Watches are often viewed as nothing more than decorative pieces of jewelry or collectible accessories nowadays, but they are capable of much more than just looking pretty or telling the time. Watches have played an instrumental role in rescuing astronauts in distress, saving lives, and even solving murders. Read on for three amazing, real-life tales about watches.
Omega Speedmaster Professional: 14 Seconds Between Life and Death
There’s a good reason why the Omega Speedmaster is considered the most iconic watch of all time by so many watch lovers. Not only does the model have a timeless design, but as the official timepiece of NASA, it has experienced its fair share of adventure. From being the first Omega in space on the wrist of Walter Schirra and joining the first American spacewalk with Ed White to the Moon landing in 1969, the watch has experienced numerous unforgettable moments. However, the Speedmaster’s biggest moment happened in 1970, during the Apollo 13 mission. The crew was due to land on the Moon, but 55 hours, 54 minutes into the spaceflight, more than 185,000 miles from Earth, an oxygen tank in the Odyssey spacecraft exploded. Landing on the Moon was no longer in the cards, and the mission goal became returning astronauts Jim Lovell, Fred Haise, and Jack Swigert home safely. In order to conserve energy for the life support system, all the spacecraft’s electrical circuits, navigation computers, and clocks had to be switched off, bar the radio. However, this is when the Omega Speedmaster stepped into the limelight: It was used to time a rocket burn for re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere. While Jim Lovell and Fred Haise manually steered the space shuttle, Jack Swigert timed a precise, 14-second burn with his Speedmaster to right their course.
The maneuver was successful and the Apollo 13 crew made a safe landing in the Pacific, where they could be recovered and brought home. The Apollo 13 mission was declared a successful failed mission, and remains one of NASA’s finest moments. The Omega Speedmaster Professional was instrumental in saving the lives of those three astronauts. In fact, NASA acknowledged the key role the watch played by awarding the luxury watchmaker from Biel the prestigious Silver Snoopy Award. This award is reserved for people or companies that have made a significant contribution to the success of a manned space mission. If you’ve ever wondered what Snoopy has to do with the Speedmaster, well now you know.
A Lifesaving Watch: The Breitling Emergency
Watches with special functions are often viewed rather skeptically in the luxury watch world. When you look at the Breitling Emergency, it’s kind of understandable. The watch has a very strange appearance due to its massive 51-mm case that is completely overwhelmed with functions – to such a degree that it’s almost comical. However, if I were of the adventurous type, this is a timepiece I’d want in my collection. All joking aside, the Breitling Emergency can save lives. The watch is equipped with a dual-frequency distress beacon in the lower half of its case. As soon as the emergency antenna is pulled out, it sends an alarm signal for at least a 24-hour period, no matter its location. Are you lost on land, at sea, or in the air? In the freezing cold or scorching heat? No worries. This watch will ensure help is on its way. Rescuers are able to quickly locate the lost parties by tracing their last known location.
When helicopter pilots Steve Brooks and Hugh Quentin-Smith had to make an emergency landing in the bitter cold of Antarctica in 2003, they managed to get into their lifeboat and activate Brooks’ Breitling Emergency. Just a few hours later, rescue teams located the wrecked pilots and brought them to safety. This happy ending wasn’t the model’s only shining moment. To date, the Breitling Emergency has contributed to the rescue of dozens of individuals. The 43-mm timepiece that saved the day in 2003 is no longer the most up-to-date version of the watch. You can opt instead for a brand-new version of the life-saving timepiece.
Convicted: The “Rolex Killer”
Albert Johnson Walker, aka the “Rolex Killer,” was a Canadian conman. After the high school dropout made millions from scams, he fled to England, where he started a new life as David W. Davis. There, he worked as a TV repairman with business partner Ronald Joseph Platt. When Platt realized his lifelong dream of immigrating to Canada with his wife, Walker requested he leave all his vital documents such as his birth certificate and driver’s license behind for company records. In truth, Walker was planning to steal Platt’s identity and continue living in England under the name Ronald Joseph Platt.
However, the real Platt didn’t find success in Canada and decided to return home to England with his wife in 1995. Now there were two Ronald Joseph Platts living in England – a problem for Walker. Thus, the conman decided he would do away with the real Platt. During a fishing trip on July 20, 1996, Walker murdered his friend and threw his body overboard. When fishermen found the corpse two weeks later, it was unidentifiable due to the time that had passed. However, Platt’s watch, a Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date, was still on his wrist, and proved key to solving this mystery. Thanks to the water-resistant watch’s 48-hour power reserve and date display, police were able to determine the exact time of Platt’s death. But even better still: The serial number of the watch enabled investigators to find the owner of the watch and identify the body. Thanks to Ronald Joseph Platt’s Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date, Albert Johnson Walker was convicted and sentenced to life in prison.
