50 years ago... Two automatic chronographs return from space ! February 8, 1974 as the third and final manned Skylab space station mission SL-4 safely returned to Earth with a splash-down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. Each of the Skylab-4 astronauts used an extra personal wristwatch during NASA Skylab training; Gerald Carr: Movado Datachron HS-360 automatic chronograph William Pogue: Seiko 6139-6005 automatic chronograph Edward Gibson: Omega Speedmaster Mark II chronograph We know for sure both Gerald Carr and William Pogue wore their automatic chronograph onboard the Skylab space station (Orbital Work Shop OWS) between November 1973 and February 1974. Carr's Movado chronodiver had a black & white bakelite bezel. Note SL-4 commander US Marine Corps LtCol Gerald Carr’s Movado Datachron had a reverse panda blue dial which over the years turned “chocolate” in the 2022 photograph! In 2019 MoonwatchUniverse co-authored the research into this amazing chronograph resulting in a HODINKEE magazine article “Snuck Into Space!”. (Photos: NASA/HODINKEE)













