Spaceman watches inspired from Space Oddysey and Star Wars?

[cybr]

This Lucerne Space Age/Space Helmet watch was made before the end of the 1973, when Gruen has lost the rights for the Lucerne brand!
So it was made BEFORE the Spaceman Audacieuse watch, designed for Catena by Andre Le Marquand and launched in 1974 at Basle Fair.
Thus, the Watchismo's dilemma was solved https://watchismo.blogspot.com/2007/08/horological-horticulture-1970s.html:
"Similar to the Spaceman Audacieuse of the early seventies with it's anglular space age styling, unsure which came first. "
This Lucerne Space Helmet watch was produced BEFORE Spaceman Audacieuse!
It has a registered number 12054, the base is PMM (an acrylic polimer) and the top is metal.
The watch caseback

and the Space Helmet front-end of the watch:

Regards,

[cybr]

After a visit at my skilled watchmaker for a full revision, not one, but two ULTRA RARE BROWN enameled - with the original leather brown straps - SPACEMAN/Space Helmet jump hour automatic watches from Catena, designed by the famous Swiss architect Andre Le Marquand.
https://doensen.home.xs4all.nl/c16.html
https://doensen.home.xs4all.nl/fotos/c16b.jpg

[Kasper]

superb !! you are a real connaisseur of spaceman by now. Great stuff Cybr.

[cybr]

Thanks Kasper for the visit and the post.
I've learned also a lot about digital watches from the "grand-masters" of this wonderful forum.

[ronaldheld]

Without hijacking this thread, which digital Spacewatch would you recommend in March 2021?

[cybr]

Without hijacking this thread, digital Spacewatch would you recommend in March 2021?

Hi,
I suppose that You want recommendations for modern digitals with some "space age" design
There are quite many and they may be classified in various categories like: regular/rare...collectable/not collectable in the future...affordable/less affordable by a regular collector or digital watch lover etc.
But my (surprising?) first choice now is in the following categories: rare (hard to find)/collectable in the future/affordable and it is the quite massive NEW Lip "Style" completely "brushed" Stainless Steel watch, that it was discussed in the following Watchuseek thread
https://www.watchuseek.com/threads/lip-style-lcd.864344/
By the way, I have one with a little different design received as a gift from my wife, and it became one of my regular daily watches
Images from the Watchuseek forum:

[ronaldheld]

Thanks. I will check that thread out in WUS.
how much does it weigh? Over 100 grams is too heavy. Any other suggestions?

[cybr]

Ok, than You may choose from many modern reissues of the various famous (and many of them with a space age design) LED/LCD digital watches by Yema, Hamilton, Bulova etc, some of them discussed on this thread on the NewDwf forum:
http://newdwf.com/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=8958
And I will add there also the Hamilton MIB (Man in Black) LCD
https://www.amazon.com/Hamilton-Mens-H51413199-Mib-Watch/dp/B000Q8SKB2/
Regards,

[Kasper]

Nice Lip...i have one for years. Always forget to wear it Sorry for the dust..some work going on here

btw the Hamilton MIB is an incredible watch...sits like a glove.

IMG_20210304_133218.jpg

[ronaldheld]

Ok, than You may choose from many modern reissues of the various famous (and many of them with a space age design) LED/LCD digital watches by Yema, Hamilton, Bulova etc, some of them discussed on this thread on the NewDwf forum:
http://newdwf.com/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=8958
And I will add there also the Hamilton MIB (Man in Black) LCD
https://www.amazon.com/Hamilton-Mens-H51413199-Mib-Watch/dp/B000Q8SKB2/
Regards,

Had the MIB and sold it due to the dim display. The other metal bracelet SS cases are likely too heavy.

[cybr]

OK, it seems that the weight is the principal problem here.
Thus one more proposal, without the 100 g weight problem:
The Lip Diode reissue of the famous Roger Tallon design - with a leather strap - from mid '70s:
The original may be seen here:
https://doensen.home.xs4all.nl/fotos/c23c.jpg
The reissue may be bought at a good price from here:
https://watchard.com/lip-diode-671148-men-s-watch
Personally, I don't like the new "LED" display, I would want probably an imitation of the '70s led module, but this is only a personal opinion
Anyway, the watch design and the orange leather bracelet "screams" '70s and some space age approach on it, especially underlined by the orange "led" display, orange lip marker and the orange leather strap.
And it should/may be under 100 g weight limit, despite of its SS case...

Regards,

[ronaldheld]

Weight is important, but too thick and wide can be issues. I will look at that reissue and see what I think of it.
Edit: not certain about that watch, although the orange screams '70's. Any other suggestions?

[cybr]

Because I don't want to divert/hijack the purpose of this thread, I will make one final suggestion about a modern (cca 2006) LCD watch which is a modern reissue - made by Motel and United Arrows companies - of the famous/Space age/Space helmet Zodiac Astrodigit 70's LCD watch/chronograph.
It is worth mentioning that I am looking for one of these reissue watches for years, but they were only produced for Japanese domestic market, thus I was not able to find one, because they seem to be very rare.
One may read more about the ORIGINAL Zodiac Astrodigit at this Newdwf thread:
http://newdwf.com/viewtopic.php?f=67&t=8641

About the cca 2006 LCD reissue, one may read about it on:
http://whichwatchtoday.blogspot.com/2015/02/motel-vs-united-arrows-astrodigit-lcd.html

and with Google translate on this Japanese URL, where the Motel design is criticized as a plagiarism:
http://utdesign.syuriken.jp/watch/motel.html

Image from http://whichwatchtoday.blogspot.com/201 ... t-lcd.html

And all 3 variants of the watch: Image from http://utdesign.syuriken.jp/watch/motel.html

[cybr]

I always wanted the two watches directly related with the 1968 movie "Space Odyssey 2001" and the prop SF watch that has been used in the movie:
1.The Hamilton Odyssee (not Odyssey because of the copyright issues!) 1968-1969 edition
2. The Hamilton X 01 Limited edition in 2001 pieces, that have tried to ressembles the original movie prop watch - and now I have one :
In 2006, Watchismo - one of the most skilled space watch collectors, have presented this watches, made by Hamilton in a Limited Edition of 2001 pieces to reproduce the original watch made in the timeline of 1966-1968:
https://watchismo.blogspot.com/2006/10/2006-watchismo-odyssey-for-odyssey.html

The original Hamilton 1968 Prop movie watch may be seen below, in a photobucket image>


The next photo is of an original 1968-1969 Hamilton Odyssee - first edition watch, image from thewatchspot.co.uk>


And below is my recently acquired and NOS Hamilton X-01 Limited edition:

hamilton_x01_1.jpg

hamilton_x01_2.jpg

[cybr]

A new vintage watch related to the moon conquest/the moon landing: a Pryngeps (an Italian Watch Company ) FUTURLUNA watch (Swiss Made ) from end of 60's/early 70s (by the way it has nothing in common with the later Futurluna brand, registered in 1989 by Roventa-Henex SA in Biel, Schweiz!!!)
How do I know that ? The ETA 2472 Automatic movement - used in this watch - was produced only between 1956-1974 as the largest possible age interval of production dates, and was mentioned in the relevant watch literature only between 1963 - 1971 (https://17jewels.info/movements/e/eta/eta-2472/)
The "Futur Luna" means in the old Corsican language (an Italo-Romance dialect BTW!) - as one may verify with Google translate - the Future Moon/The Next Moon, or in other words probably "moon is next" (a next goal?) OR "the future (goal?) is the moon" OR "the next (step?) is the moon"...meaning probably that such a watch was designed(?)/produced(?) - similar with the the Mondia Moonlander, for example - with few months before or between the 1968-1969 Apollo 8, 9, 10 Space Missions, but clearly BEFORE the final Moon landing Apollo 11 Lunar Mission .
It has a UFO SS style case of 37 mm excluding crown, and a somehow "hidden crown" which was quite unusual at that time, and meant probably to put even more emphasis on the UFO design of the case!
Anyway, You will not find many Futurluna watches walking around in the Space Age watches collectors "void" , for example an even much less number than the already rare Lunarama watches presented earlier in this topic!

The rare Pryngeps Futurluna Automatic watch, with an ETA 2472 automatic movement:


Pryngeps - the Italian Watch Company - Futurluna watch with an UFO SS case and an unusual "hidden crown":

futurluna2.jpg

A 10 ATM Waterproof, ALL SS UFO style Case, with an ETA 2472 Automatic vintage movement:

futurluna7.jpg

[cybr]

This is definitely a rare find in the "Space Helmet" LCD watches department . WHY???
1. Because is one of the first and VERY RARE Tissot LCD watches, one of the very few models produced in a VERY VERY limited numbers in 1976 by Tissot.
E.g. From what we know today (https://www.birthyearwatches.com/product/1977-tissot-lcd-quartz-watch/):
[*] in 1975 there were not OFFICIAL Tissot LCD watches (out of 805,541 watches made by Tissot in that year)
[*] in 1976 only 6,106 (!!!) Tissot PRODUCED watches were LCD based - including in that small number (around 6000 watches!!!) ALL Tissot LCD watches designs/models (!!!) - probably made in some very limited models/designs and including maybe (?) also the Tissot Research LCD products(???) (out of 645,075 watches produced by Tissot, from which a quite limited number - 47,972 of these were Tissot LED watches-also very rare!)
2. Because it has used one of the early variants of the 1975/1976 ESA 9310/9315 LCD movements...bravely renamed later (cca1977/1978), the Tissot 2040 movement, as one may see them in the outstanding Adam's website - http://www.digital-watch.com
Tissot 90005 with ESA 9315 movement of 1976
http://www.digital-watch.com/DWL/1work/tissot-2-button
Image from Adam's outstanding website, http://www.digital-watch.com/

Tissot 2040 module of 1978/aka ESA 9315 renamed Tissot 2040
http://www.digital-watch.com/DWL/1work/tissot-data-recorder-4040-9315-esa
3. Because it has not only a "Space Helmet" designed case, but also finished in 2 colours (quite EXPENSIVE at that time to be presented in the combination SS/dark gray Enameled case design!!!) : SS + enameled parts : Stainless Steel face + Enameled Grey laterals + SS caseback
My Ultra Rare Tissot "Space Helmet" watch SS/Enameled case of 1976:

tissot_lcd_9315_2m.jpg

The limit of SS/Enameled case parts on my ultra rare Tissot "Space Helmet" 90005 LCD watch from 1976:

tissot_lcd_9315_1m.jpg

[cybr]

As a long time original/genuine Catena/Andre Le Marquand Spaceman watches collector and owner of some rarities of the Original Andre Le Marquand/Spaceman lines , I surely should be ashamed that I didn't take care/I forgot about the original company - Catena's - 2010 BaselWorld Fair - reissue of the Catena's Spaceman line:
Ups...I even posted above in this thread about the Lip or Motel's/Zodiac reissued watches from the '70s... but not a word about the ORIGINAL CAtena's Spaceman reissued watches
HOW could I forgot about Catena's Spaceman own reissued watches????
After some recent searches on the WWW, here is a sample of the original 2010 Catena's newly reissued Spaceman-like watches photos, Catena's watches presented at 2010 BaselWorld Fair (image taken from swisstime.ch):

One may really love them...isn't it...???
Now I am hunting the web for those 2010 Spaceman Catena's reissued watches presented at the Basel Fair 2010
I will keep You posted...wish me luck...:)

[cybr]

If you appreciate the Atomic Age Design period AND the Space Age Design that came during this period and followed it for a longer time, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_Age_(design), for sure You have enjoyed the FIRST ORIGINAL CAMY SPUTNIK late 1957/early 1958 watch presented earlier in this thread.
Now You may enjoy another "lovable: watch with a Space Age design and Space Age related context of apparition:

Thus, in April 12, 1961 Iuri Gagarin was first man who made an ORBITAL spaceflight, which consisted of a single ORBIT around Earth which skimmed the upper atmosphere at 169 kilometers (91 nautical miles) at its lowest point. The flight took 108 minutes from launch to landing. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vostok_1#Time_in_orbit)
Soon after - just a little more than a month - in May 15, 1961 a small group of quite little but already experienced Swiss Watch Manufacturers established a watch group centered in in the small Swiss town of Biel/Bienne.
And the chosen name for the watch group/association was -how else at only a month after that major Space Age event of the first man ORBITING the Earth??? - no more, no less than UNITED ORBIT !!!
Even the logo of the brand represents something ORBITING an inclined Earth-like AXIS (inclined at an angle somehow similar to Earth's axial tilt) - please see the photos below!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axial_tilt
The watch group consisted of few and small Swiss watch companies, but most of them established before Rolex (cca 1905) and more or less at the same time with Breitling (1884): G. Homburger, Fulton Watch Co. Ltd., Bienne (Est. 1885); Milex Elem Watch Co. Ltd., Bienne (Est. 1889); Achille Nicolet S.A., Tramelan (Est. 1913); Pery Watch & Montres Sigma, Bienne (Est. 1875); Vinca Watch Co. Ltd., Bienne (Est. 1902)
The group name was changed in 1970 in Orbit SA, when it even became member of the famous Movado-Zenith-Mondia federation of Swiss watch manufacturers!
https://www.watch-wiki.net/doku.php?id=united_orbit / https://www.watch-wiki.net/doku.php?id=movado-zenith-mondia

But what I really want to present You here, is one of the first watches of the newly founded group, a SPLENDID 1961 UNITED ORBIT automatic watch I just bought, with an outstanding Atomic Age/Space Age design that includes:
- "dauphine" type hands
- Black dial (as the sky above the atmosphere? ) with marked seconds
- golden fluted Internal chapter ring - similar in design BUT not put on the External bezel, as in ORIGINAL CAMY SPUTNIK watch case
- UFO shaped case, visible especially on the caseback side
- Heavily Gold Filled case - that helped to preserve its aspect even now - after 60 Years, and properly labeled for gold on the EPSA(?) style case
- original crystal with magnifying glass over the date at 6 o'clock
- around 34 mm diameter without crown, a common size for mid/late '50s - (very) early '60s
- probably one of the first appearance of that very special "orbiting Earth Axis" company LOGO

The United Orbit automatic watch face, with golden fluted Internal chapter ring, the black dial and the "orbiting Earth Axis" - "Space Age ready" LOGO of the brand


The caseback side of the watch, giving the watch its clearly UFO-like shape:

Regards,

[cybr]

I already know that this outstanding "Space Age" watch design - found on a cca 1975-1976 Trafalgar LED watch - had started the "digital watch addiction" on our fellow forum colleague gjlelec :
http://www.newdwf.com/viewtopic.php?f=72&t=8007
http://www.newdwf.com/viewtopic.php?uid=2004&f=80&t=8447&start=0#p52951
How about the same outstanding Space Age design on a NOS 1975 LCD watch made by Swiss Company Aurore -Villeret, but sporting not a LED module, but an ultra rare 1975 ESA 9310 LCD module (not ESA 9315!), introduced by ESA at the Basle Fair 1975, basically the first LCD module entirely Swiss made that have registered a real commercial success, especially by its direct successors (1976) ESA 9315 module and ESA LCD chronograph module 942711 (1976-1977)! https://doensen.home.xs4all.nl/l2.html
My newly arrived watch - the NOS 1975 LCD Aurore - Villeret Swiss Made:

Its NOS vintage case:

And the Swiss Made label on the caseback:

Regards,

[cybr]

How so little...may be so much...
All of you have seen in my previous posts how the Western/Swiss Camy Watch Co. SA - founded in Genève in 1917, have produced the first WESTERN MADE watch celebrating the EASTERN Sputnik launch!!! ...basically one of the first (watch?) DESIGN that probably have started the SPACE AGE design period, during the Atomic Age design Era - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_Age_(design)#Space_Age_design%20- - The first generation Camy SPUTNIK watch !!!


How about a watch celebrating the Gagarin/Vostok launch in April 12, 1961???

The Camy Spaceship brand was registered at 26.4.1961, less than 2 weeks after Gagarin launch on Vostok 3KA space capsule ...simply because the Gagarin name/brand was probably out of question!!!

My newly arrived and ultra rare Camy Spaceship watch, 1961, sporting a rare synthetic bracelet from the same time:


The caseback of the same watch:



It has the FHF ST/FHF 96 movement, with a "perlage" finish on the bridges...

Please let me know if You need much more info, about the outstanding and really rare such early Space Age watches...
Regards,

[cybr]

It's not a secret that I am a big fan of Catena's Spaceman/Audacieuse/Spacesonic watches, designed by Andre Le Marquand between 1972-1977 .
https://doensen.home.xs4all.nl/fotos/c16b.jpg
So, when I found a rare and genuine 1977 Catena Spacesonic CHRONOGRAPH LCD watch I usually jump for it, even it's a pretty beaten/unloved one, with a short but original Catena bracelet , but with an original Esa 942711 Chronograph LCD module.
Because hopefully, I have some spare links for that quite rare original Catena bracelet, a NOS original crystal and the case it's ALL Stainless Steel, so my skilled watchmaker may completely restore it and re-polish it.
So here it is my newly arrived genuine 1977 Catena Spacesonic:

The pretty beaten/unloved Spacesonic I just bought, but with its specific Space Helmet - Dart Vader-like case :


And its genuine ESA 942711 module:


The "honeycomb"/stripes of the genuine ESA 942711 module:


WARNING! Pay attention to the fake Spacesonics proposed recently on Ebay: the fake cases simply would not fit any of the ESA 9315 or 942711 LCD modules, thus they are presenting some cheap Chinese LCD modules, without the "honeycomb" aspect of the ESA LCDs, like the following Chinese example with an AM/PM indicator!!!
https://www.ebay.com/itm/304300196557
Best regards,

[cybr]

So, as my 3rd Catena Spacesonic LCD watch, it will compliment the unique (until now!) CATENA (not Carena!) MULTIFACETED Crystal Chronograph Space Helmet/Darth Vader-like Helmet- Spacesonic 1977 watch, with an ESA 942711 LCD module watch...

spacesonic_1a.jpg

as one may see below on my previously posted slide:

similarity_spaceman_star_wars_small.jpg

Regards,