Accutron Astronaut - The Early Years
Feb 26, 2018 4:20:33 GMT -8
Post by Accutronitis on Feb 26, 2018 4:20:33 GMT -8
Most People have heard of Accutron tuning fork watches because they were the first large change in the way a wristwatch fundamentally worked to keep time and at the same time increased accuracy to a much higher previously unattainable level but I'm not going to talk about the Accutron tuning fork movement in this thread, This thread is about one of if not the rarest Bulova Accutron tuning fork watches on the planet ! The Accutron Astronaut M2, The first stainless steel Astronaut ever made, It's unclear if they were ever released for sale to the general public, The dial only says "Accutron" on it, The hands and markers are of white nonluminous paint, The movement is stamped "USA" and "214HN" and has a date code of "M2" which is the same as the back cover, It has an early type applied logo Kreisler USA Coffin Link Stainless Steel Bracelet.
This watch is Made in the USA and is true Red, White, and Blue through and through and was given to and used by all the X-15 Test Pilots, It's very questionable to say Omega had the moon given that Bulova 214 based Clocks, timers, and switches were used extensively throughout the Apollo spacecraft including the lunar lander and they all did the real work while Omega bought the title "Moon Watch" ! The Bulova Accutron Astronaut and mainly it's advanced 214 tuning fork movement paved the way into space and to the moon starting with the X-15 program and ending with Apollo program and that is a FACT !!!
The Accutron Astronaut was the first American watch in space and was worn by a number of NASA astronauts. Mercury pilot L. Gordon 'Gordo' Cooper Jr. flight-tested both the Accutron Astronaut and the Omega Speedmaster during his 22-orbit Mercury-Atlas 9 Faith 7 mission; Cooper noted that the Speedmaster had lost time due to the severe G-forces experienced during liftoff, while the Accutron remained unaffected. It is a popular myth among Omega enthusiasts that Cooper used his Speedmaster to time the retro burn during atmospheric re-entry. However, according to his autobiography Leap of Faith, Cooper used his Astronaut to time the retro burn, resulting in the most accurate splashdown achieved during the Mercury program.
The Accutron Astronaut would be adopted by both the USAF and the CIA for several early and important high-speed flight programs. As touted in Bulova magazine advertisements from 1962, the Astronaut was given to all pilots in the X-15 program. The Astronaut was worn by USAF pilot Joe Walker during his record-setting high altitude flight in 1963; pilot Robert M. White also wore an Astronaut, strapped around the large-diameter wrist of his pressure suit with multiple leather straps.
Following its adoption by the X-15 program, the Accutron Astronaut was selected for the CIA's A-12 strategic reconnaissance program. All A-12 pilots were issued an Accutron Astronaut, which was worn in a small pocket on the left-hand glove of the pilot's pressure suit. As stated by CIA pilot Frank Murray, the Accutron Astronaut was "the only watch that could sustain reliable operation in the A-12 cockpit environment", and was impervious to the 140F temperatures experienced inside the A-12 cockpit.
This stainless steel "Astronaut" model was made before all of the other stainless steel Astronaut watches for only one the year 1962 and has a date code of M2 on the case back and movement, There was one Accutron Astronaut watch made before this one with a date code M1 (1961) but it was an 18k Solid Gold Astronaut watch (possibly known as the "Royal" Astronaut), Some people might say that a Platinum Accutron or the 18k Solid Gold Astronaut is rarer but I say to that I've seen real-world pictures showing a few of each other those watches with over a hand full of the 18k Solid Gold Astronaut known to still be around with one of those for sale on ebay as I type this BUT other than some pictures in Bulova ads and the real thing in pictures on the wrists of X-15 test pilots I've never seen another one of these 1962 astronauts watches ANYWHERE ! can you honestly say you have ?
Here are some of the undisputed facts about this rarest of rare Accutron Astronaut watch that sets it apart from Any of the other Astronaut watches ever made......
#1 the dial that only says "Accutron" and used nonluminous white paint on the hour markers and no rather large single dots between the hour markers unlike all other black dial Astronaut watches (other than the near equally rare late 1962/early 1963 Astronaut).
#2 the spade hands that Bulova lifted from the aviation panel clocks of the time which were also painted with the same nonluminous white paint as the dial markers, The spade hands were only used for less than one year in 1962 before Bulova changed them in late 1962/early 1963 to the hands you see on the common Astronauts, They are Accutron 214 spade Rail Roal hands painted white and this fact has recently been verified by a number of highly knowledgeable sources of Accutrons of this type and they are listed in the 1963 Bulova ABC Catalog as "white spade (painted) WS-25".
#3 This 1962 Astronaut watch came with only one type of bracelet, the early applied logo Kreisler USA Coffin Link Bracelet.
The Accutron Astronaut definitely evolved very quickly in that first year.
To help sort through the many models of the Accutron Astronaut watches I give you...
The Most Complete Accutron Astronaut Variant Guide The Video - Updated 1/18/2016 !
For a static version of the guide please visit accutronfacts.freeforums.net/thread/279/complete-accutron-astronaut-variant-guide
Update-------
Ok for anyone interested in knowing more about the 1962 Astronaut watch here are all the latest and most up to date facts and the timeline for them that I have gathered and been able to verify about the little known 1962 astronaut watches, The undisputed facts listed above have been changed to reflect these verify facts.
The first "astronaut" made in all stainless steel was made in 1962 and in that first year it had what's called a "simple" black dial that did not say "astronaut" and did not have "dots" between the hour markers, also it had no luminous paint over the hour markers, that very first "astronaut" watch used the Bulova Accutron Hand Set "white spade (painted) WS-25" which is listed in the 1963 Bulova ABC Catalog, It is also the same handset Bulova was using at that time on all of the aerospace clocks, timers, and timer switches. The 1962 Astronaut watch came with only one type of bracelet, the early applied logo Kreisler USA Coffin Link Bracelet.
Later that same year the first thing Bulova changed was to add luminous paint to the hour markers on the dial and to add a luminous handset to go with the now luminous dial hour markers but the dial still did not say "astronaut" and it did not have luminous dots between the hour markers yet.
On 17 July 1962, Robert White wearing his Astronaut watch (all X-15 pilots were given one of the first astronaut watches) took the X-15 to an altitude (59.6 mi or 95.9 km) what NASA considered to be "Space".
In late 1962/early 1963 Bulova added the "ASTRONAUT" on the dial to commemorate (and further capitalize) on the 17 July 1962 event
Later in 1963 the luminous dots were added between the hour markers and with the exception of the Swiss made astronaut and the 14kt covered lug astronaut with the enhanced dial, all black dials had luminous dots between the hour markers and said "astronaut" from then on, only the Swiss made astronauts never had dots on the dials between the hour markers and the black enhanced dial used with the 14kt astronauts had dots only they were triangular.
Then sometime in 1964 they switched to the "bullet" bracelet. From then on the evolution of the Accutron Astronaut slowed way down with relatively small changes made to it over the rest of it's live.
For more on Accutron Astronaut M2 please visit - accutronfacts.freeforums.net/thread/204/facts-1962-accutron-astronaut-watch?page=1&scrollTo=246
This watch is Made in the USA and is true Red, White, and Blue through and through and was given to and used by all the X-15 Test Pilots, It's very questionable to say Omega had the moon given that Bulova 214 based Clocks, timers, and switches were used extensively throughout the Apollo spacecraft including the lunar lander and they all did the real work while Omega bought the title "Moon Watch" ! The Bulova Accutron Astronaut and mainly it's advanced 214 tuning fork movement paved the way into space and to the moon starting with the X-15 program and ending with Apollo program and that is a FACT !!!
The Accutron Astronaut was the first American watch in space and was worn by a number of NASA astronauts. Mercury pilot L. Gordon 'Gordo' Cooper Jr. flight-tested both the Accutron Astronaut and the Omega Speedmaster during his 22-orbit Mercury-Atlas 9 Faith 7 mission; Cooper noted that the Speedmaster had lost time due to the severe G-forces experienced during liftoff, while the Accutron remained unaffected. It is a popular myth among Omega enthusiasts that Cooper used his Speedmaster to time the retro burn during atmospheric re-entry. However, according to his autobiography Leap of Faith, Cooper used his Astronaut to time the retro burn, resulting in the most accurate splashdown achieved during the Mercury program.
The Accutron Astronaut would be adopted by both the USAF and the CIA for several early and important high-speed flight programs. As touted in Bulova magazine advertisements from 1962, the Astronaut was given to all pilots in the X-15 program. The Astronaut was worn by USAF pilot Joe Walker during his record-setting high altitude flight in 1963; pilot Robert M. White also wore an Astronaut, strapped around the large-diameter wrist of his pressure suit with multiple leather straps.
Following its adoption by the X-15 program, the Accutron Astronaut was selected for the CIA's A-12 strategic reconnaissance program. All A-12 pilots were issued an Accutron Astronaut, which was worn in a small pocket on the left-hand glove of the pilot's pressure suit. As stated by CIA pilot Frank Murray, the Accutron Astronaut was "the only watch that could sustain reliable operation in the A-12 cockpit environment", and was impervious to the 140F temperatures experienced inside the A-12 cockpit.
This stainless steel "Astronaut" model was made before all of the other stainless steel Astronaut watches for only one the year 1962 and has a date code of M2 on the case back and movement, There was one Accutron Astronaut watch made before this one with a date code M1 (1961) but it was an 18k Solid Gold Astronaut watch (possibly known as the "Royal" Astronaut), Some people might say that a Platinum Accutron or the 18k Solid Gold Astronaut is rarer but I say to that I've seen real-world pictures showing a few of each other those watches with over a hand full of the 18k Solid Gold Astronaut known to still be around with one of those for sale on ebay as I type this BUT other than some pictures in Bulova ads and the real thing in pictures on the wrists of X-15 test pilots I've never seen another one of these 1962 astronauts watches ANYWHERE ! can you honestly say you have ?
Here are some of the undisputed facts about this rarest of rare Accutron Astronaut watch that sets it apart from Any of the other Astronaut watches ever made......
#1 the dial that only says "Accutron" and used nonluminous white paint on the hour markers and no rather large single dots between the hour markers unlike all other black dial Astronaut watches (other than the near equally rare late 1962/early 1963 Astronaut).
#2 the spade hands that Bulova lifted from the aviation panel clocks of the time which were also painted with the same nonluminous white paint as the dial markers, The spade hands were only used for less than one year in 1962 before Bulova changed them in late 1962/early 1963 to the hands you see on the common Astronauts, They are Accutron 214 spade Rail Roal hands painted white and this fact has recently been verified by a number of highly knowledgeable sources of Accutrons of this type and they are listed in the 1963 Bulova ABC Catalog as "white spade (painted) WS-25".
#3 This 1962 Astronaut watch came with only one type of bracelet, the early applied logo Kreisler USA Coffin Link Bracelet.
The Accutron Astronaut definitely evolved very quickly in that first year.
To help sort through the many models of the Accutron Astronaut watches I give you...
The Most Complete Accutron Astronaut Variant Guide The Video - Updated 1/18/2016 !
For a static version of the guide please visit accutronfacts.freeforums.net/thread/279/complete-accutron-astronaut-variant-guide
Update-------
Ok for anyone interested in knowing more about the 1962 Astronaut watch here are all the latest and most up to date facts and the timeline for them that I have gathered and been able to verify about the little known 1962 astronaut watches, The undisputed facts listed above have been changed to reflect these verify facts.
The first "astronaut" made in all stainless steel was made in 1962 and in that first year it had what's called a "simple" black dial that did not say "astronaut" and did not have "dots" between the hour markers, also it had no luminous paint over the hour markers, that very first "astronaut" watch used the Bulova Accutron Hand Set "white spade (painted) WS-25" which is listed in the 1963 Bulova ABC Catalog, It is also the same handset Bulova was using at that time on all of the aerospace clocks, timers, and timer switches. The 1962 Astronaut watch came with only one type of bracelet, the early applied logo Kreisler USA Coffin Link Bracelet.
Later that same year the first thing Bulova changed was to add luminous paint to the hour markers on the dial and to add a luminous handset to go with the now luminous dial hour markers but the dial still did not say "astronaut" and it did not have luminous dots between the hour markers yet.
On 17 July 1962, Robert White wearing his Astronaut watch (all X-15 pilots were given one of the first astronaut watches) took the X-15 to an altitude (59.6 mi or 95.9 km) what NASA considered to be "Space".
In late 1962/early 1963 Bulova added the "ASTRONAUT" on the dial to commemorate (and further capitalize) on the 17 July 1962 event
Later in 1963 the luminous dots were added between the hour markers and with the exception of the Swiss made astronaut and the 14kt covered lug astronaut with the enhanced dial, all black dials had luminous dots between the hour markers and said "astronaut" from then on, only the Swiss made astronauts never had dots on the dials between the hour markers and the black enhanced dial used with the 14kt astronauts had dots only they were triangular.
Then sometime in 1964 they switched to the "bullet" bracelet. From then on the evolution of the Accutron Astronaut slowed way down with relatively small changes made to it over the rest of it's live.
For more on Accutron Astronaut M2 please visit - accutronfacts.freeforums.net/thread/204/facts-1962-accutron-astronaut-watch?page=1&scrollTo=246