Scott Crossfield: A New Chapter In the History of the GMT-Master has been discovered....

The Complete History Of The Rolex GMT-Master

Rolex X-Files

...Rolex Supersonic Coolness...

Scott Crossfield
1921-2006

Record Setting U.S. Navy Test-Pilot

The Right Stuff

First Pilot To Fly @ 
Twice The Speed Of Sound 

Rolex GMT-Master

With this story, another previously undocumented chapter is being added to The Complete History of The Rolex GMT-Master.  I have been working on this story for many years, and I am so excited to finally publish it. This story is of particular significance as it provides yet another previously missing piece of the Rolex GMT-Master History Puzzle in the role it played in Rolex's Conquest of Space, as we see on Scott Crossfield's wrist in the photo below.

Scott Crossfield was an American Naval Officer and test pilot and was the first of twelve pilots who would fly the North American X-15, which was an experimental spaceship that was cooperated by NASA and The United States Air Force.  In 1953 he became the first to fly at twice the speed of sound. Ironically he passed away in a crash at the age of 84.

Albert Scott Crossfield was born on October 2, 1921 in Berkeley, California. Scott served in the U.S. Navy as a fighter pilot and flight instructor during World War II. After the war he attended the University of Washington's where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 1949, and in 1950 gained his Master degree in Aeronautical Engineering. Scott Crossfield was the first of twelve X-15 Pilots and  In the photo below we see Scott standing in front of his X-15.

Scott Crossfield joined the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) High-Speed Flight station as an aeronautical research pilot. NACA was later renamed 'NASA Dryden Research Center', and today is named the Neil A. Armstrong Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base.

Crossfield flew many different experimental aircraft in tests at Edwards Air Force Base including the X-1, XF-92, X-4, X-5, Douglass D-558-I Skystreak as well as the Douglass D-558-II Skyrocket.

Chuck Yeager

In order to understand Scott Crossfield's achievements let's put things in perspective by taking a look at the context surrounding his world. We must begin by looking at General Chuck Yeager who was the first man to break the speed of sound barrier in 1947.

The photo below shows Chuck Yeager in his X-1 Airplane when he flew into the history books as the first man to fly faster than the speed of sound, and he was wearing his trusted Rolex Oyster when he set this remarkable record.

The photo above is cropped from the photo below which is mind-boggling if you click on it and check out the detail. It was taken in 1947 and is a photo of Chuck Yeager haulin' in his X-1.

Chuck Yeager was a big Rolex fan and he sent in the photo below to Rolex in Geneva in 1954.

First Pilot to Break Break Mach 2

Scott Crossfield was the first pilot fo break the record for flying at twice the speed of sound back in 1953. 

In the photo below we see Scott Crossfield with the Douglas D-558-II Skyrocket (front, center), with his support team: two North American F-86 Sabre chase planes and the Boeing P2B-1S Super-fortress mothership, at the NACA High Speed Flight Station, Edwards Air Force Base, California, 1 January 1954. 

In the zoomed in version below I think I see Chuck Yeager is standing closest to the Skyrocket. You are seeing the precursor to NASA which was NACA.

Scott Crossfield is picture below on November 20, 1953 just after he flew his Douglass D-558-2 Skyrocket into the history books when he flew it twice as fast as the speed of sound.

The video footage below showcases Scott Crossfield record setting Skyrocket flight in 1953.

North American X-15

As previously mentioned, Scott Crossfield was the first of a dozen X-15 test pilots. He was also the Chief Engineering test pilot for North American and played a huge role in the development and design of the North American X-15. Crossfield flew a total of 14 of 199 total X-15 flight tests and he reached Mach 3 (2,290 MPH). 

"I am an aeronautical engineer, an aerodynamicist and a designer. My flying was only primarily because I felt it was essential to designing and building better airplanes for pilots to fly."

—Scott Crossfield

Scott Crossfield designed the X-15 along with many of its innovative features. He first flew the X-15 on June 8, 1959, which featured an unpowered glide from 37,550 feet and he then landed it successfully. The X-15 was unusual as it featured skis in the back as part of the landing gear.

In the next photo below discovered by Nick Gould we see Scott Crossfield attending an event for the Society of Experimental Test Pilots on October 8, 1959, and notice he is wearing his Rolex GMT-Master.

In the video below shot on September 17, 1959 we witness Scott Crossfield's second X-15 flight, which was the first powered X-15 test flight.

Scott Crossfield's Number 2 X-15 is pictured above and below on November 5, 1959 after it cracked in half during an emergency landing at Rosamond Dry Lake, which is approximately 10 miles (16 Kilometers) southwest of Edwards Air Force Base in California. At the time of the crash the X-15 was still partially loaded with propellant fuel. 

Neil Armstrong

Scott Crossfield is pictured below on February 9, 1961 at Edwards Air Force Base with two other famous X-15 pilots: On the far right we see noted X-15 pilot Neil Armstrong who would go on to become the first man to set foot on the moon aboard Apollo 11, in 1969. In the middle we see U.S. Air Force Pilot, Major Robert White. Just 2 days prior, on February 7, 1961 Robert White has set a new record in the X-15 of 2,275 MPH.

The next two photos show Scott Crossfield recieving the Harmon Trophy Award from President Kennedy at the White House in Washington D.C. on December 1st, 1961.

Below is a U.S. Air Force 1960 X-15 Annual Report video presentation given by Scott Crossfield on September 15, 1961 which is absolutely fascinating. Notice Scott Crossfield is wearing Rolex GMT-Master in the video presentation!!!  

Pete Knight

The second man we need to explore in order to best understand Scott Crossfield's achievements is X-15 Pilot, William J. "Pete" Knight who is pictured below in front on an X-15.

I first became aware of Scott Crossfield more than a decade ago when I was researching my seminal story I wrote on Supersonic Speed King, Pete Knight. Notice in the third paragraph of the letter below, Rolex U.S.A. President, Rene Paul Dentan mentioned Scott Crossfield.

Former Rolex U.S.A. President, Rene-Paul Dentan is pictured below in a photo from 1980, which appears courtesy of S3C Private Collection.

Pete Knight to this day holds the speed record for level flight when he flew into the history books in 1967 when he piloted his X-15 at Mach 6.7. Pete Knight's X-15 he set the all-time record in was painted with a special abatement white to keep the spaceship cooler when it reentered the earths atmosphere. The X-15 was the precursor to the Space Shuttle.

Pete Knight wore his Pepsi Rolex GMT-Master when he set the all-time speed record for level flight, and we see it pictured above in an exclusive photo. Today, this watch resides in Rolex's Private Museum Collection in Geneva. Pete Knight is pictured below in his later years wearing his beloved Rolex Pepsi GMT-Master which he wore his entire life.

The Right Stuff

Scott Crossfield was one of the key characters in the 1983 movie, The Right Stuff and was played by Scott Wilson.

Special Thanks to Nick Gould (@niccoloy) and Philip from Moon Watch Universe for their invaluable contributions to this story.

Rolex Super Coolness: William J. "Pete" Knight The Fastest Man That Ever Flew

...The Complete History Of The Rolex GMT-Master...

Rolex X-Files

Rolex Hypersonic Coolness: William J. "Pete" Knight

U.S. Air Force Test-Pilot & Astronaut

1929-2004

The Fastest Man That Ever Flew

Set All-Time Speed Record Flying an X-15 at Mach 6.7

Wearing a Pepsi GMT Master [Reference 1675]

This is an amazing Rolex history story you won't find anywhere else, filled with images that are exclusive to this story. I have been working on researching this story for many years and I am really excited to finally share it with you!!! This story has all the exciting science-fiction elements of Buck Rogers, but this fascinating story is not science fiction. It is all real!!!

You may have noticed, at the top of story, there is a title named "The Complete History Of The Rolex GMT-Master." Essentially, this is the first chapter I am presenting in this series, but it does not have a chapter number because I have not figured out what chapter it will be.

Many of the stories I have written in the past are renowned for giving you an inside perspective on Rolex. Rolex is a very private company and they have a code of silence which is rarely ever been been broken. In this story, we will learn how amazing Rolex Director, Rene-Paul Jeanneret was and how he deserves credit for being the father of the tool watch.

America's First Spaceship

The Hypersonic North American X-15

The early experimental research aircraft involved in the United States X-Plane program were the precursor to the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo missions, which ultimately put a man on the moon. Much of the technology developed in the X-Plane program paved the way for the development and implementation of the NASA Space Shuttle.

It is important to point out that the X-15a Spacecraft was the first that was able to leave the Earths atmosphere and actually fly out into space. Once the X-15 was out in space it could no longer use its wings to control movement in the vacuum of space, so it would switch over to using thrusters, much in the way the Space Shuttle does when it is docking with the International Space Station.

Note: Almost all the images in this story are high resolution, so you can click on them to see much more detail.

This story not only represents one of Rolex greatest historical achievements, but also one of mankind's greatest as well, and it begins with a U.S. Air Force Test Pilot as well as NASA.

William J. Knight was nicknamed as "Pete" Knight, and to this day he holds the all-time speed record for level flight at Mach 6.7 which is 4.250 Miles Per Hour or 7,274 Kilomters Per Hour.

Just to be clear on what I mean when I say "Pete" Knight holds the all-time record for level flight, I am specifically referring to a single person in a winged aircraft who is actually flying the aircraft in level flight. This classification does not include several people riding on a Saturn rocket to the Moon or gliding back to earth on a Space Shuttle.

Knight achieved this in a X-15-a Test Airplane on October 3, 1967 above the Nevada and California desert and landed successfully at Edwards Air Force Base, and yes, you guessed it, he set this all-time speed record for level flight in a winged aircraft while wearing his trusted Pepsi Rolex GMT-Master.

William J. Knight was a U.S. Air Force Test Pilot as well as an Air Force Astronaut. The X-15 program ran from 1960 until 1967. The X-15 program years represent the nexus between purely atmospheric winged flight and space flight. The X-15 Airplace where Hypersonic meaning they could fly faster than Mach 5 which is 5 times the speed of sound.

Neil Armstrong

Another Notable X-15 Test Pilot

Neal Armstrong was a U.S. Navy and NACA/NASA test pilot in the X-15 program and his pictured below in 1960 standing in front of an early X-15 which he tested. Of course, Neal Armstrong is most famous for being the Mission Commander for the Apollo 11 Moon landing mission which was the first to land on the moon on July 20, 1969.

Almost a decade after the photo above was taken, on July 21, 1969 at 2:56 GMT, Neal Armstrong was the first man to walk on the moon, and when he climbed out of the Eagle and stepped down the ladder of the lunar landing module, Neil Armstrong uttered the famous words:

"I'm going to step off the LEM now. That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." –Neil Armstrong (Apollo 11)

The above photo of Neil Armstrong is one of the few photographs of him that was taken during his EVA on the Moon. One of the important facts to take into consideration before you continue reading this story, is that everything in this story occurred before any men walked on the moon.

The Hypersonic X-15 Experimental Spacecraft

The X-15 planes were made by the U.S. company named North American. The X-15 were rocket-powered aircrafts that were also spaceplanes and they were part of the X-series of experimental aircraft. The X-series began with the Bell X-1 that Chuck Yeager flew in 1947 when he set the record for being the first pilot to fly faster than the speed of sound. Of course, Chuck Yeager was wearing his trusted Rolex Oyster Perpetual when he set that record.

In the photo below we see the Hypersonic X-15 attached to a customized B-52 Bomber Airplane by attaching it to a pylon under its right wing. The B-52 would take off and once it got to altitude, it would release the X-15 and it would take off on its mission.

In the photo below we see the X-15 just after it has been released from the B-52. This is an amazing photos and my favorite detail in this photo is that you can see the helmet of the X-15 pilot, which makes it seem that much more real.

In other words, in typical photos of the X-15, as with photos of the Space Shuttle, you typically never see the pilot, so the aircraft looks like a bird or an insect, but in this shot, since you see the pilots helmet, it gives you a very realistic sense of scale and dimension.

In the photo below we see an early photo of William "Pete" Knight wearing his special high-speed suit.

William Knight joined the United States Air Force in 1951 and when he was only a Second Lieutenant, in 1954 he flew a F-89 at the National Air Show and won the coveted Allison Jet Trophy.

In 1958, William Knight was transferred to Edwards Air Force Base in California where he became a test pilot for the F-100, F-101 Voodoo, and F-104 Starfighter. Later he was also a test pilot for the T-38 and F-5 test programs.

In 1960 William Knight was selected as one of only six test pilots for the X-20 Dyna-Soar program. The Dyna-Soar was positioned to achieve the first winged orbital space vehicle that was capable of lifting reentries as well as conventional landings. In 1963, after the X-20 program was cancelled Knight completed his Astronaut training cirriculum at Edwards Air Force Base and was chosen to by a test pilot for the North American X-15 program.

William Knight is pictured below with his wife and two older sons in front of an early X-15.

Rene-Paul Jeanneret, was the Director of Rolex and is credited with being the father of the Rolex Tool Watch. Rene-Paul Jeanneret was an SCUBA diver as well as a big fan of modern flight and he was also responsible for giving many of the up and coming U.S. Air Force test pilots Rolex GMT-Master watches. Since William J. Knight was one of the top U.S. Air Force pilots Rolex gave him a Pepsi GMT Master and we see the original receipt for the watch below.

The recent photo below is of the actual Pepsi Rolex GMT Master that William J. Knight wore when he set the all time speed record for level flight at Mach 6.7.

The photo below is of the actual C.O.S.C. certificate for the historically significant Rolex GMT Master.

This next image below is from the dated envelope for the letter send from Rene-Paul Jeanneret in Geneva, Switzerland to Major William J. Knight.

Here is a vintage 1968 Rolex ad on the subject of the Concrode Supersonic Jet that was test piloted by Brian Trubshaw that Rene-Paul Jeanneret mentioned in his letter above.

This next letter is from Rolex U.S.A. director, Rene P. Dentan. Rene P. Dentan was born and raised in Swtizerland and attended the University of Launsanne is Switzerland and went on to have a 45 year career with Rolex. Rene first moved to New York to join Rolex U.S.A. and worked his way up to become President and Chairman Emeritus of Rolex U.S.A.

The Record Setting White X-15a Hypersonic Spaceship

The X-15A that William Night set the all-time Hpyersonic record in was different than the previous standard X-15 in the sense it had a special white coating on it as seen below.

The photos in this series of the white X-15A were taken by the U.S. Air Force of the actual record setting event that occurred on October 3, 1967.

In the last two images and in the one below we see the X-15a attached to the B-52 as it reaches the proper altitude.

In the next images we see the X-15a with its rocket starting up. In order for the X-15a to achieve the world record for hypersonic speed, it had two special fuel tanks underneath that would help it get up to record-breaking speed, and you notice them below.

In this next image we see the X-15a as it has taken off on its own.

William Knight wrote a letter to Rene-Paul Jeanneret at Rolex just after his record setting flight and said:

"I finally flew on October 3, 1967 to a speed of 4,534 mph (7,269 kph) or Mach 6.72, and all systems functioned properly with the exception of some local heating damage on the lower ventral. I have been wearing my Rolex GMT-Master for a period of months now and have calibrated it to within a few seconds a day."

"Made A Career Of Challenging The Impossible" –President Johnson

Here is a newspaper clipping that shows President Johnson awarding William Knight the Harmon International Aviation Trophy back in 1967.

In many of the images in this story, including the one above, we see William Knight wearing his trademark Pepsi Rolex GMT Master, and in the photo below we see the engraving on the back. Apparently the engraver had a dyslexic moment and interposed the last two digits of the year.

In other words, it was supposed to read, 1967, but they engraved 1976. When William Knight noticed the mistake, he thought it was funny and decided to leave it with the wrong date. The photo below is of the actual Rolex GMT Master he wore when he set the all-time speed record at Mach 6.7 on October 3, 1967.

After a very long and distinguished career in the U.S. Air Force, William J. Knight became a California State Politician and started in the California State Assembly and then he went to serve as as California State Senator in the California State Senate.

William J. Knight wore his trademark Pepsi Rolex GMT Master until he passed away in 2004 at 75 years of age. His actual Rolex GMT is picture below and it has to be one of the most historically distinguished Rolex watches in the world.I hope you enjoyed this magnificent piece of Rolex, NASA, and U.S. Air Force piece of history, but I am far from done on this subject. In the future I will be exploring much deeper into the Rolex/NASA/U.S. Air Force history with some really exciting, fascinating stories and photos.

On a side note, I must admit, despite the fact I am 44 years old and I was born and raised in the United States, prior to beginning my research on the history of the Rolex GMT Master, I had a very cloudy understanding of the history of NASA and aeronautics. For instance, if you had asked my what the difference was between project Mercury, Gemini and Apollo, I would have had no idea.

From my personal perspective, researching and publishing this story and the other NASA stories has given my a much clearer understanding of this amazing history. In the future, of this series named "The Complete History Of The Rolex GMT Master" I plan to tie together the entire history of Aeronautics from the Wright Brothers up to Chuck Yeager breaking the sound barrier, through the X-15 program, the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs, up through SKYLAB, the Space Shuttle, and the International Space Station.

I believe that in the following years, once I tie all this fine history together, it should give readers a crystal-clear understanding of this amazing history that every informed world citizen should be aware of.