A space age way to look at the time...

[Lew Archer]

Yesterday, I walked into Feldmar's, a truly great AD in Los Angeles. Browsing the Breitling display case, I spotted a handsome Navitimer...

Not just any Navitimer, but a limited edition Cosmonaute, a tribute to the 50th anniversary of the 1962 Mercury mission in which Astronaut Scott Carpenter orbited the earth three times aboard the Aurora 7 capsule. During that historic flight, he wore a manual wound Breitling Navitimer, but with a 24 hour display.

The 2012 Cosmonaute is a also manual winding watch, with Breitling's own B02 movement and a 24 hour display. The Aurora 7 insignia is engraved on the case back. This particular Cosmonaute had the black leather strap with the deployment clasp. Very handy and extremely comfortable.

Around 1973, as a little boy, I stood at my father's side in a New York City Jewelry store on the Upper West Side while he purchased an Omega Speedmaster Professional. My father showed me the engraving on that manual winding watch's caseback---which proclaimed it was flight qualified for all manned space missions and was the first watch worn on the moon.

In that moment, my love of watches was born. My dad shared that love, but particularly liked a watch with a story. What a story the Cosmonaute has to tell.

I recall the Apollo missions vividly. As a little kid, I'd watch the televised launches while wearing my astronaut's costume...dad set a dining room chair on its back for me to sit in, astronaut style, and would shake the chair to simulate G force as we watched the real launch occur. He wanted me to remember history being made and he succeeded.

Scott Carpenter's flight was two years before my birth, but I was captivated by the Mercury story told in Tom Wolfe's "The Right Stuff" and the film version of that book.

This 2012 Cosmonaute surely has "the Right Stuff". It took my breath way. So, I took another breath and bought it.

Here are a couple of quick photos:

[azguy]

Congratulations, I have always said that any serious collector needs a Navi in there collection and the Cosmonaute is a great one to have

[cruvon]

Congrats, looks great!

[bde]

Very Nice! Congrats.

[StImierKY]

Hi Lew, I am excited for you! Loved your story. I own #1439 and am happier with it than any other watch I've had (and there have been...a few). I feel like I've memorized the screenplay to The Right Stuff and for all of the same reasons you mentioned, it was an immediate pickup for me, prudence be darned. I love the manual wind, and the way the dial glows and catches the light, especially at sunset. The fit and finish is top notch and the accuracy of the B02 is stupendous - I've actually stopped obsessively comparing it to the atomic clock because it's boringly reliable - about 0.8 seconds slow a day. For summertime, I'm switching it on and off various NATO straps. What a great watch. Really excited that you came across one and are loving it. It's too bad that the current generation of children won't have the same vivid memories and associations with manned spaceflight that we had - although I just missed Apollo. By the time I was reading and aware in the early 80s, though, all of the maps, library books, and classroom displays were all Mercury/Gemini/Apollo all the time, and the technology that was around wasn't totally digitized - there were still slide rules around. With the Cosmonaute, I feel connected to that time.
Wear in good health!

[bmwboris]

Congrats on a great watch.

Enjoy it

[Lew Archer]

Originally Posted by StImierKY

Hi Lew, I am excited for you! Loved your story. I own #1439 and am happier with it than any other watch I've had (and there have been...a few). I feel like I've memorized the screenplay to The Right Stuff and for all of the same reasons you mentioned, it was an immediate pickup for me, prudence be darned. I love the manual wind, and the way the dial glows and catches the light, especially at sunset. The fit and finish is top notch and the accuracy of the B02 is stupendous - I've actually stopped obsessively comparing it to the atomic clock because it's boringly reliable - about 0.8 seconds slow a day. For summertime, I'm switching it on and off various NATO straps. What a great watch. Really excited that you came across one and are loving it. It's too bad that the current generation of children won't have the same vivid memories and associations with manned spaceflight that we had - although I just missed Apollo. By the time I was reading and aware in the early 80s, though, all of the maps, library books, and classroom displays were all Mercury/Gemini/Apollo all the time, and the technology that was around wasn't totally digitized - there were still slide rules around. With the Cosmonaute, I feel connected to that time.
Wear in good health!

Thanks so much...glad you are enjoying your watch, and what it represents.

Technology has progressed so rapidly that it's easy to take for granted...why, just the ability to communicate on this forum is remarkable, when you stop for a moment to think about it.

Our space program was so successful and its safety record, despite tragic losses of an Apollo crew and two space shuttles, is astonishing--just contrast it to the Russians. Oddly, this success bred a lack of interest in the public. The shuttle would launch and no one paid any attention...unless there was disaster, or some special mission (such as John Glenn's shuttle flight). The shuttle missions didn't seem to take us to any new heights, so to speak, unlike the Mercury and Apollo missions which built steadily towards landing on the moon.

Sadly, we are not pursuing space exploration with the same drive as before. JFK challenged NASA to stretch beyond its comfort zone. Not the case today, when budgets are being slashed.

Anyway, the Cosmonaute certainly captures a thrilling time in humankind's exploration of space and I feel fortunate to have found one.

[steveclocks]

Congratz ! That's looking good man

[C6MMVI]

Congratulations, very nice watch, and great story.
I can relate totally to the time frame and the history.
In fact until recently I had gone through a bunch of Speedmasters over the years, buying them and selling them, but there was something missing.
Last month I had an opportunity to buy an original Speedmaster 105.012 in mint condition, the actual moon watch model used by the Gemini and Apollo astronauts and I am in awe.
There's a connection there back to the past and my childhood everytime I wear the watch and look at my wrist.
Great feeling to share that experience.

[Raucky]

Great looking watch, enjoy!

[lja1821]

Very nice,congrats

[Lew Archer]

Originally Posted by C6MMVI

Congratulations, very nice watch, and great story.
I can relate totally to the time frame and the history.
In fact until recently I had gone through a bunch of Speedmasters over the years, buying them and selling them, but there was something missing.
Last month I had an opportunity to buy an original Speedmaster 105.012 in mint condition, the actual moon watch model used by the Gemini and Apollo astronauts and I am in awe.
There's a connection there back to the past and my childhood everytime I wear the watch and look at my wrist.
Great feeling to share that experience.

Congratulations on that Speedmaster!


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[c.rod]

awesome watch... even though we never landed on the moon i do believe we have orbited the earth... :)

[C6MMVI]

Thanks Lew,
Funny, I happened to have bought my last modern Speedmaster from Feldmar Jewelers in 2003.
Great people to deal with and 10 years ago gave a great discount.
Just sold it for a nice profit.

[Lew Archer]

Originally Posted by C6MMVI

Thanks Lew,
Funny, I happened to have bought my last modern Speedmaster from Feldmar Jewelers in 2003.
Great people to deal with and 10 years ago gave a great discount.
Just sold it for a nice profit.

They recently remodeled, the store is much nicer now. Same great staff. The discounts, sadly, are not as deep. In 1999, they would often do 30% off retail on a Breitling. Those days are gone! But, they will still negotiate and favor repeat customers.

[Omega-Man]

Gorgeous watch! I have often thought of a 24 hour watch but, would find it a bit confusing (at least for me), to always be translating it into 12 hour format. How do you find it? Is there a trick? I was never very good with math!

[Presa canary]

What a beautiful watch! Great story to go along with it

[asadtiger]

very sweet stories in this thread man..thats true sharing of passions and watches being representative of more than just timing instruments but carriers of memories and emotional connections congrats to all lucky people in this thread and especially the OP :)

[Lew Archer]

Originally Posted by Omega-Man

Gorgeous watch! I have often thought of a 24 hour watch but, would find it a bit confusing (at least for me), to always be translating it into 12 hour format. How do you find it? Is there a trick? I was never very good with math!

It does take some getting used to. I found, after a couple of days, it began to get intuitive. From that point on, as easy to use as the 12 hr system.


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[Lew Archer]

Originally Posted by asadtiger

very sweet stories in this thread man..thats true sharing of passions and watches being representative of more than just timing instruments but carriers of memories and emotional connections congrats to all lucky people in this thread and especially the OP :)

Thank you, I appreciate that very much!


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[Lol-x]

Awesome story thanks for sharing.

Fantastic watch, enjoy it in the best of health

[mario848]

Very nice watch