Want to see a real astronaut's watch?

cvalue13
Posts
3,998
Likes
9,015
imfagent449 imfagent449
I wonder if the Rolex GMT was the first watch with a traditional three hand layout that also contained a 24 hour indication.

SpeedyPhill SpeedyPhill
By 1953, there was the Glycine Airman GMT watch with 24 Hrs dial... as worn by Charles Pete Conrad on Gemini V and Gemini XI

With the 1953 Airman probably the first wristwatch with a rotating 24hr bezel combined with a 24hr movement/dial, I don’t know of another watch before 1954’s GMT Master to present a 12hr movement/dial together with a rotating 24hr bezel and “GMT hand.”

I’d love it if someone (inevitably) chimed in with a little-known contrary example!
 
SpeedyPhill
Posts
6,700
Likes
12,318
The 1959 LeCoultre 24 hours dial "astronaut watch" was based on the military-inspired Quartermaster 114 and 112 versions, aka "thin lugs" versions.
The LeCoultre Quatermaster came with a special hand-wound caliber K831/CW, 18 K VpHour, 40 hours power reserve, of course with a single full rotation per day, hence the 24 hours dial.
Quartermaster versions came in a 33,5 mm stainless steel waterproof case, with the 114 & 112 having a locking-ring caseback, while the angular profiled lugs 2405 version came with a screw-in caseback.
The bespoke version, ordered by NASA for the "Mercury 7" astronauts came with a totally different matt black dial with white painted hour and minute markers. No luminescent material was used as safety reasons prescribed any radiation was to be avoided.
(Photo: Jaeger-LeCoutre)
.
Quartermaster-NASA_Mercury7.jpg
 
SpeedyPhill
Posts
6,700
Likes
12,318
A bit of an exclusive preview 😉 "" First Watch ""
65 years ago... NASA procured the very first astronaut watches!
In September 1959 the close cooperation between the NASA Space Task Group and an important wrist watch brand was fulfilled by the delivery of bespoke 24 hours dial anti-magnetic stainless steel wrist watches for the "Mercury 7" astronauts.
How and why this was accomplished can be read soon in another MoonwatchUniverse article on wrist watches in spaceflight....
(Screenshot: MoonwatchUniverse)
.
FirstWatch_MoonwatchUniverse_.jpg
 
gatorcpa
Posts
13,095
Likes
17,950
Excellent article! I just have one question.

Can you tell me if there was a difference between “the U.S. branch of Jaeger-LeCoultre” and “Vacheron Constantin-LeCoultre Watches, Inc.” which was a division (subsidiary?) of Longines-Wittnauer Watch Company?

Here is an advertisement from the company circa 1960:

1733313668677.webp

My understanding is that Longines-Wittnauer owned the LeCoultre trademark rights in the U.S. at that time. Swiss movements made by Jaeger-LeCoultre were cased and timed by V-C LeC division in New York City using mostly U.S. made cases to save on customs duties.

Seems that the steel cases for both the standard Quartermaster and these NASA versions were the same as per this post by Jeff Stein:

https://www.watchprosite.com/jaeger...er--inside-the-case-backs/2.1373016.12212806/

I’m just curious whether NASA worked with Longines-Wittnauer to customize the watch here in the U.S., or did they go straight to the mother ship in Switzerland?

Thanks,
gatorcpa
 
SpeedyPhill
Posts
6,700
Likes
12,318
That's a good question, we guess LeCoultre USA... the bespoke watch was realized in only 6 months time !
 
gatorcpa
Posts
13,095
Likes
17,950
SpeedyPhill SpeedyPhill
That's a good question, we guess LeCoultre USA... the bespoke watch was realized in only 6 months time !
There wasn’t much to customize here. Just the dial and hands. Case and movement came from the Quartermaster. Six months should have been plenty of time to cut dies for the dial. The hands probably existed for other watches and were painted white to match.
gatorcpa
 
SpeedyPhill
Posts
6,700
Likes
12,318
NASA astronaut Walter “Wally” Schirra’s 1988 book “Schirra’s Space” revealed that the 8th LeCoultre “Mercury 7″ wrist watch went to NASA STG engineer Harold I. Johnson, a member of Flight Control Branch Training Aids, who was responsible to get the wrist watches in the first place.
Although in sink with the Zulu time zone of the wordwide NASA tracking station network, the Mercury 7 astronauts only wore the LeCoultre 24 hours dial watches, nicknamed ” the Johnson watches “, during training and PR events between September 1959 and October 1963.
#Moonwatchuniverse
 
SpeedyPhill
Posts
6,700
Likes
12,318
65 years ago… NASA survival training
1960, between July 12 & 17, the Mercury 7 astronauts participated in the very first NASA survival training which was organised at the Stead Air Force Base in Nevada. During a week, the USAF trained the astronauts in desert survival near Carson Sink the northeastern part of the Nevada Carson desert.
By that time, LIFE magazine already had a contract with the “Mercury 7” and photographer Ralph Morse hired a small aircraft to search for the astronauts, dropping bags of flower so he could join them by surprise to take photographs.
Wrist-watch-wise interesting as the astronauts wore the bespoke 24 hours movement/dial LeCoultre wrist watches NASA had issued in September 1959. The NASA STG for project Mercury wanted a time piece with 24 hours indication as the worldwide tracking network worked with 24 hours Zulu time.
These 34mm LeCoultre “Mercury 7” astronaut watches were based upon the LeCoultre Quartermaster and 8 were delivered to NASA but only used during training & PR events up to October 1963.
Thus far three have resurfaced, with the Grissom & Glenn watches being sold at auctions!
(Photo: NASA)
#astronaut #LeCoultre #Mercury7 #moonwatchuniverse #NASA
.
1960-LECOULTRE-NASA.webp
 
JimInOz
Posts
17,465
Likes
36,611
@SpeedyPhill , I thought for a moment that you'd posted a publicity shot of the latest Boy Band to hit the internet!

😅
 
SpeedyPhill
Posts
6,700
Likes
12,318
Desert survival training with what many today would call a 34 mm flat case LeCoultre dress watch 😉
Note the typical steel stretch JB Champion bracelets and little survival signal mirrors roped to the waist of their "parachute" outfit (Photo: NASA)
.
1960_LeCoultre_NASA.webp
 
Sign up or log in to reply...