#forstnerbands

1962 - 2022 ... Steel mesh bracelets ! Forstner was originally founded as the Forstner Chain Corporation in the early 1920s by William Forstner in New Jersey – USA. In 1939, the watch strap buckle & slider were patented USA and the easy adjustable stainless steel “Komfit” mesh bracelet was produced. The sturdy, but easily removable/breakable “Komfit” design made it the ideal choice to be paired with pilot watches such as the Accutron Astronaut, the Glycine Airman and the Omega Speedmaster chronograph… wrist watch types used by the 1960s NASA astronauts. In fact, all NASA astronauts quickly adopted the Forstner Komfit and later the Jacoby Bender champion (1963) stainless steel mesh bracelets for use in daily life. Moreover, these lightweight straps could be easily outfitted with a foldable Timely wrist calendar, which are still available today! As these could be resized without tools to fit over a spacesuit, and broken in case of emergency, NASA allowed the use of these steel mesh bracelets and these have been worn on 2 Mercury flights, the Gemini III mission, on 2 Apollo flights and later on space shuttle missions up to 1983! Jacoby Bender Champion stainless steel mesh bracelets were produced for least two decades but luckily these historically-significant steel mesh bracelets were revived in early 2019 under the name Forstnerbands ! (Photo: MoonwatchUniverse)

October 1968, the successful Apollo 7 mission paved the way to the Moon! Photo showing the Apollo 7 prime crew for NASA’s first manned Apollo mission posing near a mockup of the Command & Service Module. From left to right; Command Modue Pilot Donn Eisele, Lunar Module Pilot Walter Cunningham and Commander Walter Schirra. Each member of the Apollo 7 crew was wearing a NASA-issued Omega Speedmaster reference 105.012 chronograph on a Jacoby Bender Champion steel mesh bracelet. Although we know know Schirra wore a Rolex Daytona 6240 screw-down pushers chronograph during this photo session! (Photo: NASA)

60 years ago Lockheed engineer &  Skunk Works manager Clarence “Kelly” Johnson developed the single seat A-12 “Oxcart” version of USAF/CIA triple-sonic reconnaissance aircraft. The Bulova Accutron Astronaut tuning fork wrist watch was choosen to be worn on the outside of the CIA pilots pressure suit in the harsh cockpit environment of the A12 “Cygnus” spyplane. 20 years ago, the SR-71 Blackbird version made its final flight after 35 years of duty. This 1964 Accutron Astronaut GMT watch sits on a Jacoby Bender Champion steel mesh bracelet. In December 2019, this vintage model of steel mesh bracelet was re-issued by Forstnerbands. (Photo: MoonwatchUniverse)

1968, Apollo 8 CMP James “Jim” Lovell pictured during training in the Command Module simulator at MIT instrumentation laboratory. Lovell was the first astronaut to use the command module optics system “space sextant” on the way to the Moon in December 1968. Note Lovell  wore a NASA-issued Omega Speedmaster on a JB-Champion  steel mesh bracelet. In December 2019, these steel mesh bracelet have been re-issued by Forstnerbands. (Photo: MIT-Draper/NASA)

From 1963 onwards, NASA astronauts were allowed to wear the Jacoby Bender Champion steel mesh bracelet. This kind of lightweight bracelet could be easily torn apart if the astronaut got stuck with his wrist in the cockpit or capsule. These steel mesh bracelets became the ultimate accessory for 1960s pilotwatches and were worn until the 1990s Space Shuttle missions. In December 2019, this vintage model of steel mesh bracelet was re-issued by Forstnerbands.com (Photo: MoonwatchUniverse)

1968, Apollo 8 backup astronaut and MIT PhD Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin training in the Command Module simulator at MIT instrumentation laboratory. Note Aldrin wore a NASA-issued Omega Speedmaster on a JB-Champion  steel mesh bracelet with a foldable “Timely” wrist calendar. In December 2019, these steel mesh bracelet have been re-issued by Forstnerbands. (Photo: MIT-Draper/NASA)