Pete Conrad

Apollo 12 Astronaut


Pete Conrad

1970 Rolex Day-Date

They say when it rains it pours, and Nick Gould and I have been on a tear recently discovering more NASA Astronauts wearing Rolex watches, and we have some more crazy NASA Apollo Astronaut news coming up, so stay-tuned... 

The image below shows Charles 'Pete' Conrad Jr (foreground) command pilot and Richard F. Gordon., Jr, pilot in the Gemini 11 spacecraft in the white room atop Pad 19 awaiting the final minutes of the pre-launch countdown on September 12, 1966. Liftoff was at 9:42 a.m. (EST).

The next image, seen below shows Charles 'Pete' Conrad on September 15, 1966 exiting the Gemini 11 spacecraft minutes after splashdown.

Pete Conrad took the photo below on the moon during Apollo 12 and we see him reflected on Apollo 12 Astronaut Alan L. Bean's mirrored spacesuit mask.  Bean is holding a container with lunar soil he collected during the EVA on the moon.

At the time, the Apollo 12 astronauts leased matching Riverside Gold Stingray Corvettes with black winds and red, white and blue logos above the gills. Each astronaut also had their initials painted on the car.

Today's story showcases another NASA Apollo Astronaut wearing a yellow gold Rolex Day-Date, and this time it's Pete Conrad from Apollo 12, and it was discovered by Nick Gould!! The first photo below is where Nick ID'd the Rolex Day-Date on Pete Conrad's wrist, almost hiding in plain sight. This is a deeply profound image as it shows Apollo 12's Pete Conrad with Buzz Aldrin (Apollo 11) and Neil Armstrong (Apollo 11) in Apollo James Lovell of Apollo 13's living room with James Lovell's wife, 2 daughters and mother as they watch the Apollo 13 fiasco unveiling live.

In this next photo we see Pete Conrad's official NASA portrait taken in 1971 and notice his Rolex Day-Date peaking out under his cuff.

This next photo from the NASA Archives says:

S73-24303 (May 1973) --- These three astronauts have been named by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration as the prime crew of the first manned Skylab mission. They are, left to right, Joseph P. Kerwin, science pilot; Charles Conrad Jr., commander; and Paul J. Weitz, pilot. Skylab is a three-part program consisting of one 28-day and two 56-day manned visits spanning an eight-month period. One day prior to the launch of this crew, the unmanned Skylab space station cluster will be launched and placed in Earth orbit. The first manned mission will last up to 28 days.

In these next photos we see Pete Conrad who was a crew member on Skylab 2, which was the first Skylab team to go to space and notice he is wearing his yellow gold Rolex Day-Date which matches his Skylab uniform. This photo was taken during Skylab 2 training in February of 1972.

Update: I heard from MoonwatchUniverse a

after I published this story and they confirmed that Pete Conrad was still wearing his Day-Date in May of 1973...a few days before the launch!

The video documentary from 1975 offers insight into the story of Skylab.



The next two photos were taken after Pete Conrad retired from NASA.

50Th Anniversary Apollo Moon Landing Special Announcements

Apollo 11 Astronaut


Michael Collins

Belongs To The Ages

1930-2021

Rolex Day-Date

NASA Apollo Astronaut Michael Collins passed away today at age 90. I originally published this story on July 20, 2019 and thought it was apropos to publish today. Michael Collins took the amazing photo below on July 21, 1969 that shows the Apollo 11 lunar module 'Eagle' as it returns from the surface of the moon to sock with the command module 'Columbia'.

“This trip of ours to the Moon may have looked—to you—simple or easy… All you see is the three of us, but beneath the surface are thousands and thousands of others, and to all those I would like to say, thank you very much." 

—Michael Collins, July 21, 1969

Update July 22, 2019:  Nick Gould discovered the first photographic evidence today that shows Apollo 11 Astronaut, Michael Collins wearing his yellow gold Rolex Day-Date and you can learn more by scrolling down the page:

...It doesn't just tell time

It tells History...

50th Anniversary 

Apollo Moon Landing

Coverage & Special

 Announcements

I remember when I was 9 years old having a conversation with my grandmother Marjorie Ehrlich at her flat in the San Francisco Marina. She was reflecting back on her life and she said, "It is amazing how much the world has changed in my lifetime!?!! I was born in 1897 and when I was your age in 1906, if you had told me that I would live to witness men walking around on the moon I never would have believed you!"

Today, mark the 50th Anniversary of NASA's Apollo 11 landing on the moon and I have some special news to share with you! First, I wanted to share with you that I have been working on new show I plan to launch on YouTube named, The JAKEe SHOW. I am working on a Series named "MANKIND'S GREATEST ADVENTURES". If you want to make certain to be the first to see this upcoming Rolex's Conquest Of Sapce documentary be sure to subscribe to The JAKEe Show on Youtube!!!

My first documentary is named "ROLEX'S CONQUEST OF SPACE: From Switzerland To The Moon & Beyond" as we se in the screenshot below. This series is being filmed in 4K and will offer the first real comprehensive look at Rolex's Conquest of Space.

This upcoming series will offer offer many never before seen photos of NASA Astronauts wearing Rolex watches. Since today represents the 50th Anniversary of men landing on the moon I thought I would share this exclusive photo of Apollo 11 Astronaut, Buzz Aldrin sporting his Rolex SEA-DWELLER which was discovered by Nick Gould.

The photo above of Buzz Aldrin rocking his Rolex SEA-DWELLER is exclusive to Jake's Rolex World and it is interesting to note it was taken 25 years ago at the White House during the 25th Anniversary Celebration of Apollo 11 conquering the moon which you can watch in the C-SPAN video below:




Buzz Aldrin wearing his Rolex SEA-DWELLER is a significant revelation in the sense that it means that at least 2 of the 3 NASA Astronauts from Apollo 11 chose to wear Rolex as their personal watch. Think about that for a second!?!!

The photo below is Apollo 11 Astronaut Michael Collins official NASA photo and if you look closely at his wrist you can see he is wearing his Rolex Turn-O-Graph!!

We can tell Michael Collins is wearing his Rolex Turn-O-Graph in his official Apollo 11 portrait (pictured above and below since we can see the grooves/notches on the side of the bezel, which allows the user to spin the bezel. 

Michael Collins is pictured above and below in between fellow Apollo 11 NASA Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, and in the photo below we see Michael Collins rocking his Rolex Turn-O-Graph! 

In the photo below we get a close-up shot of NASA Apollo 11 Astronaut Michael Collins wearing his Rolex Turn-O-Graph.

Michael Collins is pictured below at NASA on April 16, 1969 during centrifuge training for Apollo 11. Three short months later he would fly into the history books as part of the first team to land on the Moon and return safely to earth.

Michael Collins' Rolex Turn-O-Graph was an early model, which had a gilt dial, and it is interesting to note that these first generation Rolex Turn-O-Graph models looked and functioned similarly to a Rolex Submariner.

In the close-up photo below of Michael Collins' Rolex Turn-O-Graph, we not only see the gilt dial and hands, but also the early models of the Turn-O-Graph featured all 60 second markers on the black bezel insert. This design feature predated the Rolex Reference 5517 Milsub, as well as the Rolex DEEP-SEA, which also have this feature.

1969 Rolex Day-Date

I discovered that NASA Apollo 11 Astronaut wore a yellow gold Rolex Day-Date for 34 years, which is pictured below. The watch was recently auctioned by Sotheby's, and in the description Michael Collins mentioned he wore it for 34 years. This is such an apropos discovery as we are now celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Moon Landing!!!

The photo above and below are of Michael Collins Rolex Day-Date and we see he had an engraving of his initials. Notice the band has a "69" engraving, which means it was made in 1969.

The photo below of Michael Collins (also seen as a crop three images up) was discovered by Nick Gould on July 21, 2019 who is an amazing horological researcher. This is the first image that gives us a visual confirmation of Michael Collins wearing his Rolex Day-Date!!! This photo was taken by Charles Harrity on June 25, 1970 and show Mike Collins sitting at his desk at the State Department in Washington D.C.

Michael Collins is pictured below as he suits-up to leave for the Moon on Apollo 11.

Michael Collins is pictured below (second in line) as he and his Apollo 11 team members leave for the Moon.

The photo below shows Apollo 11 taking off to head for the moon.

...The Rolex President...

U.S. President Lyndon Johnson

Apollo 11 Lift-off

Yellow Gold Rolex Day-Date

In this next photo we see U.S. President Lyndon Johnson wearing his trademark yellow gold "Rolex President" Day-Date as he watches Apollo 11 take-off for the moon on July 16, 1969 at 9:32am EDT. U.S. Vice President Spiro Agnew is pictured on Johnson's right and Lady Bird is on his left.

Historical Note: The photo above of U.S. President Johnson is a bit ironic because he was no longer President when this photo was taken. At the time Richard Nixon was the President of The United States and he did not attend since he was paranoid the launch might fail. Instead he watched the launch live on TV from the Oval Office.

Another irony, regarding the photo above is that Lyndon Johnson was able to witness first hand, what he had helped develop at the beginning of the Kennedy administration back in 1960, when he served at the Vice President Of The United States. 

...The Greatest Newsman In History...

Walter Cronkite

The Most Trusted Man In America

Two-Tone Rolex Datejust

Apollo 11 Moon Touchdown Coverage

The image below is of major historical significance. We see Walter Cronkite on July 20, 1969 as he keeps his eyes glued to his monitor as NASA's Apollo 11 Mission touches down on the Moon for the fist time, and notice that Walter Cronkite is wearing his trademark two tone Rolex Datejust on a Jubilee Bracelet.