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What reference is the watch Sir Edmund Hillary wore on Everest?
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size11s
·This is also quite close to the 'Hillary' dial....
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Revo
·Perezcope have picked up on this (or on an angle of this) and I was pleased to see Rolex Passion Report comment on the post. However after replying rpr seem to have blocked me so I’m not sure what’s going on there. Still at least they can’t claim not to know which watch was first to the summit (and that it categorically wasn’t a Rolex.)
https://www.instagram.com/p/CsRA9u4R9IQ/
https://www.instagram.com/p/CsRA9u4R9IQ/
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SpeedyPhill
·Indeed it was a British-made 33 mm Smiths A409 wrist watch but as I don't have such a beauty, the next best thing as the patent for the Rolex Explorer dated January 1953 and today May 29 is the 70th anniversary of Mt Everest conquest after all !
The 200+ years old Pen-Y-Grwyd hotel in Snowdonia - Wales was the birthplace & homebase of British Mountaineering. The place where training and testing of oxygen equipment for those 1953 & 1955 Himalayan expeditions took place!
(Photo: MWU)
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The 200+ years old Pen-Y-Grwyd hotel in Snowdonia - Wales was the birthplace & homebase of British Mountaineering. The place where training and testing of oxygen equipment for those 1953 & 1955 Himalayan expeditions took place!
(Photo: MWU)
.
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SmithSJ
·Took time to decide what to wear to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the ascent. The Pre Deluxe won
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sxl2004
·
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davidswiss
·On the 70th anniversary I am all ready to go next year.
Watch: check
Camera: check
Guide book: check
Fitness: to be worked on
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sxl2004
·On the cameras, I believe there was also a Rolleiflex TLR and a Zeiss Ikon Contax, probably a IIa.
In his book Hillary described how he prepared his Kodak, with a Zeiss lens, for the picture by presetting the distance and aperture for the summit pics. No mention of a super heavy Contax II on the summit.
Best
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davidswiss
·I read that the Rolleiflex was used for shots lower down, base camp etc. The Contax also but at what point on the mountain they just took the Retina I don't know, I used to have a lot of Everest books but no longer. Incidentally the Contax would weigh no more than a Retina.
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scapa
·May 1962... Adventurous explorers of the extremes meet up (above photo of Hillary & Piccard was taken in Canada).
70 years ago, May 29 - 1953, members of the British Himalaya expedition New Zealand mountaineer/beekeeper Edmund Hillary and Nepali-Indian sherpa Tenzing Norgay conquered Mount Everest / Chomolungma (8,8 Km high).
63 years ago, January 23 - 1960, Swiss oceanographer/engineer Jacques Piccard and US Navy officer Don Walsh reached the deepest point in Earth’s ocean, Challenger Deep in Western Pacific Ocean (10,9 Km deep). Outside the bathyscaphe submersible “Trieste”, a Rolex Submariner diving wrist watch survived the extreme pressure at the Ocean floor. Moreover, Jacques Piccard often wore two Rolex watches, one on each wrist.
Between 1933 & 1953, Himalaya expeditions had been sponsored by Rolex, so Rolex 6098 watches were worn to the top of Mount Everest, but British-made Smiths A409 wrist watches were worn on the top of Mount Everest. However, already on January 26 - 1953, Rolex had patented the name “Explorer” for their upcoming line of time only watches.
The 33 mm Smiths A409 wrist watch worn ontop of Mt Everest is on display in the British Science museum in London GB.
(Photos: AP/TorontoStar/MWU)
.
Very interesting thread for an Explorer newbie.
IIRC, Don Walsh was wearing the Aquastar Model 60 on the trip. I think it's still ticking.
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Revo
·A thought occurred to me while reading Hillary's account of reaching the summit and his use of the word "carried" ("I carried your watch") rather than the more common "wore" or even "took".
Here's the chapter he wrote in Hunt's book:
"I had carried [sic] my camera, loaded with colour film, inside my shirt to keep it warm, so I now produced it and got Tenzing to pose on top for me, waving his axe on which was string of flags -- United Nations, British, Nepalese and Indian [....] I had a lot of difficulty in holding the camera steady in my clumsy gloves."
I wonder if he "carried" the watch in a shirt or pocket or even attached to the camera. This would keep it warm and be more accessible than looking under thick gloves or mittens.
Here's the chapter he wrote in Hunt's book:
"I had carried [sic] my camera, loaded with colour film, inside my shirt to keep it warm, so I now produced it and got Tenzing to pose on top for me, waving his axe on which was string of flags -- United Nations, British, Nepalese and Indian [....] I had a lot of difficulty in holding the camera steady in my clumsy gloves."
I wonder if he "carried" the watch in a shirt or pocket or even attached to the camera. This would keep it warm and be more accessible than looking under thick gloves or mittens.
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SpeedyPhill
·Just adding some extra background to this amazing story... 70 years since Mt Everest – Chomolungma conquest…
June 2, 1953 as the conquest of Mt Everest news reached London and heralded a new Elizabethan age for Great Britain.
June 4, 1953 and the British expedition team received the first congratulations telegrams while they started to tour India visiting Calcutta and Delhi.
The British expedition members, together with Tenzing Norgay & his family, triumphantly returned to London on July 3, 1953.
Years later, during May 29th anniversaries, many team members returned to the Pen-Y-Gwryd hotel in Snowdonia – Wales, home of British Mountaineering.
This 1811 farm was turned into an Victorian age Inn, by 1947 into a hotel, which became home base for the training of British Himalayan expeditions.
Anno 2023, the hotel still resonates history with many Everest memorabilia on the walls in the bar, salon and dining room. Receiving guests from all walks of life, breakfast & dinner are announced by gong and in the evening the smoke room becomes a place of varied conversations.
Swiss-made Rolex Oyster Perpetual 6098 wrist watches worn/carried TO the top
British-made 33 mm Smiths A409 wrist watches made it ON the top of world's highest peak !
(Photos: MoonwatchUniverse)
.
Items in the bar display cabinet, among which a 1970s quartz wrist watch, were gifted by British Himalayan expedition members.
The bar has photos signed by all members and also three stones taken from the peak of Mt Everest / Chomolungma 70 years ago !
June 2, 1953 as the conquest of Mt Everest news reached London and heralded a new Elizabethan age for Great Britain.
June 4, 1953 and the British expedition team received the first congratulations telegrams while they started to tour India visiting Calcutta and Delhi.
The British expedition members, together with Tenzing Norgay & his family, triumphantly returned to London on July 3, 1953.
Years later, during May 29th anniversaries, many team members returned to the Pen-Y-Gwryd hotel in Snowdonia – Wales, home of British Mountaineering.
This 1811 farm was turned into an Victorian age Inn, by 1947 into a hotel, which became home base for the training of British Himalayan expeditions.
Anno 2023, the hotel still resonates history with many Everest memorabilia on the walls in the bar, salon and dining room. Receiving guests from all walks of life, breakfast & dinner are announced by gong and in the evening the smoke room becomes a place of varied conversations.
Swiss-made Rolex Oyster Perpetual 6098 wrist watches worn/carried TO the top
British-made 33 mm Smiths A409 wrist watches made it ON the top of world's highest peak !
(Photos: MoonwatchUniverse)
.
Items in the bar display cabinet, among which a 1970s quartz wrist watch, were gifted by British Himalayan expedition members.
The bar has photos signed by all members and also three stones taken from the peak of Mt Everest / Chomolungma 70 years ago !
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Revo
·Forgive me for marking your homework but this
is wrong. Otherwise, very good!
Swiss-made Rolex Oyster Perpetual 6098 wrist watches worn/carried TO the top
is wrong. Otherwise, very good!
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SpeedyPhill
·
Smiths ON the top ... Rolex TO the top, at least to camp VIII on May 26th by Tom Bourdillon and Charles Evans !
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spacemission
·I have always prefered the nanga parbat 👍
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davidswiss
·In his book Hillary described how he prepared his Kodak, with a Zeiss lens, for the picture by presetting the distance and aperture for the summit pics. No mention of a super heavy Contax II on the summit.
Best
Greg was a natural choice for the team and when it came to his special responsibilities, as he recalled, "John Hunt looked around and said, 'Now who knows a bit about photography? Ah – Greg seems to take good pictures.'"
"Greg was already a keen amateur photographer with his own Contax 35mm camera. Promoted to official expedition photographer, he went to see Karl Maydens, one of the leading photojournalists of the day, at Life magazine. Maydens gave him another Contax and asked Greg what lenses he would like. 'I said I'd have a 50mm and a 125mm lens. No wide angle! I just didn't appreciate how big these mountains really were. Still, I think I managed OK." In addition to that modest equipment, he took a medium format Rolleiflex and two lightweight fixed lens Kodak Retina 2 cameras for use above 8,000 metres".
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SpeedyPhill
·70 years ago... Back in the UK
The 1953 British Mt Everest arrived back into the UK. They travelled via Karachi - Bahrein - Caïro - Rome and Zurich (where they meet the Swiss team) to arrive in London on July 3, 1953.Tenzing Norgay and his family had joined the team to share in the celebrations.
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Of course the conquest of Mount Everest made frontpage headlines news and the cover of LIFE magazine July 13, 1953.
.
.
It all started with training at the home of British mountaineering, the little Pen-Y-Gwryd hotel at the foot of Mt Snowdon in Wales.
An amazing non-sophisticated 1810 farm, turned in a hotel by 1858 which was re-visited by the 1953 team on numerous occasions!
.
The 1953 British Mt Everest arrived back into the UK. They travelled via Karachi - Bahrein - Caïro - Rome and Zurich (where they meet the Swiss team) to arrive in London on July 3, 1953.Tenzing Norgay and his family had joined the team to share in the celebrations.
.
.
Of course the conquest of Mount Everest made frontpage headlines news and the cover of LIFE magazine July 13, 1953.
.
.
It all started with training at the home of British mountaineering, the little Pen-Y-Gwryd hotel at the foot of Mt Snowdon in Wales.
An amazing non-sophisticated 1810 farm, turned in a hotel by 1858 which was re-visited by the 1953 team on numerous occasions!
.
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Revo
·Rolex are still at it. They commemorated the 70th anniversary of the ascent in typically misleading fashion.
https://www.rolex.org/environment/perpetual-planet/edmund-hillary-tenzing-norgay-legacy
And this:
“MY FATHER FIRST MET MR WILSDORF, FOUNDER OF ROLEX, IN 1953, AFTER HE CLIMBED EVEREST, AND EVER SINCE OUR FAMILY HAS HAD A VERY STRONG RELATIONSHIP WITH THE COMPANY.”
Norbu Tenzing, Tenzing Norgay Sherpa Foundation
From here: https://newsroom.rolex.com/world-of...niversary-of-the-first-steps-on-everests-peak
Which links to this: https://newsroom-content.rolex.com/..._planet_mounteverest_70years_notemedia-en.pdf
Which says:
"On 29 May 2023, the families of Norgay and Hillary will gather once again near the foot of Everest to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the two men’s momentous achievement. To commemorate the event, both family foundations, with support from the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, have refurbished two cultural centres in the Everest region."
"Following his historic ascent with Tenzing Norgay Sherpa in 1953, mountaineer and explorer Sir Edmund Hillary created the Himalayan Trust foundation. It is now directed by his son Peter, also an experienced mountaineer. The foundation has built two hospitals, 12 rural clinics, 28 schools and clean water systems to help the Sherpa people. It has been supported by Rolex since 2012.
The Tenzing Norgay Sherpa Foundation is also supported by Rolex. Created by Tenzing Norgay’s children, it is dedicated to the preservation of Sherpa culture and the promotion of education and healthcare in the mountainous region of Khumbu in Nepal and Darjeeling in Himalayan India. Tenzing Norbu, Norgay's son, wears his father’s Rolex watch, a vintage model from 1952."
(source: https://www.rolex.com/watches/explorer/explorer/taking-passion-to-the-summit )
https://www.rolex.org/environment/perpetual-planet/edmund-hillary-tenzing-norgay-legacy
And this:
“MY FATHER FIRST MET MR WILSDORF, FOUNDER OF ROLEX, IN 1953, AFTER HE CLIMBED EVEREST, AND EVER SINCE OUR FAMILY HAS HAD A VERY STRONG RELATIONSHIP WITH THE COMPANY.”
Norbu Tenzing, Tenzing Norgay Sherpa Foundation
From here: https://newsroom.rolex.com/world-of...niversary-of-the-first-steps-on-everests-peak
Which links to this: https://newsroom-content.rolex.com/..._planet_mounteverest_70years_notemedia-en.pdf
Which says:
"On 29 May 2023, the families of Norgay and Hillary will gather once again near the foot of Everest to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the two men’s momentous achievement. To commemorate the event, both family foundations, with support from the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, have refurbished two cultural centres in the Everest region."
"Following his historic ascent with Tenzing Norgay Sherpa in 1953, mountaineer and explorer Sir Edmund Hillary created the Himalayan Trust foundation. It is now directed by his son Peter, also an experienced mountaineer. The foundation has built two hospitals, 12 rural clinics, 28 schools and clean water systems to help the Sherpa people. It has been supported by Rolex since 2012.
The Tenzing Norgay Sherpa Foundation is also supported by Rolex. Created by Tenzing Norgay’s children, it is dedicated to the preservation of Sherpa culture and the promotion of education and healthcare in the mountainous region of Khumbu in Nepal and Darjeeling in Himalayan India. Tenzing Norbu, Norgay's son, wears his father’s Rolex watch, a vintage model from 1952."
(source: https://www.rolex.com/watches/explorer/explorer/taking-passion-to-the-summit )