying down the laws (of motion) since 1687!

Yes of course an automatic watch does not need gravity to wind...maybe they have stopped teaching basic physics in high school?

Related...sort of...I just received a newsletter put out by Witschi (probably the largest and most well known company that makes watch testing equipment) about a series of tests they were involved in with H. Moser & Cie and its sister company Precision Engineering AG. They tested watch movements during a series of parabolic flights as part of developing balance springs and escapements in weightless conditions. Thought it was pretty cool that even a smaller company like this is doing some basic research.

Cheers, Al

 

@micampe, I think you just shattered a long-held misconception by @PatrickJ. He's still fighting the concept...
Hope the recovery is a quick one.