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Please take this ONLY as an intellectual challenge, since I DO NOT have ANY insights about this theory from ANY major watch company mentioned below!
Everyone knows that this is the weekend when Star Wars saga will have a new start.
As a big fan of good SF literature and (some) of the movies related to SF field (I was very young when I saw the first movie of the Star Wars saga in my country), I am looking forward to see it, hoping that I will not be disappointed
But, preparing myself for this mixed expectations from the new movie, I've realized that some of my favorite watches DESIGN (aka genuine vintage Catena related Spaceman watches of any brands), may be inspired not from the Moon landing of 1969 or other big Space Age achievements, as many collectors (including me) believed for many years, but from some famous movies from the same SPACE AGE...
So I start a little research on my own and now I have my own "working hypothesis" :
I. Even if the first oval "Spaceman" series of watches was advertised as being related to the Moon landing (pls see the Catena advertising in the picture below), their design started in the early of 1969 (or even in 1968 - based on some unreliable sources), after the Premiere of the “2001:A Space Odissey” movie
(Premiere April 2, 1968, USA).
Sources:
1. Unreliable sources - claiming an 1968 work starting for the new design:
http://www.zeno-watch.ch/history/Histor ... ceman.html
http://icloud-nine.tumblr.com/post/6541 ... -and%C3%A9
2. More reliable sources claiming a later starting of the new design:
http://forumamontres.forumactif.com/t45 ... audacieuse
http://doensen.home.xs4all.nl/c16.html
i). The Pieter Doensen's book "WATCH. History of the modern wrist watch.", the ultimate source of information about the 1970-1980 digital watches claimed that:
"1969 - After the launching of the first space-vehicles (n.r. not clearly specifying that it was before OR after the moon landing), the owner of Catena Bulle Switzerland, Claude Lebet and the director Francis Bourquin ask André Le Marquand to create a range of watches of a totally new design. The result is an edition of four series of watches in 1972 and 1973, nearly all inspired by an astronaut's helmet. This watch is also sold by Tressa Lux, Fortis, Jules Jurgensen, Octo, Zeno Watch, Harlem and others. On December 11th 1969 the design is registered in the USA under no. 20.466 and a patent application is filed on February 10th 1970, in Switzerland."
Thus, the design of the first Catena Spaceman watches may have started BEFORE the Moon Landing ?!?.
So, in this case which REAL "Space Age event" was the source of inspiration for the Helmet-like design?!?
How about one of the most successful SF movies of all time, the "2001:A Space Odyssey", as one may see in the below picture/schematics that I have prepared:
I really hope that one may see (in the picture above) the similarities between the Space Odissey Helmet and the first design of the Spaceman watches, regarding:
- general/color design (color at least for some of the first watches)
- specific inverted trapezoid glass/window with rounded corner (while the Moon landing astronauts helmets had clearly a spherical shaped glass/window)
- metal rounded bezel/emulating the base of the helmet etc
II. But the most interesting part came when we talk about the latest (1977) and also the rarest Digital Spaceman watches, launched in the late 1977, months after the first "Star Wars" movie was launched
It seems, even if we speak here about a major designer watch, that it was quite inspired from the Darth Vader Helmet
Even the same important book author, Pieter Doensen, stated that:
"1977.
The fourth series contains two LCD watches. Strap and helmet shaped case made out of dull chromium plated steel. The dial is grey or black.
14 Chronograph.
15 Very futuristic model named 'Spacesonic'. Also sold by Limit International
(Hirst Brothers & Co. of Great Britain). ."
But what contemporary real astronaut helmet may be considered similar to this design ?!?
The only famous real "Space Age" OR Science Fiction related helmet that may seem fit with this design is the Darth Vader's Helmet from the first “Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope” (Premiere 25 May 1977, USA), launched months before the first Spacesonic watches have appeared on the market :)
as one may see in the image below:
I am looking forward for Your opinions about the above theory of mine.
Anyway, I am prepared with the proper vintage T-shirt, the proper Spaceman watch and not so much expectations from the movie itself
, for the Premiere of the movie in my country, that by the way will be very close with my birthday :)).
Best regards to You all,![Nikolaus :nikolaus:](./images/smilies/nikolaus.gif)
![Smile :-)](./images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)
Everyone knows that this is the weekend when Star Wars saga will have a new start.
![Nikolaus :nikolaus:](./images/smilies/nikolaus.gif)
As a big fan of good SF literature and (some) of the movies related to SF field (I was very young when I saw the first movie of the Star Wars saga in my country), I am looking forward to see it, hoping that I will not be disappointed
![Smile :-)](./images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)
But, preparing myself for this mixed expectations from the new movie, I've realized that some of my favorite watches DESIGN (aka genuine vintage Catena related Spaceman watches of any brands), may be inspired not from the Moon landing of 1969 or other big Space Age achievements, as many collectors (including me) believed for many years, but from some famous movies from the same SPACE AGE...
![thinking :scratch:](./images/smilies/scratch_head.gif)
So I start a little research on my own and now I have my own "working hypothesis" :
![Smile :-)](./images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)
I. Even if the first oval "Spaceman" series of watches was advertised as being related to the Moon landing (pls see the Catena advertising in the picture below), their design started in the early of 1969 (or even in 1968 - based on some unreliable sources), after the Premiere of the “2001:A Space Odissey” movie
(Premiere April 2, 1968, USA).
Sources:
1. Unreliable sources - claiming an 1968 work starting for the new design:
http://www.zeno-watch.ch/history/Histor ... ceman.html
http://icloud-nine.tumblr.com/post/6541 ... -and%C3%A9
2. More reliable sources claiming a later starting of the new design:
http://forumamontres.forumactif.com/t45 ... audacieuse
http://doensen.home.xs4all.nl/c16.html
i). The Pieter Doensen's book "WATCH. History of the modern wrist watch.", the ultimate source of information about the 1970-1980 digital watches claimed that:
"1969 - After the launching of the first space-vehicles (n.r. not clearly specifying that it was before OR after the moon landing), the owner of Catena Bulle Switzerland, Claude Lebet and the director Francis Bourquin ask André Le Marquand to create a range of watches of a totally new design. The result is an edition of four series of watches in 1972 and 1973, nearly all inspired by an astronaut's helmet. This watch is also sold by Tressa Lux, Fortis, Jules Jurgensen, Octo, Zeno Watch, Harlem and others. On December 11th 1969 the design is registered in the USA under no. 20.466 and a patent application is filed on February 10th 1970, in Switzerland."
Thus, the design of the first Catena Spaceman watches may have started BEFORE the Moon Landing ?!?.
So, in this case which REAL "Space Age event" was the source of inspiration for the Helmet-like design?!?
How about one of the most successful SF movies of all time, the "2001:A Space Odyssey", as one may see in the below picture/schematics that I have prepared:
first_spaceman_similar_odisey_1968_small.jpg
I really hope that one may see (in the picture above) the similarities between the Space Odissey Helmet and the first design of the Spaceman watches, regarding:
- general/color design (color at least for some of the first watches)
- specific inverted trapezoid glass/window with rounded corner (while the Moon landing astronauts helmets had clearly a spherical shaped glass/window)
- metal rounded bezel/emulating the base of the helmet etc
II. But the most interesting part came when we talk about the latest (1977) and also the rarest Digital Spaceman watches, launched in the late 1977, months after the first "Star Wars" movie was launched
![Surprised :o](./images/smilies/icon_surprised.gif)
It seems, even if we speak here about a major designer watch, that it was quite inspired from the Darth Vader Helmet
Even the same important book author, Pieter Doensen, stated that:
"1977.
The fourth series contains two LCD watches. Strap and helmet shaped case made out of dull chromium plated steel. The dial is grey or black.
14 Chronograph.
15 Very futuristic model named 'Spacesonic'. Also sold by Limit International
(Hirst Brothers & Co. of Great Britain). ."
But what contemporary real astronaut helmet may be considered similar to this design ?!?
The only famous real "Space Age" OR Science Fiction related helmet that may seem fit with this design is the Darth Vader's Helmet from the first “Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope” (Premiere 25 May 1977, USA), launched months before the first Spacesonic watches have appeared on the market :)
as one may see in the image below:
similarity_spaceman_star_wars_small.jpg
I am looking forward for Your opinions about the above theory of mine.
![Very Happy :-D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
Anyway, I am prepared with the proper vintage T-shirt, the proper Spaceman watch and not so much expectations from the movie itself
![Crying or Very sad :cry:](./images/smilies/icon_cry.gif)
Best regards to You all,
![Nikolaus :nikolaus:](./images/smilies/nikolaus.gif)
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Every watch should have its own story...consequently, a watch collector has to be a good storyteller :)