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, le il y a 18 années et 9 mois.
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Allez on se force un peu à lire, [xxxxxxx Edit Calmos : merci de ne pas en remettre une couche xxxxxxxx]
Westland G-ACAZ, G-ACBR and 4 Rolex Oysters.
Dear watchfriends, to put back things in perspective, Mercedez Gleitze swam the Channel in 1927, Rolex had launched the Rolex Prince in 1928 and on mai 16 1933 Wilsdorf had the Perpetuel movement patended. The Perpetual movement was the result of Emil Borer ‘s (Rolex master watchmaker) hard work on an original idea from Abraham Louis Perrelet who actually invented the automatic movement in its primitive form in 1770 (was it him).
In1933 Edmund Hillary, John Hunt and Tenzing Norgay were still kids… and the first flight over the Everest was about to take place.* At the time the most refined airplane technology was used to create the Westland PV3 and the Westland PV6 aircrafts that were equiped with the best engine available – the 525hp Supercharged Bristol Pegasus.
Yet with the Everest, as with the moon 36 years later, there was one great unknown for wich no one was able to cater : no one knew if, on the night, so to speak, some factor unforseen and unsuspected might not precipitate disaster.The 1933 "Houston-Mount Everest" expedition, financed by Lady Houston the "protagonist of aviation", was aimed to put 2 Westland biplanes (specially built prototypes) some 6 miles up into the air above the Himalaya.
The biggest questionmarks existed at the time regarding the behaviour of downdraughts and the upcurrents caused by wind deflection, and the stamina of the human frame in such demanding conditions. And though less of a mystery though intensive pre-testing, completely predictable performance could not be guaranted from aero engines (engine oxygen?), fuells, oils, bearings, photographic equipment, crew oxygen supplies, watches etc when their environement was the 120 degrees of frost that existed at flying heights of 33 000 feets and more.
All the ingredients of a great human adventure were there to attract Hans Wilsdorf interest in the experiment and as he just had patented the Perpetuel movement this would be great Rolex publicity with a worldwide echo.Airmen had dreamed of flying over the Everest for years but the principal obstacle had always been lack of sufficiently powerful engine. In 1933, however, such an engine existed at last : the Bristol Pegasus supercharged just realeased the year before by the Bristol Aeroplane Company. The Pegasus supercharger was an absolute must for the Everest flight as would be a Rolex Oyster never tested on a human wrist at such an altitude.
To come back to the engine, since 1927 increase in this means of maximizing cylinder charge by pressure had permitted the doubling of aero engine hp ratings, and in fact only an engine with this brand of boost could have hoped to cope with the altitudes Everest involved.
At the time, a supercharged engine possessed at 29 000ft (the eight of Everest) half the power of take off at sea level (while an ordinary naturally aspirated engine pocessed only about 27%.)
The maximum possible performance was also sought in the fuel to power the Pegasus, togeteher with buil-in protection against freezing, specific oil etc.
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Hans Wilsdorf was even more interested with this adventure because both the Westland PV3 and the PV6 were private venture aircrafts. The PV3 was registered G-ACAZ while the PV6 was registered G-ACBR, both planes measured 34 ft long with a 46.5 ft wingspan, they were both capable to climb 15 000 ft in less than 14mn and combined a top speed of 163mph with a relatively low landing speed of 59mph.
Once the aircraft were chosen 2 questions arose: cockpits and pilots?
For various technical reasons it was decided that the (front) pilots cockpits would remain open but fitted with large triplex glass windscreens while the back cockpits would be closed to protect the observers and their cameras. All these experiments were to please Hans Wilsdorf because trying and testing and improving was 100% Rolex philosophy.One of the rare pictures remaining of the Westland PV3 G-ACA
The pilots and observers would also wear experimental electrically heated suits, oxygen masks, rubber-soled sheepskin flying boots with heavily wired and cumbersome gaunflets and Rolex Oysters.
The pilots finally chosen were Sqn Ldr Clydesdale to fly the PV3 and Flt Lt D. Macintyre to fly the PV6, they would be scouted, helped and observed in the air by 3 other less powerful and less equipped airplanes a Puss a Fox and a Gipsy.
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Clydesdale and Macintyre had to wait about 3 weeks in Purnea until the wind velocity and visibility over the Everest turned suitable. Then, on sunday, 2 april 1933, the signs appeared encouraging for an attempt next day according to local Indian astrologers and air reports from the 3 smaller planes of the expedition.On monday 3 the 2 crews, Clydesdale and his observer Col Blacker and Macintyre and his observer, the Gaumont British news cinematographer SR Bonnett clambered into their cockpits. A packet of "Everest Air Mail" was handed up, the throttles were opened, the huge Pegasus engines bellowed out a mighty roar and both aircrafts took off.
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At 19 000 ft, 35mn flying time away from Purnea the dust haze finally cleared out and both planes emerged into transluscent air where, on his right, Blacker saw Kangchenjunga gleaming brilliant white against the sparkling azure sky.A few minutes later at minus 60° celcius Blacker threw back the roof of his cockpit and started to film the chiselled outlines of the mountains. They were 2’30 minutes away from the top of the Everest when a furious air current seized the Westland and thrust it down 1500ft. This was just the sort of crisis in which all depended on the Pegasus engine. The boosted engine soon took the Westland climbing once more untill at 10h05 on that monday april 3 1933 pilot Clydesdale and observer Blacker saw the roof of the world passing 500 ft beneath them.
Blacker was now suffering quite severly from the effects of altitude. He panted and gasped as he exposed the plates and films, with his vision blurring as he man-handled the various cameras into position.
Clydesdale made another circuit of the peak until after about fifteen minutes Blacker noticed his oxygen pressure dropping. Clydesdale decided to head the Westland away from the Everest. Together Macintyre and Bonnet air craft passed over the Everest at about the same time, Clydesdale landed is plane back at Lalbalu.
The expedition was a complete success that 3rd of april.
The flight has so exulted both pilots and observers that they were unable to give an articulate report of their experience for some hours.
On tuesday 4, both Wetlands took of again with 2 different pilots, Air Cdre PFM Fellowes and Flg Off RCW Elison.
Fellowes failed to cross the summit due to lack of oxygen, his mask was such a bad fit that he forgot which course marked on his map was the right one to get him back safely to Lalbalu. Lost, he finally reached Shampur and landed there, he then took of again but was forced down once more at Dinajpur because of an empty fuel tank. He finally was rescued the following day by the other expedition members.
Ellison succeded over the Everest and returned safely to Purnea with better pictures that will later allow to draw the first Everest map.
The prime aim of flying over the Everest had been accomplished, in 1933, Everest and the virgin regions south of it were only roughly marked on maps. Survey strips filmed on the second Everest flight enabled accurate maps to be made of an area of 20 miles long and just under 2 miles wide, in which he terrain could be scrutinised in formerly unattained detail.
The pictures shown here are very valuable because the 2 planes did not get deserved attention after the fantastic flight and returned to obscurity when the expedition ended . One of them became the test bed of some various Bristol engines and was finally dismantled, the aircraft manufacturer already had founded all its hope on monoplanes. The other Westland was stripped of its Everest extras and became just another military aircraft.*Hans Wilsdorf received this letter dated June 12 1933:
Dear Sir,
I have the great pleasure in informing you that the Rolex watches supplied to this expedition were extremely satisfactory in every way. The conditions under which they were used involved a passage of a few minutes of a sun temperature of something like 180°f down to a cold of -41°c, which is equivalent to over 70° of frost.
I can hardly imagine that any watches have ever been subjected before to such an extreme under practical conditions.
In spite of all this the watches continued to work with the utmost accuracy. I was unable to detect of even as much as a minute at any time in the case of my own. In addition to the extremes of heat and cold, your watches had to contend with very permeating dust, great humidity, and the proximity of powerful electric currents. Not the slightest fault.Yours faithfully,
Colonel Blacker.
I hope you enjoyed this part of History, I do think that afficionados really deserve (demand) to be aware of Hans Wilsdorf exceptional vision and how he helped building some of the most extraordinary human heroic acts at the begining of last century.
The first plane ever flying the Everest.
Bon, Philip, je crois que nous sommes sur un forum FRANCOPHONE !
Même si je lis plutôt bien l’anglais, ça n’a rien à foutre ici.
Hommage à Hillary, OK.
Prosélytisme Rolex baltringue, non.
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Un bon chien vaut mieux que deux kilos de rats.- *Philip* a écrit:
- Allez on se force un peu à lire
Allez, force-toi un peu à traduire, Shakespeare !
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Des fois on se demande, mais des fois on est sûr. Goethe- *Philip* a écrit:
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- Ratkiller a écrit:
- Bon, Philip, je crois que nous sommes sur un forum FRANCOPHONE !
Même si je lis plutôt bien l’anglais, ça n’a rien à foutre ici.
Hommage à Hillary, OK.
Prosélytisme Rolex baltringue, non.
Tu as raison,ça n’a rien à foutre ici. Interessant ton quizz…
- *Philip* a écrit:
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- *Philip* a écrit:
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- Ratkiller a écrit:
- Bon, Philip, je crois que nous sommes sur un forum FRANCOPHONE !
Même si je lis plutôt bien l’anglais, ça n’a rien à foutre ici.
Hommage à Hillary, OK.
Prosélytisme Rolex baltringue, non.
Tu as raison,ça n’a rien à foutre ici. Interessant ton quizz…
C’est quoi cet extrêmisme horloger, on a pas le droit à un peu de fun sur ce forum d’après toi ?
Bon pour éviter que ça tourne au lynchage… que ça soit pour la langue, l’origine de la montre automatique, ou l’empilement de réactions aux réactions, je cadenasse.
Par ailleurs, si ça provient d’un ouvrage, d’un site, … il est toujours bienvenu de citer la source. Si vous me la faite parvenir, je corrigerai le post.Steyr
Ce texte est une compilation que j’ai faite à destination d’un forum anglo-saxon.
Les sources en sont les suivantes : Brenda Ralf (Rolex Londres Février 1978) et la
Royal Geographical Society. de Londres. Est ce que cela semble assez sérieux pour FAM?"Prosélytisme baltringue"? depuis 20 ans je recherche et j’archive avec parfois comme en 2004 le plaisir d’offrir à Rolex des documents qu’ils n’avaient pas (ou plus).
Quant à Mahone, ce qui le gène en réalité c’est la contradiction appuyée par des documents… et sûrement que cela vienne de qq qui possède un peu plus de montres que la moyenne. Il s’en défendra mais c’est très sûrement mon sentiment.
Pour finir je dirai que je suis le premier à dire à Rolex que depuis 2000 leur design (moderne) est à c…. et que l’influence de leur nouvelle chef designer aura à terme des conséquences négatives pour la marque.
Je suis également le premier à dire qu’avant de balancer toutes les énormités qu’on peu lire sur une marque il faut d’abord faire un minimum de recherche. Si non c’est, comme bien souvent,…. du vent.ah ouais quand même …..
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À mes groupies énamourées : mes photos dédicacées sont en cours de réimpression
merci pour cette mise au point philip.
tu avais juste ballancé un peu brutalement le morceau ; morceau fort intéressant du reste.
[ xxxxx Edit Calmos : HS et provocateur ]
J’espère que tu vas resté parmi nous. 
- *Philip* a écrit:
- Quant à Mahone, ce qui le gène en réalité c’est la contradiction appuyée par des documents… .
Tiens une Pub du Père Noël
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Dés que tu viens au monde tu te prends une claque.
En entrant dans le monde tu te reprends d’autres claques
Tu gravis quelques échellons et tu en prends un peu moins
Arrive un jour ,où tu te trouves dans l’air rarifié des sommets et tu n’as plus la moindre idée de ce qu’est une claque
Bienvenue dans le système ,petit!Eddie Temple.
bonjour philip je ne met pas en doute ta bonne fois et ton travail de recherche, mais il peu y avoir des loupés, souvient toi de "l’affaire du faux grossier" qui a déclenché un énorme patacaisse.
pour l’éverest quel intérêt que ce soit seiko smith ou rolex, cette maison à écrit tellement de page de l’horlogerie qu’elle n’a pas forcément besoin de ce bonus.Trop fort!!!
Thomas qui se fout royalement de Rolex….
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Le temps, dit-on, ne vient qu’une fois, mais on dit aussi qu’il faut avoir le temps de l’attendre
Léon Batista Albert
ça nous manquait un type comme toi,MAIS ,
dans ton long article in english, et sauf si j’ai pas été assez attentif quand je l’ai lu,il me semble qu’il ne ressort pas clairement,qu’une Rolex était au poignet d’Hillary losqu’il a atteint le sommet de l’Everest,
s’il apparait bien tout le soutien et l’enthousiasme de Hans W. pour cet exploit, que des alpinistes lors d’expéditions précédentes étaient équipés de Rolex , notamment celle qui a échoué à 200 m du sommet ,
j’ai rien lu en revanche qui infirmat ce que prétend mahone ….
si tu pouvais m’extraire simplement la phrase ou le paragraphe ,ou toi, tu lis que Rolex était au poignet d’Hillary, je t’en saurais gré car ça m’éviterait de me retaper la lecture de tout l’article .
maintenat, pépégui, il a peut-ère la solution: en vérité, Hillary avait embarqué ces DEUX marques lors de son succès en haut de l’Everest :
l’une au poignet et l’autre dans une poche !
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