#jbchampion

55 years ago... busy times for Apollo 9 The Apollo 9 astronauts went from briefing to briefing as the press was informed on January 25, february 8 and 14, 1969. Commander James McDivitt, CMP David Scott and LMP Russell Schweickart. The Apollo 9 mission was planned to flight test both Apollo spacecraft for the first time in Low Earth Orbit as the Command & Service Module was going to dock with the Lunar Module. All aspects critical to landing on the Moon including the lunar module's engines, astronauts’ backpack life support systems, navigation systems and docking maneuvers were on the busy flightplan. Note all astronauts wore a NASA-issued Omega Speedmaster 105.012 chronograph on a steel mesh Jacoby Bender Champion bracelet. The latter was choosen as it could be easily broken if an astronaut’s wrist got trapped inside the spacecraft. David Scott had a lightweight foldable "Timely" calendar pleated around the steel mesh bracelet. Note the running chronograph hand at Scott's Speedmaster 10:25. (Photo: NASA)

Meet my friend Ed White; he wears a JB Champion bracelet between his straight lugs and flaunts his DoN everywhere he goes 🤩 #amsterdamvintagewatches #omegaspeedmaster #105003 #edwhite #jbchampion #vintageomegaspeedmaster #omega105003 #edwhitespeedmaster

October 1963, NASA astronaut Virgil “Gus” Grissom posing for an official portrait wearing a Bulova Accutron Astronaut wrist watch on a steel mesh JB Champion bracelet. (Photo: Martin/NASA)

60 years ago... Faith 7 May 1963, USAF Major Mercury astronaut Leroy Gordon “Gordo” Cooper is seen at the top of Pad  14 at Cape Canaveral looking over his one-man “Faith-7″ Mercury-Atlas spacecraft. Gordon Cooper choose to wear  both his personal wrist watches, an Accutron Astronaut tuning fork GMT pilot watch  at his right wrist and an Omega Speedmaster CK2998-4 manual winding chronograph at his  left wrist. Both watches had a Jacoby Bender Champion steel mesh bracelet and Cooper compared  his timepieces during the 34 hours 3 minutes 30 seconds long mission (22 orbits). Both watches worked flawlessly. All Mercury astronauts received an Accutron wrist watch and at  least 8 of the 12 X-15 testpilots, among whom Neil Armstrong, wore an  Accutron GMT pilot watch during X-15 hypersonic research flights. Accutron watches were worn during Mercury-Atlas 9, Gemini III, Gemini V, STS-7 and STS-51D spaceflight  missions. Earlier, astronauts Donald Deke Slayton and Walter Wally Schirra were spotted wearing an Omega Speedmaster CK2998-4. However, Alan Shepard, acting backup for Gordo Cooper lobbyed for an extra MA-10 mission, during which he was going to wear an Accutron Astronaut GMT pilot watch as seen in numerous training photographs. MA-10 was never flown. (Photo: NASA)

September 8, 1969... Apollo 12 roll-out The Apollo 12 prime crew astronauts, Lunar Module Pilot Alan "Al" Bean, Command Module Pilot Richard "Dick" Gordon and Commander Charles "Pete" Conrad watching the slow roll-out of their mighty 111m high Saturn V launch vehicle atop NASA's tracked crawler transporter. Apollo 12 launched on November 14 towards “Mare Cognitum” with Moonwalkers Bean & Conrad spending 32 hours on the Moon of which 7 hours 45 minutes lunar EVAs collecting 34 kilograms of lunar samples & Moon rocks. Note they all wore a NASA-issued Omega Speedmaster chronograph but on different straps/bracelets with Conrad clearly sporting a lightweight steel mesh Jacoby Bender Champion bracelet. (Photo: NASA)

June 4, 1966 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Richard Gordon acted as CapCom - Capsule Communicator during the Gemini IX mission in MOCR - Mission Operations Control Room. Note both astronauts wore a NASA-issued Omega Speedmaster chronograph on a Jacoby Bender Champion steel mesh bracelet. (Photo: NASA)

1965, June 1, Gemini IV pilot Edward “Ed” White underwent a medical checkup, two days before launch. Here White’s blood pressure was checked by Doctor Robert Moser. Note White wore a NASA-issued Omega Speedmaster 105.003 on a steel mesh JB Champion  bracelet. On June 1, 1965, after 4 months of rigorously testing 3 watch brands, NASA’s Gemini & Flight support procurement office adopted the Omega Speedmaster as its official flight-qualified time piece, which became known as the Moonwatch in July 1969. (Photo: NASA)

Aluminum “Fallen Astronaut” artwork figurine, conceived and designated by Belgian Antwerp-based artist Paul Van Hoeydonck. This is an exact 9 cm replica of the little artwork sculpture that was left on the Moon by Apollo 15 commander David Scott on August 2, 1971. David Scott photographed the figurine next to a memorial plaque but waited for a post-mission press conference to publicly disclose its existence. NASA only revealed the figurine was made by Belgian artist Paul Van Hoeydonck during the Apollo 16 launch on April 16 1972, as the artist was interviewed by CBS reporter Walter Conkrite. Wristwatch check... An Omega Speedmaster 1861 chronograph on a steel mesh Jacoby Bender Champion bracelet. (Photo: MoonwatchUniverse)