On The Wrist Of History

THE ROLEX GMT-MASTER HAS PLAYED A PROMINENT ROLE IN SEVERAL OF HUMANKIND'S MILESTONES. WE TAKE A LOOK AT ITS HISTORY.

- FARHAN SHAH

NOT MANY KNOW THIS, but Rolex has been an active participant in several space missions. Astronaut Stuart A. Roosa wore his own GMT-Master during the Apollo 14 mission. But, another GMT-Master wrapped tightly on the wrist of another astronaut, Jack Swigert, played a huge role in Apollo 13's safe return to earth.

Swigert was never meant to be on that shuttle. But he got the call two days before the launch, as a late replacement for the original command module pilot, Ken Mattingly. The latter had been accidentally exposed to rubella, or German measles, and had to be grounded for observation.

As actual day preparations for the launch began in earnest, few noticed the watch on Swigert's wrist, the Rolex GMT-Master. Dear to his heart, it was his good luck charm.

The capsule containing Swigert and the other astronauts splashed safely down in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and Fiji on 17 April 1970. The GMT-Master, albeit with a slightly cracked case, emerged from the metal cavern as Swigert climbed out of the hole. Today, that watch is with Geneva, together with a note addressed to then-Rolex director René-Paul Jeanneret ("To my longtime friend Rene Jeanneret who enabled me to always be on time") and a signed photo of the Apollo 13 splashdown.