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Horology is an element of astronomy, as we well know. But the watchmaking connection to the stars and planets does not end there, keeping guard over intrepid individuals venturing into space. Since the Soviet mission Vostok 1 became the first manned space flight in 1961, numerous cosmonauts and astronauts have taken their wristwatch beyond the final frontier, while anecdotes related to their adventures are legion. Man’s conquest of space is about heroes and historical moments that other brands regularly celebrate symbolically, even unconventionally. And if that wasn’t enough, the pranksters in the pack delight in creating unidentified flightless objects based on the science fiction comic strips they used to read under the covers. We take a look at this infinite source of inspiration for watchmakers here on Earth.
Ironically, for something derived from observations of the planets, our calendar and time system are only valid on Earth. A cosmonaut who orbits our blue planet will see the sun rise and set 16 times a day, or rather every 24 hours. So does time really go faster in zero gravity? In his theory of general relativity, Einstein showed that the speed of motion, time, and gravity are intertwined: the closer we get to the speed of light, the longer it slows down, but as the force of gravity slows down, reduces, time speeds up … somewhat satellites rely on global positioning and communications, traveling 28,000 km / h at an altitude of 300 km, should be considered.
To the moon and back
Even so, the relativity of time has not played an important role in our conquest of space. At least not so far or on the current scale of exploration, starting with the first moon landing. On July 21, 1969, Buzz Aldrin followed Neil Armstrong up the ladder to the lunar surface, using the now legendary Speedmaster. Qualified for space flight by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in 1965 after a battery of tests, Moonwatch, as it is affectionately known, has become the star turn of its creator, Omega, who has launched about 100 versions in the past. 50 years. It represents around 30% of the sales of the Swatch Group brand.
Since 1961, more than 500 men and women have traveled to space. Everyone wore a watch.
This was only the beginning. Since that pioneering mission in 1961, more than 500 men and women have had the immense privilege of viewing the Earth from above. Twenty-six of them went to the Moon and 12 have set foot on its surface. Everyone had a spare watch (sometimes two) in their kit. We hate to say it, Switzerland, but Yuri Gagarin was wearing a standard Sturmanskie when he became the first human in space. Founded in 1949, the brand’s watches were released to pilots of the Soviet Air Force and were not yet available to the public. Apparently Yuri had no complaints. The Russians would choose … an American brand for their upcoming space missions, specifically the Timex Ironman.
The United States Senate would surely have approved it. In the months leading up to the Apollo 11 mission, the upper house of the United States Congress lobbied NASA to equip its astronauts with a watch that was born in the United States. In vain. Or almost. Bulova President Omar Bradley, a retired 5-star general, managed to turn the company’s Accutron movement into a series of spacecraft instruments. Additionally, certain orbital maneuvers were timed using a Bulova watch.
A year later, with the Speedmaster still as NASA’s official watch, it would be a Rolex that would carry the Apollo 13 crew safely to Earth. Along with his Omega, astronaut Jack Swigert boarded the module using his personal Oyster Perpetual GMT Master which, according to James Dowling and Jeffrey Hess in their 1996 book, The best of time. Rolex wristwatches: an unauthorized story, replaced the on-board timing devices when they were disabled by a power outage.
I wish you were Here
Endless tales are told about the role of clocks in space travel, often motivated by marketing messages. Only some of the brands to do it, apart from those already mentioned, are Casio (the G-Shock is also qualified to fly by NASA), Breitling, TAG Heuer, Seiko, Sinn, Tutima, Fortis, Yema and Fiyta. And while certain manufacturers have not had a chance to see one of their watches take off into space, this has not deterred them from paying homage to this fabulous human adventure. Take Louis Moinet and his Skylink, introduced in 2018, for example. It celebrates the joint mission in 1975 during which the Soyuz and Apollo spacecraft docked in orbit. The handshake between cosmonaut Alexei Leonov and astronaut Thomas Stafford would mark a new era of cooperation between Russia and the United States. The Skylink features a capsule at 3 o’clock containing a fragment of foil material that protected Apollo during its return to Earth, as well as fibers from Alexei Leonov’s spacesuit.
The Fifth Element, a collaboration between L’Épée and MB&F, takes the form of an intergalactic weather station.
Jacob & Co has taken the space theme as an illustration of zero gravity suggested by their spectacular Astronomia Maestro chime minute repeater. Mounted on a central four-armed chariot, a star chart is offset by a triple-axis tourbillon, while a terrestrial globe rotates in front of a hand-painted astronaut. Each element rotates on itself while completing one revolution of the dial in 10 minutes.
The American brand is also not the only one to introduce a living being into one of its watches. After the HM6 Space Pirate, its form is directly inspired by Captain Future’s Comet spacecraft, and after Project LpX, an intergalactic expansion station, MB&F recently launched (literally?) The Fifth Element. Created with L’Épée, this horological weather station comprises a clock, a barometer, a hygrometer and a thermometer contained within the mothership, led by Ross, the alien pilot.
Space exploration and its many fictions will continue to spark the imagination of watchmakers. Last year NASA launched its Explore Moon to Mars program and promised to put humans back on the Moon by 2024. What kind of watch will they use? Competition promises to be out of this world.
