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911 x 7.03 Capsized

Rachelle is ready in the Huey

61 years ago Accutron "Astronaut" By the summer of 1962, Bulova decided to add "Astronaut" on the dial of the Accutron wrist watch in honor of the X-15 pilots and Mercury 7 astronauts. Photos also show the Accutron at the wrist of many support- & test pilots but a lesser known fact is the use of the Accutron "Astronaut" by CIA pilots flying the A-12 Cygnus! The Mach 3+ capable Lockheed A-12 “Cygnus” first flew in April 1962 but got an upgrade with J58 engines in January 1963. Constructed of Titanium, this successor of the U-2 “Angel” & precursor of the Lockheed SR-71 “Blackbird” only saw operational reconnaissance action for ten months in 1967-1968 above North-Vietnam & North-Korea. During long missions, some lasting up to 5 hours, the fuel remaining was insufficient to provide the needed heatsink for the air conditioning system leading to high cockpit temperatures up to 60 degrees Celsius! Ordinary wristwatches worn on the outside of their pressure suits by military pilots couldn’t hold up to these temperatures. After a few try-outs, the battery-powered Bulova Accutron Astronaut GMT pilot watch held up to testing, so the CIA - Central Intelligence Agency decided to furnish the Accutron tuning fork watch to all CIA pilots flying the A-12. James Irwin was one of the test pilots flying the YF-12 which made its first flight on August 7, 1963. He later flew to the Moon on Apollo 15. Moreover, the David Clark company developed the S901-E pressure suit which came with added calf, thigh pockets together with a special watch pocket-lid in the left-hand glove of the white aluminized outer layer suit. The sleek crown-less design of the Accutron fitted perfectly and the watches became a treasured property of the pilots. Information based on pressure suit photographs and the June 2017 Hodinkee article by USAF LtCol Frank Murray. (Photo: USAF/Lockheed) #Accutron #Astronaut #MoonwatchUniverse #SWFG  

[[Thanks @trizzone52 for letting me share your progress 😍]]

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