What meaning can time have for the man who, by breaking the wall of sound, became the fastest man in history?
Speed, risk, intuition and precision are the coordinates that have marked the life of Charles Elwood “Chuck” Yeager, as well as his connection to time and clocks.
The fastest man in the world
Who was Chuck Yeager? How did the legend of this flying hero, considered the most legendary pilot of all time, come about?
Charles Elwood (known as Chuck) Yeager was born in Myra, West Virginia, on February 13, 1923.
From an early age, Chuck has accompanied his father, an accomplished mechanic, to the gas fields to repair generators and engines. He does not dream of becoming a pilot, but he is passionate about mechanics.
When World War II begins, Chuck spots the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) non-commissioned officer pilot recruitment notice: it is his only chance to become a sergeant and he applies. Although not a college student like other cadets, Chuck has an innate sense for flight, exceptional eyesight and a unique ability to “feel” engines: he is drafted and becomes a test pilot.
Skilled, aggressive and competitive, Chuck quickly makes his mark. After passing the pilot course he becomes flight officer of the P-51 Mustang fighters. His talent for flying is immediately evident, thanks to his natural instincts and exceptional twenty-tenths vision, which enables him to spot the target (and thus the enemy) well before anyone else.
During the war, he managed to survive a shoot-down in enemy territory, returning safely to the American base in England under the incredulous eyes of his comrades.
No one has accumulated more flight hours than Chuck.
General Ascani recalls that “he was the only pilot I had ever flown with who gave me the impression that he was an integral part of the nacelle, that he was so in tune with the plane that he was more like an autopilot than a man.“
On February 26, 1945, Yeager married Glennis Dickhouse, with whom he had four children.
Due to the countless hours of flight time accumulated and incredible mechanical skills, Chuck was chosen as the first pilot of Bell’s experimental aircraft “X-1,” intended for experiments to break the wall of sound. This was considered an almost impossible feat: civilian pilot Chalmers “Slick” Goodlin, before him at the helm of the X-1, had demanded a disproportionate amount of money to carry out the mission, in view of the very high risks involved, thus going so far as to give it up.
Yeager, however, does not fly for money: the sky, speed and the sound of engines are simply his greatest passion, a reason for living. In addition, he loves impossible challenges: he is aware that the first pilot who succeeds in breaking the wall of sound will go down in history, right alongside the Wright brothers. This, moreover, would be the first step toward the space missions that the Air Force was developing to take the military into space.
The X-1 did not take off, but was dropped like a bomb from the “mother” aircraft, a B-29, from 7500 meters. Preparation required physical tests similar to those required to go into space, directed at testing the limits of human endurance under gravitational weight and at maximum altitudes.
Chuck volle chiamare l’aereo – senza chiedere il permesso alla Bell, che non la prese bene – “Glamorous Glennis“, in onore della moglie, considerata il suo portafortuna.
It was October 14, 1947, when, at only 24 years old, Chuck became the first man to break the wall of sound aboard the Bell X-1 experimental airplane at an altitude of 13,700 m in the Mojave Desert.
Not only that. The exceptional feat was accomplished by Yeager with two broken ribs, following a horseback riding accident two days earlier with his wife: for fear of being excused from the mission, Chuck said nothing to anyone, merely asking his friend and engineer Jack Ridley to help him, with a piece of broomstick, to close the Bell X-1’s nacelle hatch, which, due to pain, he could not even pull toward himself.
The flight produced frightening thunder, exceeding Mach 1 (over 1225 km/h).
At the behest of the government, the feat was kept under wraps; in December 1947 Aviation Week magazine broke the news; it was not until June 1948 that the record was officially confirmed by the Air Force and President Truman awarded Chuck the Collier Trophy, exploding Yeager’s fame.
Later, Yeager flew the Lockeed F-104 Starfighter, called the “missile with a man in it,” the Boeing B-47 Stratojet mega bomber as well as even a Soviet Mig.
Abandoning his career as a test pilot, Yeager took command of combat squadrons in Germany, Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War, and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Due to his excellent achievements, he was promoted to the rank of air brigadier general.
Chuck Yeager’s incredible life was the subject of a film, titled “The Right Stuff,” in which he himself took part, with a brief cameo in which he plays a bartender at “Pancho’s Place,” the bar in the Mojave where pilots spent (in revelry) their free time. In this regard, Yeager wryly commented how this was the role best suited to him because “If I calculated all the hours I spent there during those years, it would be more than I spent in a cockpit.” Instead, the role of the legendary pilot was played by actor Sam Shepard.
Today’s fighter pilots use sophisticated aircraft equipped with electronic calculators that can indicate all flight parameters, technology makes it possible to reduce risks and predict possible failures; in Chuck’s time none of this was possible. As he states in his autobiography, “A Life in the Sky,” despite being a brave and ambitious pilot, “I was always afraid of dying, always. It was fear that made me learn as much as I could about airplanes and make me fly respecting the machine.”
Rolex and Chuck Yeager: a love story
Rolex’s history has always been linked to records, and its timepieces have often witnessed legendary feats led by men and women who changed history by crossing the Pillars of Hercules marking the hitherto known limits.
These include the swimmer Mercedes Gleitz, who in 1927 completed the English Channel crossing with a Rolex Oyster on her wrist, which remained in excellent condition despite more than 10 hours in the water; another example is the “king of speed” Sir. Malcolm Campbel who, 1935, behind the wheel of the Bluebird-and wearing a Rolex watch-established at Bonneville Salt Flats, in the U.S. state of Utah, a record of 300 mph (or 485 km/h) over land.
Between 1924 and 1935, Sir Malcolm broke the world speed record nine times, including five at Daytona Beach, Florida. Again, New Zealander Edmund Percival Hillary, who in 1953 was the first man to reach the summit of Mount Everest wearing a Rolex Oyster Perpetual on his wrist.
Rolex’s list of “testimonial” heroes, therefore, could not fail to include Mr. Supersonic, the man who first broke the wall of sound, setting the tone for future aerospace missions.
It is almost a natural choice for Rolex to use the bold, fearless and appealing image of Chuck, referred to as “a man among men” for advertising the GMT Master II cd. Pepsi, with blue and red bezel, often worn by the pilot during his flights but also, in suit and tie, for conferences and television appearances.
The connection with the crowned house is a common thread in the life of Chuck, who has worn on his missions to the limits of human endeavor a Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariner “Big Crown” in steel, Ref. 6538. This reference, introduced in 1955, took the place of the previous 6200, to which it is distinguished by a new caliber (1030) and, as the nickname (Big Crown) suggests, an oversized winding crown. It is a single time without date, a complication that was not introduced in the Submariner until the 1960s with the reference 1680.
A legendary watch, also nicknamed “James Bond Submariner” because it was worn by Sean Connery in the 1962 film Dr. No.
The Rolex GMT Chuck Yeager
When people talk about “GMT Chuck Yeager,” however, they are referring to the model created to celebrate the anniversary of the breaking of the wall of sound. In 1997 The Real McCoy, a Japanese clothing brand, customized 50 Rolex GMT Master, Reference 16700, which immediately became a collector’s item.
This Rolex GMT, 40 mm case, bears Chuck Yeager’s name on the dial, in red above the initials (in white) “GMT-Master” and “The Real McCoy’s.”
The caseback on some models bears an engraving of the Bell X-1 supersonic airplane, the date of the feat (Oct. 14, 1947), and, of course, the name of General Yeager and Real McCoy’s; in other models the airplane engraved on the caseback is the P51, flown by Chuck during World War II.
Some models feature the 24-hour bezel entirely in black, others the classic red/black GMT “Coke” version.
A truly successful example of branding an already legendary watch, paying tribute to the greatest pilot of all time.
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