Rolex X-Files
James Lovell
Belongs To The Ages
1928-2025
NASA Apollo Astronaut
Explorer Club Medal Award
It is with deep regret I report the passing of James Lovell, who was one of the most accomplished and beloved NASA Astronauts who depended on Rolex to keep the time of this life for 6 decades. This article offers a historical overview of many of Lovell's lifetime achievements.
Explorer Club Medal Award
My pal, David Concannon, who among other things is a fellow Rolex fanatic of the highest order, sent in some great photos from the Explorers Club in New York that show legendary NASA Astronaut James Lovell at a special luncheon in his honor, that took place before the awards ceremony that presented Captian James Lovell with the Explorers Club medal back in March of 2018. In the photo below we see James Lovell, David Concannon and Mike Massimino who was a U.S. Space Shuttle Astronaut.
David Concannon is a lawyer who specializes in exploration, and he is also an avid explorer himself, having spearheaded many submarine expeditions to visit and explore the Titanic in its watery grave. David is also famous for having helped Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon with his special project to recover all the Apollo F-1 engines.
Another Rolex Mystery Solved
David Concannon took this close-up wrist shot of James Lovell's Pepsi GMT, and notice on the left side of the dial, there is a U.S. Naval Academy Crest. Another Rolex mystery has been solved, and the mystery question was: "Where did James Lovell get this interesting Rolex with the unusual Naval Academy Crest."
David Concannon just solved that mystery and the answer is that James Lovell confirmed that his Rolex was a gift from the Naval Academy to honor him after his first Gemini Flight.
Apollo 8 crew members Bill Anders and Frank Borman are pictured below on the left wearing their MA-1 flight jackets, which became the standard issue for the U.S. Air Force and Navy Pilots, and ground crew. These flight jackets were designed to be worn in temperatures of 15 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit and featured a knitted wool collar with matching cuffs.
James Lovell who was a fighter pilot and test pilot in the U.S. Navy is pictured below with fellow Apollo 8 crew members, Bill Anders and Frank Borman. Notice James Lovell is wearing the exact same Rolex GMT Master in the photo below, as in the photos above.
In the photo below we see James Lovell on the far left wearing his Pepsi Rolex GMT-Master standing with Apollo 8 crew mission members, Bill Anders and Frank Borman in front of their Apollo 8 Rocket. Frank Boarman is pictured wearing a classic Omega Speedmaster Chronograph, which is very cool.
In the photo below we get a closer look at James Lovell's GMT-Master.
Real Astronauts & Test Pilots Wear Rolex
NASA Rolex Coolness: Captain James Lovell
[Pepsi GMT-Master On A Rolex Jubilee Bracelet]
Just in-case you are new to Jake's Rolex World, I will give you some detail on why this first photo is so profound. As most people know Omega was chosen to be the official watch of NASA during the Apollo program, but the really strange thing, is that years ago, when I started digging through the NASA Archives, I kept finding photos of Test Pilots as well as NASA Apollo Astronauts wearing Rolex GMT-Master watches to the Moon and back!!! Of course, I was shocked at first, but not surprised!!!
Recent Kennedy Space Center Photo Of NASA Apollo 13 Mission Commander James Lovell Wearing His Vintage Pepsi GMT Master
James Lovell is a member of the 50 Years wearing a Rolex Club, and from what I have observed, he wore it for at least 59 years—minimum, but more than likely wore it over 7 decades.
Real Astronauts & Test Pilots Prefer Pepsi
And An Occasional Mocha And Lacoste Alligators
One thing led to another and I found out that many, many of the Apollo astronauts were not only wearing their personal Rolex GMT-Master watches to the moon and back, but in their personal lives. So far, I have documented the following NASA Astronauts wearing Rolex Watches:
- Chuck Yeager of Edwards Air Force Base was first to break sound barrier in 1947 while wearing a Rolex Perpetual Oyster.
- William Knight of Edwards Air Force Base Fastest manned flight of Mach 6.7 (4,250 Miles Per Hour ins X-15 which is nearly 7 times the speed of sound) in 1967.
- Scott Carpenter of Mercury 7.
- Walter Schirra of Mercury 8, Gemini 6A & Apollo 7.
- Michael Collins of Gemini 10 & Apollo 11.
- Jack Swigert of Apollo 13 (Wore to Moon).
- James Lovell was a U.S. Navy Test Pilot and went onto NASA to participate in Gemini 7, Gemini 12, Apollo 8 & Apollo 13 (Pictured Above).
- Stuart Roosa of Apollo 14 (Wore to Moon).
- Dr. Edgar Mitchell of Apollo 14 (Wore to Moon).
- Alan Sheppard of Mercury 3 & Apollo 14 (Worn On Cape Canaveral & Possibly To The Moon).
- Ronald Evans of Apollo 17 (Wore to Moon).
- Eugene Cernan of Gemini 9A, Apollo 10 & Apollo 17 (Worn Outside Space Suit and Possible To The Moon).
- Dr. Leroy Chaio (Wore on 3 Space Shuttle Missions and while Commander of the International Space Station Expedition 10).
The list above is not complete, and I am aware of more Rolex Moon Watch history which I will be publishing in the future. I also intend to do a future series named "The Complete History Of Rolex Watches In Space" which will tie everything together and give a holistic overview of this fascinating subject.
Below we see an image of James Lovell with Buzz Aldrin, of Apollo 11 fame, taken on November 23, 1966 at the Gemini XII post-flight press conference, taken at the Manned Spaceflight Center located in Houston, Texas, and we see Lovell rocking his Pepsi GMT-Master.
In this next image below, we see a younger NASA Apollo 13 Mission Commander, James Lovell speaking with his Apollo 13 mission astronaut, Jack Swigert who is wearing his Pepsi Rolex GMT-Master in the photo. James Lovell is picture second from the left wearing the light blue Lacoste polo shirt with an alligator on it. Jack Swigert is on the far right.
In the photo below we see Apollo 13 Mission Commander, James Lovell with his fellow Apollo 13 flight crew members, Fred Haise and Jack Swigert during their Steak & Eggs breakfast as they prepare to leave for the moon.
Jack Swigert was born John Leonard Swigert on August 30, 1931 and passed away on December 27, 1982 at the young age of 51 years old. Jack was a test pilot, aerospace engineer, and U.S. Air force pilot before becoming a NASA Apollo Astronaut. Jack is one of only 24 astronauts who flew to the moon. After retiring from NASA Jack ran for Congress and won but died from cancer before being sworn in to office. Jack Swigert is pictured below as he prepared to leave for the moon wearing his Pepsi GMT-Master.
Jack Swigert's Pepsi GMT-Master he wore to the moon is pictured below as he returned it to Rolex in Geneva after his mission aboard NASAs Apollo 13.
In this next photo below, we see a close-up of Jack Swigert wearing a Lacoste polo shirt with an alligator on it and sporting his Pepsi Rolex GMT-Master during the steak and eggs breakfast just before they took off for the Moon.
In the photo below we see the Apollo 13 flight team after they had returned safely to Earth. Not that Jack Swigert is wearing a yellow gold Rolex Mocha GMT on a Jubilee Bracelet. James Lovell is pictured on the far right.
In this next image we see Jack Swigert's official NASA photo and he is sporting the same yellow gold Rolex Mocha GMT-Master on a Rolex Jubilee bracelet as in the photo above.
