This article:https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/fi...ulova-accutron
Concerns a watch owned by Omar Bradley.
Not so.
Here are two more examples, and note the differences between them and the one in the Hodinkee article. The stars are closer in the two new examples, and the 'dink one has a peeling dial in several areas.
https://www.watchlords.com/forum/vie...460955#p460955
https://www.mybulova.com/watches/196...ar-9987?page=1
Also, the case back on the Hodinkee article has a date mark 'N9' for 1979, General Bradley was long gone by then.
They got the watch used by the A12, Gemini, U2, X-15 and NF-104A (and some Apollo and SR-71) pilots wrong too. The watches with ‘Astronaut’ on the dial were so marked because of their use by Astronauts. The ones actually used by these early astronauts and aviators were a damned site earlier than 1976, and merely had Bulova and Accutron on the dial. The watch they are pimping is so late it doesn’t even fit their own narrative.
Hodinkee has been very shady with their expensive watches for a very long time now.
Do your research if you plan on buying anything from them.
As seen on WUS F11 with my friend Mikey's 'Bring A Brain' threads!Originally Posted by ordo
I posted in the comments of their blog, and I think it got past the moderators.
I found evidence of about eight CIA Accutron watches used by the pilots on missions, and have the case serial numbers of these.
Yet to find one.
I have seen the photos of several watches used in the early 1960's that have the Astronaut dials.
Last edited by bobbee; 29th June 2019 at 10:45.
+1
I wouldn't trust buying anything pre owned from them. They've also been called out for advertising upcoming auctions for doctored watches.
Sure, from late ‘63 early ‘64 onwards. However, I’d be surprised and a bit delighted to see an issued watch for any of these programs. After the early successes, quite a few manufactures, including Bulova and Rolex were more than delighted to offer watches to anyone with Astronaut in their job title. At that point that included people training on the NF-104. When on missions, pilots were supposed to wear the issued watch, however, rather a lot of unsurprising (A-17) and astonishing (Witthauer All Proof) watches slipped into space.
There is a NASA photo dated October 1962, the pilot is wearing the fully lumed (dots between the hour markers) Accutron Astronaut model.
Here:
https://images.nasa.gov/details-E62-8947.html
Here it is, dated 17/10/1962:
Blow up of watch:
Another, Cooper camera training. His assistant is wearing an Accutron Astronaut, as is Cooper, dated 1/3/1963.
https://images.nasa.gov/details-s63-03952.html
Blow up:
Blow up of Cooper's watch.
Note that Gordo's watch has the time at 2:15 PM, and the assistants shows 9:15 AM.
Wonder why?
Last edited by bobbee; 29th June 2019 at 19:23.
This is the model being worn, December 1963 ad.
It's Hodinkee. At this stage with their long previous of mistakes and dubious descriptions, never mind their parroting of industry advertising copy with different bylines I'm not surprised at all. Their sales section is beyond daft. Massively overpriced and again with regular dubious or wildly uninformed descriptions. Then again they seem to shift their stock. Clearly aimed at the equally uninformed Manhattan aspirational hipster demographic. With added man bags and nasal hair wax. Organic. Some I'd not be surprised are happy enough to pay more for the Hodinkee connection and some like to pay more to show off that they can(I've found this can be the case with some American folks).
That's before we get to their pimping of equally dodgy rip off merchant dealers they know. I've seen this "oh it's worth x2 what it usually goes for" even with otherwise informed and worth reading contributors. All too regular with Bring a Loupe. I've seen examples in there where watches are claimed to be worth up to five times what they usually go for. Don't get me going on the redials they claim are original, when even Stevie Wonder could tell you they were redials. Looking at previous collecting "bubbles" I've noticed a few of the signs in the vintage market and Hodinkee illustrates a few. One biggie are dealers trying to cool hunt™ new brands and models and styles to increase stock and interest and "respected commentators" like the Dink helping them to do it. They've run out of the main lines that were good sellers and watches that used to sell quickly are sitting for months and months unsold.
Yup, looks like I’m wrong. Thanks for straightening me out. I’ll have to go back to the stuff I wrote when I was looking for an early one precisely because I thought that NASA and the CIA both got bulk orders in 62 that they doled out for the next couple of years. I’ve certainly made that claim a few times and never been pulled up on it so you’ve done me a proper favour. Thanks.
Here’s one of mine:
Last edited by M4tt; 29th June 2019 at 22:53.
^^ Want!
Yup, looks like I’m wrong. Thanks for straightening me out. I’ll have to go back to the stuff I wrote when I was looking for an early one precisely because I thought that NASA and the CIA both got bulk orders in 62 that they doled out for the next couple of years. I’ve certainly made that claim a few times and never been pulled up on it so you’ve done me a proper favour. Thanks.
Here’s one of mine:
No worries mate, glad to help.
That's a cool early one Matt, after the single line but before the full lumed model. Or something like that.
Damn, that Wibbs beat me to it again!
They made the out of old UFOs after Area 51 had shrunk them!
Regarding the time setting differences of Cooper's and the other chap's watches, I have had it pointed out to me on another forum that the camera guy has his watch set to Texas time, and Cooper is set to GMT/UTC.
For what reason, I do not know.
NASA have always used GMT for operational purposes. It’s as simple as that.
In case you haven't got these two.
Test pilots Armstrong and Walker wearing their Accutron Astronauts, 1962.
https://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/Gallery/Ph...L/ECN-149.html
https://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/Gallery/Ph...L/ECN-151.html
Where is that Accutronitis chap when you need one.
Fas est ab hoste doceri
Still butt hurt and missing the BP, I see...
Not at all, much prefer to play in the open, keeps all sorts of psychopaths at bay.Still butt hurt and missing the BP, I see...
Fas est ab hoste doceri
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