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William E. Thornton's twice-flown Seiko A829-6019 (SMGG11) Astronaut Sports 100 alarm chronograph watch, carried on both of his Space Shuttle missions: STS-8 and STS-51-B. The caseback is stamped as serial no. 333524, and annotated in black felt tip by Thornton, "Flown S. 8 + 51B."
Introduced in the early 1980s, the Seiko A829 was an advanced digital sports watch distinguished by its rotating mode-selection bezel, allowing the wearer to select functions without repeatedly cycling through pushers. Features include 12/24-hour time, calendar, second time zone, alarms, hourly signal, chronograph with split timing, countdown timer, counter function, illuminated display, Hardlex crystal, and 100-meter water resistance.
Thornton, a physician and biomedical researcher selected by NASA in 1967, flew only twice, making this watch a companion on his entire spaceflight career. His first mission, STS-8 aboard Challenger, launched August 30, 1983, and became the first Space Shuttle mission to launch and land at night. During the six-day flight, Thornton conducted extensive biomedical studies of the crew’s adaptation to weightlessness, particularly involving the nervous system and space adaptation syndrome, using equipment he had helped develop.
He carried the watch again on STS-51-B/Spacelab 3, also aboard Challenger, launched April 29, 1985. The seven-day mission supported a broad scientific program in life sciences, materials science, fluid mechanics, atmospheric physics, and astronomy, with Thornton again playing a central role in biomedical investigations. Together, his two flights totaled more than 313 hours in space.
Untested and in very good to fine cosmetic condition, with expected wear and scuffing from use. Accompanied by an original color 10 x 8 blue-numbered NASA photo of Thornton conducting a biomedical experiment during STS-8, this style of watch clearly seen on his wrist.
An exceptional twice-flown personal timepiece directly associated with one of NASA’s pioneering physician-astronauts and two important early missions of the Space Shuttle Challenger.
From the William E. Thornton Collection.
