VINTAGE watches ... show and tell ...

HAMILTON AQUA-DATE 600FEET SUPER-COMPRESSOR Skin Diver Date
circa: 1966

Very nice. Haven’t seen that before

OMEGA Chronograph caliber 321 THE MOON WATCH​

and it's iconic expandable mesh bracelet​

1962 Mercury-Atlas 8 mission and the Komfit bracelet​

Walter Schirra in 1962 Mercury-Atlas 8 mission wore his Speedmaster CK2998 on a Forstner Komfit bracelet with solid (fixed-width) end links, both the watch and the bracelet were NOT officially issued by NASA they were privately purchased by Schirra from a Houston jeweler, the Komfit bracelet is distinct from the later JB Champion USA models with expandable spring-loaded links that NASA officially issued starting in 1965. The JB Champion USA bracelets are functionally and mechanically distinct.


Schirra's 1962 flight is the one and only use of the Forster Komfit in space.

Mercury-Atlas 9 mission on May 15, 1963. - Gordon Cooper wore both his Omega Speedmaster CK2998-4 and Bulova Accutron Astronaut each on a Jacoby Bender Champion (JB Champion USA) mesh bracelet NOT Komfit by Fostner.

All attribution there after should be credited to JB Champion USA which was used in Gemini, Apollo, and Space Shuttle missions, they are not the same company nor are the two bracelets the same as many have mistakenly assumed.

OMEGA SPEEDMASTER cal 321 and Jacoby Bender USA. mesh bracelet

Let’s set the record straight once and for all.

You’ve seen the photos: Wally Schirra (after 1962), Gordon Cooper, Neil Armstrong each with their Omega Speedmaster on a sleek, expandable mesh bracelet. It’s become iconic. But there’s a myth creeping through the watch world that needs to be corrected.

The bracelet worn by NASA astronauts was not the Fostner Komfit.

It was a Jacoby Bender USA from their Champion line of bracelets, known as the NASA BRACELET and that distinction matters.

OMEGA SPEEDMASTER PROFESSIONAL caliber 321​

Space Flight Qualified, Use on Lunar surface Certified​

On March 1, 1965, NASA officially qualified the Omega Speedmaster for all manned space missions. From Gemini through Apollo, Skylab, and Apollo-Soyuz, the Speedmaster was standard issue.

The models used:

ST 105.003 - Gemini missions
ST 105.012 and ST 145.012 - Apollo missions
ST 145.022 - Post-Apollo and Skylab

It came with an Omega steel bracelet. But astronauts didn’t wear it.

Why the CHAMPION Bracelet?​

NASA engineers, led by James H. Ragan, tested every piece of gear for survival. The rigid Omega bracelet? A hazard. If snagged in a spacecraft, it wouldn’t break risking serious injury.
Enter the CHAMPION a flexible, expandable mesh bracelet made by Jacoby Bender USA. Lightweight, tool-free, infinitely adjustable, and critically it could break away under tension.
In 1964, Donald Slayton, NASA’s Director of Flight Crew Operations, ordered 12 CHAMPION bracelets for use in the official chronograph qualification program. That’s documented. That’s fact.

The Fostner Komfit Myth​

Here’s where confusion sets in.
Jacoby Bender acquired Fostner in 1963, the company that originally made the Komfit mesh bracelet. But the two are not the same.

Pundits and watch gurus often confuse the Fostner Komfit with the JB Champion USA because the original Komfit design was created by Fostner in the 1930s. However, Jacoby Bender USA acquired Fostner in 1963 and rebranded the bracelet as the JB Champion, introducing key modifications most notably spring-loaded, variable-width end pieces (16–19 mm) that the original Komfit lacked.

NASA began officially procuring JB Champion bracelets in 1964, meaning all versions used in Gemini, Apollo, and Space Shuttle missions were made under Jacoby Bender’s design. The original Fostner Komfit, with fixed-width end pieces, was only worn by Wally Schirra on Mercury-Atlas 8 (1962)—before the acquisition.

The confusion arises because:

The design lineage traces back to Fostner.
The modern reissue by the revived Fostner brand mimics the JB Champion, not the original Komfit.
Many assume “Komfit” and “JB Champion” are the same, ignoring the functional and mechanical differences.

IN SHORT -

Fostner created the concept, but JB Champion USA developed the NASA-issued bracelet. The credit for the space-flown design belongs to Jacoby Bender USA.

Fostner Komfit: Fixed-width end pieces.


CHAMPION (by Jacoby Bender USA): Spring-loaded, variable-width end pieces (16–19 mm), designed to fit securely over watch lugs, and compatible with a wide range of timepieces including Omega, Bulova, Rolex, and Universal Genève any changes, modifications, or improvements seen and used on this bracelet were developed and implemented by Jacoby Bender USA, not Fostner.



Every photograph of astronaut Schirra (after 1962), Cooper, Armstrong, Aldrin, Young, Cernan shows the CHAMPION, not the Komfit. The end pieces are curved or straight, but always adjustable.

NASA never used the Komfit. The astronauts wore the post-1963 CHAMPION, produced by Jacoby Bender USA aka: JB Champion USA aka JBC aka JB.

Gordon Cooper: The Dual-Wearer​

Gordon Cooper wore both the Omega Speedmaster and the Bulova Accutron Astronaut both on CHAMPION bracelets. He had the Speedmaster on his left, Accutron on his right both on the same expandable mesh band. It wasn’t just style. It was function.

HOOK and LOOP strap​

Velcro​

For spacewalks (EVA), the Speedmaster was worn on a long, detachable Velcro strap over the spacesuit sleeve. That’s what went to the Moon. The CHAMPION? Worn during training, in the capsule, and on Earth.

Jacoby Bender USA: The OEM Powerhouse​

Jacoby Bender USA wasn’t just a NASA supplier. They were a major OEM manufacturer in the 1960s–1980s, producing high-quality bracelets such as

Rolex (Jubilee and Oyster, assembled in the U.S. under CKD rules)
Omega (mesh, brick, and flat-link styles)
Bulova Accutron (the “Bullet” and CHAMPION mesh)
Universal Genève, Longines, Jaeger LeCoultre, Hamilton

The company ceased operations in the mid-1980s. The modern “Fostner” brands' Komfit is a reproduction of the original CHAMPION bracelet made by Jacoby Bender USA and not the original Komfit bracelet made by the original Fostner that went out of business in 1963.

NASA Astronauts wore CHAMPION mesh bracelets made by Jacoby Bender USA in the Gemini, Apollo, and Space Shuttle missions.

​

THE DANGER OF HOROLOGICAL HISTORY RE WRITTEN

sadly with help from supposed knowledgable and trusted sources.

Let’s set the record straight once and for all. The astronauts wore the post-1963 CHAMPION stainless steel expandable mesh bracelets made by Jacoby Bender (JB Champion) USA from their Champion line of bracelets, known as the NASA BRACELET and that distinction matters.

THEY ARE CALLED THE NASA BRACELET by JB Champion USA if they are not original "REPO" is the word to use.

The original bracelets are certainly not called Komfit, Komfit style or Komfit JB ... made by Forstner

By allowing publications to repeat the modern Forstner brand's narrative without correction, a "Johnny-come-lately" brand hijacks the legacy of a defunct OEM giant, replacing documented history with corporate myth.

The public is spoonfed inaccurate historical narratives by prominent watch publications. Major publications themselves have not issued official corrections to their original coverage, which often repeats the simplified and conflated narrative.

The periodicals Hodinkee, Fratello, Worn & Wound, aBlogtoWatch, Watchtime magazine, and GearPatrol have not published formal corrections or clarifications to address the misleading claim that the modern Forstner brand is directly responsible for the NASA-issued "JB CHAMPION USA expandable stainless steel mesh" bracelet.

The name Komfit and Forstner if mentioned belongs in the portion of the article giving background information.

The lack of correction from major watch publications perpetuates a dangerous rewriting of horological history.

A). It Erases True Innovation:

It credits the modern Forstner brand with the achievement of creating the NASA-issued bracelet, when it was actually Jacoby-Bender's "JB Champion" model, developed after they acquired Forstner, that was used in space.

B). It Misleads the Public:

Consumers and collectors, who rely on these respected publications for accurate information, are being fed a commercially-driven myth instead of the factual, nuanced history.

C). It Undermines Historical Integrity:

When influential media outlets repeat unchallenged inaccuracies, they allow a corporate narrative to supplant documented facts, mirroring the "truth hijacked as propaganda" warned of in historical discourse. This sets a precedent where brand marketing can overwrite historical reality.

The perpetuation of the myth that the Forstner "Komfit" was the NASA-issued bracelet is dangerous because it actively erases the true history of horological innovation.

A SIMPLE REBRANDING CLAIM ...

The issue is not simply a rebranding; it is the obscuration of significant engineering work by Jacoby Bender working with NASA itself. While Forstner created the original Komfit with fixed end pieces, it was Jacoby Bender that acquired the company in 1963 and developed the JB Champion, the true "NASA bracelet."

This was not a superficial name change. Jacoby Bender made critical engineering modifications, most importantly the spring-loaded, variable-width end pieces (16–19 mm). This innovation allowed the band to securely fit over a wide range of watch lugs and, crucially, to be easily adjusted over the bulky sleeves of a space suit making it a functional necessity for NASA.

The modern Forstner LLC owns the following:

• The Name "Forstner": They operate under the name Forstner LLC and use the Forstner brand for their watch bracelets.

• The "JB" Logo: They own an active U.S. trademark (Reg. 6014888) for the letters "JB" within a triangle, registered in 2020 for use on watchbands and accessories.

The modern Forstner LLC does not own the rights to JB Champion USA or its associated intellectual property. The JB Champion brand and its original trademark (Reg. 0774115) were owned by Jacoby-Bender, Inc., which acquired the original Forstner company in 1963. The Jacoby-Bender trademark for "JB" expired in 1984 and was not renewed. The modern Forstner's use of the "JB" logo is a new, separate registration and does not constitute ownership of the historical Jacoby-Bender company or the JB Champion brand.