#accutrongmt

[moonwatchuniverse]

May 1963, Astronaut Leroy Gordon Cooper is seen during pre-flight checks in the NASA capsule simulator at Cape Canaveral. Leroy Cooper wore his modified full-body Mercury pressure suit and both his personal wrist watches strapped over the suit on steel mesh bracelets; an Accutron Astronaut tuning fork GMT pilotwatch at his right wrist and an Omega Speedmaster CK2998-4 manual winding chronograph at his left wrist. (Photo: NASA)

[moonwatchuniverse]

55 years ago, March 23, 1965 Gemini III astronauts John Young and Gus Grissom are readied in the two-men Gemini capsule. Note both astronauts wore the G3C Gemini spacesuit with basic NASA logo patch. It’s important to mention that both Gemini III astronauts wore a NASA-issued Omega Speedmaster chronograph but also an Accutron Astronaut tuning fork pilot GMT wristwatch on steel mesh bracelet. Grissom wore the Accutron on his right wrist, Young wore the Accutron GMT pilotwatch on his left wrist. (Photo: NASA)

[moonwatchuniverse]

55 years ago, March 23, 1965 Gemini III astronauts John Young and Gus Grissom in the White Room atop the launchpad, As both astronauts prepared to enter the Gemini spacecraft, engineers and technicians looked on. Note back-up astronaut Thomas Stafford, wearing an Omega Speedmaster, standing next to Grissom, Both Gemini III astronauts wore a NASA-issued Omega Speedmaster chronograph but also an Accutron Astronaut tuning fork pilot GMT wristwatch on steel mesh bracelet. (Photo: NASA)

[moonwatchuniverse]

April 26, 1962 the first unofficial flight of an A-12 from Groom Lake salt flat in Nevada. The CIA-pilots flying the Lockheed A-12 Oxcart " Cygnus - Swan " Mach 3 reconnaissance aircraft wore a Bulova Accutron microsonic tuning fork GMT pilot watch over their inner pressure suit glove. The David Clark S-901 pressure suit had outergloves with a special pouch so the pilots could check their Accutron wristwatch through the outer-layer of the pressure suit ! (Photo: USAF archive)

[moonwatchuniverse]

55 years ago, March 25, 1965, Gemini III astronauts Virgil “Gus” Grissom and John Young, examine some of the photo negatives they took on their three-orbit flight against a world map. The two astronauts returned to Cape Kennedy on 25 March where they were given a 4 hour physical and held a short press conference. Note the Omega Speedmaster ST 105.003 chronograph on JB Champion bracelet at Young’s left wrist. We can almost be sure that their spaceflown Accutron Astronaut tuning fork wristwatches stayed with the astronaut as mementos to their mission! (Photo: NASA)

[moonwatchuniverse]

55 years ago... the Omega Speedmaster came best out of NASA's heavy duty testing executed by engineer James Ragan. Did the Gemini III astronauts use two of these torture tested Speedmasters for their March 23, 1965 mission? As far as we know, NASA only received a first batch of 17 Speedies on April 23, 1965... for the Gemini manned spaceflight program. On Gemini III, both astronauts Gus Grissom and John Young wore a NASA-issued Omega Speedmaster chronograph and an Accutron Astronaut microsonic tuning fork GMT pilot wristwatch. Here's a March 22, 1965 photo showing Alan Shepard and John Young riding the elevator to the white room atop launchpad 19 to check out the Gemini III spacecraft. Note John Young wore an Accutron on a steel coffin link bracelet!

[moonwatchuniverse]

55 years ago, March 23, 1965 Gemini III astronauts John Young and Gus Grissom are readied in the two-men Gemini capsule. Note both astronauts wore the G3C Gemini spacesuit with basic NASA logo patch. It’s important to mention that both Gemini III astronauts wore a NASA-issued Omega Speedmaster chronograph but also an Accutron Astronaut microsonic tuning fork pilot GMT wristwatch on steel mesh bracelet. Grissom wore the Accutron on his right wrist, Young wore the Accutron GMT pilotwatch on his left wrist. (Photo: NASA)

[moonwatchuniverse]

55 years ago, March 25, 1965 press conference with space twins Gemini III astronauts John Young and Virgil Grissom, who illustrated the maneuvers of their “Molly Brown” spacecraft during their three orbit flight. Note that Grissom wore an Omega Speedmaster 105.003-64 chronograph on a steel mesh Komfit Forstner bracelet on the inside of his left wrist. On June 1, 1965 the Omega Speedmaster chronograph was officially announced as NASA’s flight-qualified wristwatch for all NASA manned spaceflight missions. (Photo: NASA)