Amateur-sleuths, -researchers and die-hard Speedmaster fans #AskOmega

Note in these Skylab training photographs, how the NASA-issued Speedmaster chronograph was strapped away from the glove attachment ring and over the pressure relief valve indicator.
Of course this was also how the Speedmaster was worn over the space suit during the actual mission...
(Photos: NASA)
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yet another #AskOmega
How did the bezel get lost on astronauts" Speedmaster chronographs ?
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Time period photos show that both Deke Slayton and Walter Schirra lost the bezel on their personal Speedmaster CK2998-4.
Remember these astronauts didn't pamper their chronograph and used the Speedmaster as a toolwatch, wearing it while flying jets, training in capsules with lots of metal hinges and handles. They even wore it during jungle & desert survival training and Schirra wore his during SCUBA diving in his home pool !
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Some of these NASA-issued Speedmaster chronographs were used without a bezel, remember the bezel wasn't really used and the astonauts really asked for a "60 minutes" bezel !
NASA photos show bezelless Speedies worn on
Gemini VI - Schirra training
Gemini VII - Lovell training
Apollo 8 - Borman training
Apollo 10 - Cernan during spaceflight
Moreover, it was a more common occurence for the Gold Speedmaster as the metal bezel didn't stay onto the softer Gold case ! (e.g. 1972 Stafford & 1974 Slayton portraits)
(Photos: NASA)
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Deke Slayton personal Speedmaster CK2998-4

Apollo 10 Eugene Cernan - NASA issued n° 28 Speedmaster 105.003
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Official WSS NASA portrait for Donald Deke Slayton ( NASA photo S74-15240 )

Gonna call this... #AskMoonwatchUniverse 😉
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With 1 bar pressure difference, why didn't the Hesalite glass pop-off the Speedmaster in the vacuum of space ?
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During the August 1971 Apollo 15 lunar-EVA 2, Moonwalker David Scott noticed that the Hesalite popped-off his NASA-issued n° 42 Speedmaster chronograph. So during A15 lunar-EVA-3, he wore a 44 mm Bulova prototype 885104 chronograph for the rest of the mission.
However, this occurence was not fully documented in the Apollo 15 mission report.
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During the April 1972 Apollo 16 mission, the same " Hesalite pop-off " incident occured with Lunar Module Pilot Charlie Duke's NASA-issued n° 54 Speedmaster chronograph. There're some photos showing Duke's Speedmaster with a lunar dusted dial as he worked near the LRV - Lunar Rover Vehicle on lunar EVA-3.
After the mission, Duke reported that the hesalite glass had popped off from the watch, after which its stopped running. The anomaly about Duke's watch was summarized in the Apollo 16 mission report;
At depressurization, just prior to the third lunar extravehicular activity, the Lunar Module Pilot noted that his chronograph crystal was gone. The chronograph hands and face were not hit. However, about 12 minutes later the movement stopped. Most likely, warpage caused by thermal cycling allowed the differential pressure across the acrylic crystal to pop it out of the case. The exposure to and penetration of lunar dust contamination about the Lunar Module Pilot's sleeves probably caused the failure of the chronograph movement.
These chronographs are certified to a maximum temperature of 160° F. Testing has demonstrated that in the range of 190° F, the crystal is weakened to the point where internal pressure can push the crystal off. For the chronograph to reach a temperature of 190° F, direct continuous exposure to incident solar radiation normal to its surface is required for approximately 12 minutes.
These chronographs are tested at the Manned Spacecraft Center when received, again before shipment to the Kennedy Space Center and again just prior to flight. The Apollo chronograph is a secondary timing device and is not critical to mission success or crew safety. There are no plans for corrective action.
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Apollo 16 LMP Charles "Charlie" Duke during lunar EVA-3 near the LRV (Photo: NASA)

another #AskMoonwatchUniverse
How did Cernan's space-flown Omega Speedmaster end up in the Omega museum in Switzerland ?
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During the Gemini & Apollo program, April 1965 - December 1968, Omega delivered about 100 Omega Speedmaster chronographs in 4 batches.
All these Speedmasters officially belonged to NASA, but they still relied on Omega for control & maintenance. After the missions, almost all these NASA-issued Omega Speedmaster chronographs went back to NASA and the NASM - National Air & Space Museum in Washington D.C.
Having visited the old (pre-2019) and new Omega musuem in Biel - Bienne Swirzerland, the museum always had one or two space-flown Omega Speedmaster chronographs on loan from NASA/NASM, presented in a nice display case, often with other flown items.
Examples:
Space flown Apollo 12 NASA n° 57 Speedmaster 105.012 of LMP Richard Gordon (photo: MoonwatchUniverse 2016).
Space flown Gemini IX, Apollo 10 and Apollo 17 NASA n° 28 Speedmaster 105.003 of Eugene Cernan (photo: MoonwatchUniverse 2020).
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Did the astronauts really like the NASA-issued Omega Speedmaster ?
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Well, almost every Gemini, Apollo, Skylab era astronaut came from a military test pilot background and pilots like wrist watches!
Astronaut recruitment photos show them wearing the military watches such as the regular & 24 hours dial Bulova 3818, and soon the Mercury astronauts received the Accutron tuning fork pilot watch. Many ceremony photos show the astronauts delighted as they were given a watch as a present.
Already in 1963, three astronauts owned a personal Omega Speedmaster CK2998 chronograph; Donald Slayton, Walter Schirra and Gordo Cooper ... the latter was the first to compare two wrist watches in space during the May 1963 Mercury-Atlas "Faith 7 " mission.
By June 1965, the Omega Speedmaster became the flight-qualified watch for NASA spaceflight, but on Gemini III the astronauts still wore an Accutron Astronaut wrist watch as second time piece. During Gemini IV, as NASA learned to work with two three zones (Florida launch control, Texas mission control and military Zulu time), both astronauts wore two Omega Speedmaster chronographs.
By that time, astronauts really started to wear personal time pieces and during Gemini V, five wrist watches were worn, among which the first automatic wrist watch in space; Charles Conrad's Glycine Airman automatic, which he later wore on Gemini XI, exposing it to outer space !
Having spoken to a few astronauts, they told me they received 2 Speedies and I can acknowledge they really liked the Speedmaster chronograph but it should have come with a more practical "60 minutes" bezel.
Don't forget these pilots also enjoyed Bulova, Breitling, Rolex and Zodiac wrist watches.
Last but not least, Brig General Thomas Stafford agreed that both US & Russian ASTP crew members should wear the same wrist watch. By that time the Omega Speedmaster had been introduced in the Russian manned space program, so 11 Speedies were worn during the July 1975 ASTP mission. By November 1979, Lt General Stafford became board member of Omega SA watches USA and as shown in this photo, he really enjoyed his Omega Speedmaster.
(Photo: NASA)
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Can a wrist watch be worn underneath a space suit ?
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Of course and it has been done by the Russians since 1965 (Voshkod II) and by NASA astronauts since 1966 (Gemini X).
Won't go into this discussion again, just read this topic:
https://omegaforums.net/threads/under-a-sleeve-of-a-spacesuit.106986/

Complete info on Omega Speedmasters space-flown onboard space station ""Mir"" ?
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December 2, 1990 - May 26, 1991 = 10 Speedies for 175 days (2800 orbits)
10 watches: these have the text "SPACELAB MIR" on the caseback, SpaceLab nothing to do with the mission, perhaps to mention NASA ?
10X Ref ST 145.0022: steel with leather bracelet

July 1, 1993 - July 9, 1994 = 35 Speedies for 373 days (5966 orbits)
35 watches: these have a correct caseback text "Space Station Mir"

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  • 10X Ref. ST 145.0022.105.1: Steel with leather bracelet
  • 18X Ref. ST 345.0022.105: Steel with steel bracelet
  • 5X Ref. BA145.0052.035A: Gold with leather bracelet
  • 2X Ref. BA 345. 0052.035: Gold with gold bracelet.

Photos: PHILLIPS and Antiquorum
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Edit: Atlantis STS-71 carried SpaceLab LM as an interface with Mir space station.

Interesting, often asked:
Are astronauts/cosmonauts real wrist watch fans/collectors ?

Well most military are very interested in watches, and many pilots are both interested and fond of pilot watches, the early astronauts/cosmonauts were both (Military + pilots).
Of course as military pilots they were issued a decent pilot watch (USA: Bulova, Russia: Shturmanskie) for their time in service.
The first " Mercury 7 " and early Apollo astronauts received many gifts, among which wrist watches (Accutron, Bulova, Le Coultre, Vacheron Constantin)... some of those were auctioned since the 1990s onwards.
At least several were really wrist watch lovers as time-period photos show them wearing several watch brands (e.g. 1962 Slayton = Bulova, Breitling and Omega CK2298, 1962 Schirra = Accutron, Bulova, Concord, Eterna and Omega CK2998, 1963 Cooper had the idea to compare his personal Accutron Astronaut against his personal Omega CK2998 during MA-9 mission).
Since Gemini & Apollo, some astronauts decided to wear their personal wrist watch underneath their space suit as a time piece remains a valuable & personal memento of their time in space (LEO & Lunar orbit).
The fact that several modern day astronauts carry multiple wrist watches during their spaceflight missions, shows us some spacefarers might even be "collectors".
Remember dive watches worn during their NASA training in the Aquarius underwater habitat offshore Key Largo (NEEMO) were later worn during their mission, from the Ocean into Space!
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Last but not least... astronauts have always been lucrative targets to act as "ambassadors" for watch brands;
(Breitling: French CNES astronaut corps, Buzz Aldrin, Mark Kelly)
(Omega: Tom Stafford, Charlie Duke, Gene Cernan, Nicole Stott)
(Fortis: Russian Cosmonaut corps)
Moreover, some even made it into the Board of Directors (Stafford for Omega in 1979, Nicollier for Swatch Group in May 2005)
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Between 1947 and 2020, the best pilot we have ever seen, the late Charles Chuck Yeager (1923-2020) only wore Rolex watches... almost for 75 years... in later life his image became the face of Rolex advertising.
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February 1962, mission delay for NASA astronaut John Glenn wearing a 24 hours dial Le Coultre wrist watch
(Photo: NASA)

Which Omega Speedmaster chronographs were worn by Neil Armstrong ?

Photos show that Neil Armstrong (NASA group 2 - September 1962) received his first NASA-issued Speedmaster in the summer of 1965 as he was backup for the Gemini V mission. This was a two-line dial straight lugs Speedmaster 105.003, which was worn on a black leather strap 🤔.
In November 1965 as Gemini VIII crew was announced, Armstrong wore a NASA-issued 105.003 on black velcro strap, but 1966 onwards Armstrong mostly wore it on a lightweight steel mesh Jacoby Bender Champion bracelet..
By 1968, we see Armstrong wearing a NASA-issued 105.012, as by late 1966, mid-1967 and December 6, 1968 NASA had received at least 2 batches of three-line "Professional" dial 105.012 versions.
On Apollo 11, Armstrong wore an Omega Speedmaster 105.012-65 chronograph, NASA n° 46, which he wore untill November 1969.
Thus far I have not found any post-November 1969, marking the end of Apollo 11 Goodwill tour in 24 countries, photos showing Armstrong wearing a regular Speedmaster. Remember on November 25, 1969 Omega gifted Gold Speedmaster BA 145.022-69 chronographs to 23 NASA astronauts.
During their December 2-3, 1969 visit to Montreal - Canada, Armstrong already wore his Gold "Apollo 11 tribute" BA 145.022 Speedmaster, and he wore it during most 1970 ceremonies and later Apollo 11 anniversaries.
(Photos: NASA)
Examples of Neil Armstrong wearing a Speedmaster 105.003

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Examples of Neil Armstrong wearing a Speedmaster 105.012
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Examples of Neil Armstrong wearing the Gold "Apollo 11 tribute" BA 145.022-69

#AskOmega or #AskMoonwatchUniverse ... what the heck, this is my 5000th post on OF
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Did Omega deliver NASA with Telemeter bezel Speedmaster chronographs, as Telemeter bezels were available since 1960 ?
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Post-Gemini program, the NASA astronauts were asked feedback about their NASA-issued Omega Speedmaster chronograph and their common remark was to have a practical bezel as the Tachymètre bezel is of no use in space.
A practical 60 minutes bezel would be ideal to time events and NASA had a set of these practical "60 minutes" bezels custom-made, which were worn by half-a-dozen astronauts during training between 1970 and 1975 (Scott, Worden, Brand,... ).
However during the Apollo spaceflight missions, all astronauts wore a Tachymètre bezel Speedmaster chronograph, the practical 60 minutes bezel was only worn during training as shown in the March 1975 NASA photo below with Vance Brand sporting his practical bezel Speedmaster.
Omega did introduce a 60 minutes bezel on the 1972 Alaska II white dial Speedmaster, but it was not used on later Alaska III radial dial models !
. We have talked about this:
https://omegaforums.net/threads/45-years-speedmaster-radial-dial-nasa.64728/
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I curious what feedback, if any you have received, about why the more "practical" bezel was not made available? If I recall, you mentioned a conversation you once had with Al Worden where he mentioned cost being the reason.

At a time when putting a man on the moon was the goal of the country and the amount of money spent to accomplish the goal was never a factor, why would NASA deny a bezel for the watch that the astronauts were apparently clamoring for? I know after the initial moon landings the NASA budget took a hit but was it enough to deny the astronauts the bezel they wanted? I would think Omega would have been happy to provide a new bezel at the request of NASA to replace bezels on current watches and provide it on watches in the future if that is what they were begging for.

Interesting point, on a most interesting subject so here's my 5 cents...
Indeed, I spoke to Apollo 15 CMP Alfred Worden in Berlin - Germany (23 January 2019: Space Diner event at the top of the BILD building) specifically about wrist watches in his career, by-the-way he was wearing an Omega Speedmaster... Apparently, after the astronauts' feedback had been collected, a set of "60 minutes" bezels was custom-made as it was impractical/expensve to replace all bezels of NASA-issued Speedmaster chronographs. 👎 Perhaps time planning wise as all astronauts would have to bring in their watches ?
He mentioned he was issued two Speedies, one with "60 minutes" bezel and one for the actual Apollo 15 mission, so no practical bezels were used during spaceflight missions!
(Scan BILD article of Friday 25th January 2019).
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In 1970, Omega did use a "60 minutes" bezel on the red outer case of the Alaska Project Speedmaster, a toolwatch destined to be worn on the bumpy lunar rover but already on January 4, 1970 the Apollo 20 mission was scrapped and by September 2, 1970 both Apollo 18 & 19 were cancelled... so the project was "put ion hold".
In 1972, Omega did come up with a "60 minutes" bezel for the actual chronograph wrist watch, the white dial Alaska II Speedmaster, keeping the little capsule-formed subdial hands, IMHO still the best looking Speedmaster ever !
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1960s NASA engineer James Ragan, who tested the 1964 chronographs and collected the astronauts' feedback is the best person to contact !
I don't have all the answers, so here are my questions;
Due to 1970 Apollo missions cancellation, were the Alaska Project chronographs ever shown to NASA ?
So we know the Tachymètre bezel was considered useless in space, so why was it not used for the ultimate radial dial Alaska III Speedmaster, a chronograph designed for NASA (1978).
The "radial dial" Omega Speedmaster was used for 15 years (STS-1 to at least STS-73), so why no practical bezel?
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Soon we'll be celebrating " 50 years " since Russian cosmonauts were invited to Omega HQ in Bienne, upcoming article soon on which Omega watches they preferred as we already know the Alaska Project was chosen for the new Orlan space suit onboard their new Salyut-6 space station, the world's first LEO station with two docking ports to receive large numbers of crewed and uncrewed spacecraft!
Last but not least...
Anno 2023, how difficult is it to offer the Omega Speedmaster with a choice of practical bezels ? (Telemeter, 60 seconds, heart rate, etc... )

Just one more thing about the NASA-issued Speedmaster Tachymètre bezel:
The astronauts didn't bother when they lost their Tachymètre bezel, and many did loose it (Borman, Lovell, Schirra, Slayton, ...).
Photo taken in the Omega museum in the summer of 2016, note the practical printed bezel on the red outer case of the 1970 Alaska I Project and an actual practical "60 minutes" bezel for the 1972 silver-white dial Alaska II Speedmaster at lower right.
(Photo: MWU)
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What is the additional plastic watch that astronauts & cosmonauts wear onboard the ISS ?
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Besides their normal time pieces, mostly an Omega X-33 Speedmaster, ISS-crew members also wear the NASA ActiWatch , a waterproof non-intrusive sleep-wake-activity monitor device. The small ActiWatch has an miniature accelerometer in order to collect periods of sleep and periods of activity & movements.
We have also heard the term ActiLight Watch as there was a version which also monitored exposure to dark & light onboard the space station.
The Sleep -- Wake Actigraphy and Light Exposure data of the ActiWatch is downloaded for analysis by NASA's Life Science Division.
I believe the ActiWatch was introduced in March 2002, flying for the first time onboard space shuttle Columbia mission STS-109.
(Photos: NASA) #MoonwatchUniverse
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O.K. I will add-in a Seamaster question:
How was Omega allowed to use the military " Broad Arrow " symbol on the dial of their Titanium ""No Time to Die"" Seamaster ?

I have no clue so this is really an #AskOmega 😁

50 years ago... Omega Speedmaster Alaska Project for the Soviet-Russian spaceflight program!
Tuesday May 22, 1973 a delegation of Russian cosmonauts lead by cosmonaut/flight director Aleksei Yeliseyev and Star City director Georgi Beregovoy visited the Omega HQ in Bienne - Switzerland.
We can assume that during this visit, they were shown several Omega pilot watches (flightmaster) and the Omega Speedmaster chronographs as used by NASA astronauts. Moreover, they were proposed the Alaska II Project Speedmaster chronographs in their protective red outer cases!
On May 24, at the Paris Air show, the Russian cosmonauts Alexei Leonov and Valeri Kubasov were announced as Apollo-Soyuz prime crew for the 1975 ASTP - Apollo Soyuz Test Project mission.
I would like to find out which were the other cosmonauts invited at Omega HQ, but we can be sure about these facts:
June 1973: Both Alexei Leonov and Valeri Kubasov both wore an Omega flightmaster during Soyuz training at Star City - Moscow
August 1973: Star city director Georgi Beregovoy wore an Omega Speedmaster overseeing Soyuz 12 training
Last but not least, via fax to Omega HQ the Russians ordered some Omega Speedmaster Alaska II Project chronographs, which were worn during Soyuz 25 and Soyuz 26 to the modern Salyut-6 space station...
I'm convinced these Omega Speedmaster ex-Alaska II Project chronographs were worn during the July 29, 1978 spacewalk by Aleksandr Ivanchenkov and Vladimir Kovalyonok !
(Photo: MoonwatchUniverse)
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Will we finally see a new White-Dial Speedmaster Professional soon?
A very good question as most spaceflight aficionados know about the practical feedback given by NASA astronauts to NASA engineer James Ragan on the Omega Speedmaster chronograph. Most of this feedback was used for the 1968 "ultimate space watch" Alaska Project Speedmaster.
A white dial Speedmaster with practical "60 minutes" bezel would be the way to go, as in practice most chronograph timings last less than a minute, so a fixed "60 minute" bezel makes sense and that's what the Apollo astronauts really wanted... remember the 14 seconds timing during Apollo 13 !
Thus far, exception for the 2008 Alaska Project, a "white" dial has been reserved for white gold Speedmasters, so a regular steel case Speedmaster would be a grail chronograph, just in time to celebrate 55 years Alaska Project I and 45 years Alaska Project III.
May 1971, astronaut Alfred Worden wearing a NASA-issued Speedmaster with custom made "60 minutes" bezel.
(Photo: NASA)
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Finally some action...
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Well I have asked ... ... ... ☕