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under a sleeve... of a spacesuit

  1. Omegafanman Jan 1, 2020

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    Great post and very strong information. I made this video to highlight the only video I am aware of from Apollo of a Speedmaster working in Space. Ironically it is an 861 calibre. The video also clearly shows a Rolex GMT was used in the command module + that the astronauts had additional watches on different watch bands (so logically they must have worn them under their pressure suits). Thanks again for the info and great pictures from the archives

    Apollo Omega Speedmaster working in space. Actual close up video. Omega Fan Man
     
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  2. SpeedyPhill Founder Of Aussie Cricket Blog Mark Waugh Universe Jan 2, 2020

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    Since 1970, several Rolex watches have been worn underneath a sleeve... of a spacesuit.
    In practice of course in the spacesuit glove... here's NASA astronaut Leroy Chiao in october 2004 wearing his GMT-master on his way to the ISS
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    2004_chiao_Rolex.jpg
     
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  3. SpeedyPhill Founder Of Aussie Cricket Blog Mark Waugh Universe Jan 3, 2020

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    It looks we're reaching ELU - Expert Level Unlocked on this topic
    While I'm working on my article how Dr Hans Widmer succeeded to get Omega's newest automatic chronographs in the Soviet-Russian spaceflight program, I'm sharing two more photographs (credit: FKA/TASS), scanned from originals in MoonwatchUniverse's private collection, clearing showing how even the thickest Omega Speedmaster Mark III could easily fit in the Sokol spacesuit gloves...
    .
    1974_Aug28_MarkIII.jpg
    August 1974, both the Soyuz 15 cosmonauts wore wristwatches underneath the Sokol K spacesuit. Note, on the right, Gennadi Sarafanov wore a thick case Omega Speedmaster Mk III at his right wrist...
    .
    1979_BigBlue.jpg
    April 1979, Soyuz 33 Nikolai Rukavishnikov wore an Omega Speedmaster Mk III Big Blue automatic chronograph underneath the Sokol K spacesuit. Note there's ample space for such a thick case wristwatch...
     
  4. SpeedyPhill Founder Of Aussie Cricket Blog Mark Waugh Universe Jan 5, 2020

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    Using the "Search" function of this forum, one will often find the term inaccuracies when talking about Omega Speedmaster marketing.
    In fact we can be almost 100% sure this started from the very beginning, 55 years ago... as Omega Headquarters noted the Gemini IV spacewalk photos in LIFE magazine issue of June 18, 1965.
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    White_MoonwatchUniverse.jpg .
    Omega headquarters saw the Gemini IV spacewalk photos in LIFE magazine but didn't use NASA photos for marketing purposes... instead Omega commissioned an artist impression/painting to be used for marketing purposes.This painting only showed a single Omega Speedmaster chronograph on Ed White's left forearm as the 2nd Speedmaster on his left wrist was obscured in most photographs.
    Here's that Omega artist impression used 1967-onwards in numerous price lists and brochures
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    Omega_1967_MWU.jpg .
    Back on topic of wearing a wristwatch underneath the spacesuit gloves...
    Here's a NASA photo showing cosmonauts aboard a Soyuz capsule in April 2005.
    Note how the glove are more comfortable when clicked onto the forearm, even "swollen" as the airco/cooling of the Sokol space suit is on. NASA astronaut Lery Chiao was wearing his Rolex GMT-master as he wore the Sokol GP-7A glove (full black rubber fingers) while on the foreground Sharipov Salizhan wore the newer GP-7S glove (green rubber fingerstips). Also note the serial number on this glove!
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    2004_Sokol_ISS.jpg .
    While we wait for more photos by @RedMac here's an interesting video about the Russian Sokol KV-02 space suit:
    .
     
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  5. SpeedyPhill Founder Of Aussie Cricket Blog Mark Waugh Universe Jan 7, 2020

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    Tuesday 7, 2020 the first #SpeedyTuesday of the new year and just one more bump showcasing another great NASA photo showing the prelaunch preparations of the Soyuz TMA-15M crew with Italian ESA-astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, having their Sokol spacesuits checked out & talking to the press in November 2014. Their ISS 43 mission lasted 200 days !
    Each cosmonaut was wearing 3 wristwatches:
    classic manual winding Omega Speedmaster on long black velcro over the left forearm and two wristwatches, one an Omega X-33.
    It looks like Russian cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov (middle) was wearing a FORTIS on his left wrist:
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    ISS14_Wristwatches.jpg
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    Getting into the launch vehicle... November 23, 2014
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    ISS14_Wristwatches3.jpg
    So far we have practised ourselves wearing a Speedmaster under an Apollo training glove, an Orlan EVA glove and both Sokol GP7A & GP7S spacesuit gloves. Wearing a wristwatch underneath these is no problem and neither left or right the hesalite got scratched in any way...
    Whatever the MJMT - Mumbo Jumbo Marketing Talk referred to in this topic, we can be 100% sure that international spacefarers have been wearing wristwatches underneath their spacesuit for 55 years now...
     
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  6. SpeedyPhill Founder Of Aussie Cricket Blog Mark Waugh Universe Jan 10, 2020

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    This video shows that your fingers can be retracted in the glove so the glove can do a 360°... in an inflated Sokol KV2 space suit...
    The newer GP-7S gloves with green rubber fingertips are softer, warmer and more comfortable than the all rubber finger GP-7A.
    Note how the forearms and gloves, especially the fingers blow up when the suit is inflated in an emergency.
    Also note on the left a bit dirtier training gloves & pressure valve indicator compared with on the right clean prelaunch gloves, each cosmonaut carries two pairs with his/hers initials on them. (ESA/NASA photos)
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    spacesuit_speedmaster.jpg
    The Sokol suits look a bit awkward as these were designed to be worn while seated~strapped into the shock-absorbing kazbek seat.
    These seats are always made to measure, via cast-mold for every cosmonaut or astronaut flying on the Soyuz
    .

    . Sokol spacesuit gloves and watches... in a nightclub called the "Universe"
    Speedmaster_moonwatchuniverse_.jpg
     
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  7. SpeedyPhill Founder Of Aussie Cricket Blog Mark Waugh Universe Feb 14, 2020

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    bump in the direction of @RedMac
     
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  8. RedMac Feb 15, 2020

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    Per SpeedyPhill's request, I did an experiment concerning an Omega watch inside a spacesuit. It this case, Shannon Lucid's Sokol training suit. The Sokol spacesuit is complete with her gloves. Here are step by step photographs I took of strapping a Russin ISS flown Omega X-33 watch on my wrist and sliding it into Shannon Lucid's Sokol training suit. For further authenticity, I used a flown EVA glove liner from Rick Mastracchio to provide the proper bulk on my wrist. As you can see the watch had plenty of room to fit through the suit ring. It also slid easily into the glove. Once I locked the glove down, my hand rotated easily inside the suit. I didn't even feel the watch when it was completely encased in the suit and glove. The answer is yes a watch can be worn inside a spacesuit with no problem.
    Sokol watch 1.jpg Sokol watch 2.jpg Sokol watch 3.jpg sokol watch 4.jpg Sokol watch 6.jpg Sokol watch 7.jpg Sokol watch 8.jpg Sokol watch 9.jpg Sokol watch 10.jpg Sokol watch 11.jpg Sokol watch 12.jpg
     
    Sokol watch 5.jpg
  9. cvalue13 Feb 15, 2020

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    Speaking of Swigert, I’m just passing through the Denver airport (in the air as I type), and figured this thread could use a pic or two of Swigert’s statue in the B Terminal:

    A64E141A-A236-47BE-AB51-DD000E899727.jpeg 2373C7A9-DA67-4B05-AAA5-77F2ED9F1325.jpeg

    Note that from Swiger’s official photo, he appeared to also own an all gold root beer nipple-dial (1675/8?):

    753DF326-5187-4C4D-860C-219B5EF74853.jpeg E2F58842-7962-4387-BF37-4043990E6FF7.jpeg

    If the artist of the statue had attention to detail, then the statue appears to show the Pepsi on oyster bracelet, while Swigert’s root beer on jubilee was somethin’ fancy for his press photo - showin’ out!

    EDIT: With a bit of searching, I found what purports to have been an auction sale of Swigert’s root beer, and the auction recounts an interesting story (worth reading its detail but) asserting that after the Apollo 13 returned home, Swigert gifted his Pepsi to the CEO of Rolex, who in turn gifted Swigert the all gold root beers (which auction brought just over $20K for the piece):

    41CBD373-5960-487A-9129-DC5C2E96A6F4.jpeg
     
    Edited Feb 15, 2020
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  10. SpeedyPhill Founder Of Aussie Cricket Blog Mark Waugh Universe Feb 16, 2020

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    @RedMac :thumbsup:

    @cvalue13
    After the Apollo 13 mission, Jack Swigert offered his lunar-orbit-flown Rolex GMT-master 1675 to Rolex manager René Jeanneret, who put the Apollo 13 Rolex in the Rolex museum in Geneva and gave Swigert a Gold 1675 version in return...
    In fact the official White Space Suit portrait of Swigert was taken after the mission, so he was wearing the Gold version in it (NASA photo S71-52266)

    As far as I know, the thickest wristwatch worn underneath a spacesuit was the Seiko Spring Drive Spacewalk GMT chronograph, which has a thick Titanium bullhead case... as worn by Richard Garriott aboard Soyuz TMA-13 in 2008 !
    Photo shows Skylab & Space Shuttle veteran Owen Garriott guiding his son Richard Garriott to the launchpad. Note Richard wore a Seiko over the left forearm of the Sokol spacesuit and one at his right wrist underneath the fireproof spacesuit underwear
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    Garriott_MWU.jpg
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    Seiko_Garriott.jpg
    ...
    quod erat demonstrandum !
     
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  11. Omegafanman Feb 16, 2020

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    @RedMac Thanks for posting such detailed information - From this whole @SpeedyPhill discussion / presented evidence the facts look clear and proven to me. Out of interest from your experiment how easily would the watch get scratched or damaged by the internal glove clamp mechanism? I guess they would normally wear them under the inner glove to prevent that.
     
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  12. SpeedyPhill Founder Of Aussie Cricket Blog Mark Waugh Universe Feb 16, 2020

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    Indeed the watch is mostly worn underneath the fireproof underwear...
    Once the glove is fastened to the forearm of the spacesuit, the watch sits very comfortable as the glove are long going way above the wrists.
     
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  13. RedMac Feb 16, 2020

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    I could put a fairly thick sweater on and still have gotten the watch through the wrist ring. I also could have put on the EVA wristband Rick used during his EVA too. It would have covered up the watch nicely. But I wanted to show the watch as I stuck my wrist through the ring.
     
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  14. simonsays Feb 16, 2020

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    Rookie trade!
     
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  15. RedMac Feb 16, 2020

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    It's okay, because Jack had another watch up his sleeve.
     
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  16. SpeedyPhill Founder Of Aussie Cricket Blog Mark Waugh Universe Feb 27, 2020

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    @Omegafanman
    Spacefarers don't worry too much about scratching the glass, moreover, the only instance this can happen is the moment when passing the metal ring of the glove over the wristwatch. Once the glove is clicked in place, the watch sits comfortably 10 centimeters away from the ring.
    ::book::
    This topic prompted us to take a look at the 1973-74 Skylab-4 photographs in order to establish that each of the Skylab-4 astronauts took an extra personal wristwatch on that 84 days space station mission:
    Commander Gerald Carr: Movado Datron chronograph
    Pilot William Pogue: Seiko 6139 automatic chronograph
    Science Pilot Edward Gibson: a second Speedmaster, probably a Mark II
    Here's a photo of Gibson on launchday with his left wrist just visible, clearly wearing a wristwatch underneath the fireproof underwear of the spacesuit
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    Skylab_MoonwatchUniverse.jpg
     
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  17. SpeedyPhill Founder Of Aussie Cricket Blog Mark Waugh Universe Mar 12, 2020

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    Great onboard STS-89 photo of astronaut Joe Edwards onboard shuttle Endeavour donning his LES - Launch & Entry Spacesuit before returning to Earth in January 1998... Speedmaster under the sleeve on his left wrist.
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    1998_89_Speedmaster.jpg
     
    Edited Mar 12, 2020
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  18. SpeedyPhill Founder Of Aussie Cricket Blog Mark Waugh Universe May 28, 2020

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    In contrast with the suit-up and walk-out images of astronauts & cosmonauts during a Soyuz pre-launch ceremony, where we can easily spot any wristwatches underneath the gloves & Sokol spacesuit, the SpaceX spacesuit was a whole other ball-game...
    I noticed it wasn't straightforward to put on the glove and for me not easy to spot any wristwatches underneath the spacesuit...
    However here's a photo of former USMC pilot, SpaceX astronaut Doug Hurley who clearly wore a watch underneath the spacesuit at his lefthand wrist... Robert Behnken wore an X-33 over the left forearm of his spacesuit. (Launch scrub May 27, 2020) (Photo: NASA/SpaceX)
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    2020_DougHurley.jpg
     
  19. SpeedyPhill Founder Of Aussie Cricket Blog Mark Waugh Universe Jun 22, 2021

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    Unbelievable that only 3 years ago we had to convince (watch-) people that a wristwatch could be worn on the wrist underneath a spacesuit...
    Meanwhile MoonwatchUniverse & Hodinkee pointed out a wristwatch (automatic chronograph) that was worn on the ankle underneath a spacesuit
    ::book::
    MWU_Carr.jpg
    More:
    https://www.hodinkee.com/magazine/snuck-into-space
     
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  20. RedMac Jun 22, 2021

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    I remember it well.