In our Fratelli Stories series, we share some of the amazing and interesting behind-the-scenes stories from readers around the world. Today we talk to Robert Eames, a lover of all kinds of watches and an interesting backstory. Certain vintage Seikos have a special resonance for him.
Fratello reader Robert Eames wrote to me after I published an article about the Seiko 5 I took with me to Asia. Thanks to Rob for sharing more details about his lifelong passion for Seiko watches.
Rob is a humble man who has led an incredibly fascinating life. This includes working on a Navy ship recovering rocket boosters for the NASA Columbia mission. This seems like a great job. I spoke with Rob and thanks to his generous input, we had the following story.
I got my first Seiko as a graduation gift.
Henry Black (HB): Rob, tell us about your first Seiko.
Robert Eames (RB): “Your Firstseiko” could be the name of a regular column here. Watches that share adventures are the best, but watches that mark a time in your life or watches that are a graduation present are all meaningful. My first Seiko was a high school graduation gift and my first proper watch. It was a 1975 7009-8100 with a navy blue dial, bracelet, and faceted crystal. The year I received this watch, I was wearing it in a Polaroid photo taken from the prep school on graduation day at Hebron Academy in 1976.
I didn’t do wrist shots back then. Otherwise, it will be obvious that it is a Seiko. The year I graduated from the academy was not a good year for finding a job. I was registering at my school’s career center when I got a call from Anker Rasmussen, who told me he was the operations manager for United Space Boosters at Kennedy Space Center. Two days later I was on a plane for the beginning of an amazing work adventure.
Pushing the limits with Seiko
HB: What happened to this watch?
RE: I wore that watch for four years of training at maritime school, then my first job out of school at Kennedy Space Center, and a few years in Boulder, Colorado, where I fell in love with competitive cycling. In 1985, while I was training alone, a serious accident changed everything.
I ended up coming to Boulder, Colorado to ski in the winter and ride my bike in the summer. I was all about road biking and loved riding at high altitudes. Despite the abuse it puts on my wrist during long rides, under the cuffs of ski jackets, and during high-altitude hikes, I’ve never had a single issue with this watch. I always wore it everywhere.
It only served me well when I was out in the mountains, but I missed it when I didn’t have it on my wrist. Then the day came when it accompanied me on my final ride. I was pretty devastated by the accident and my bike probably had scratches from when the police loaded it into their car to take it back to the office for safekeeping. However, the watch was broken. There was no alternative at that time. I couldn’t find it in my local store, so I bought a Seiko Sport 100 quartz diver, but it died after the second battery change. They assured us it was okay to swim with them, but it wasn’t.
Valrod Gulch Trail 412 “The Wall” — Image: MTB Project
Dancing with Death on “The Wall”
HB: It seems like something is going in the wrong direction… What happened?
RE: I got out of the saddle to climb a steep hill known as The Wall and my front wheel fell off. I didn’t remember anything. I was flown by helicopter to an emergency hospital, and 20 hours later I woke up with over 400 multi-layered closures on the right side of my face and jaw. The surgeon was a miracle worker. I didn’t need a helmet, but I had bought one early for winter riding. Because the helmet was warm. Perhaps that’s why I didn’t die. But my watch shattered into pieces. Strangely, my bike was fine. The first thing I said when I woke up was, “Where’s my bike?” Next, I asked about watches. If it was in a plastic bag, or if the bracelet, crystal, or needle had worn-out and missing parts.
A life full of adventure with reliable Seiko
HB: Oh, wow, this sounds like a terrible accident. What happened next?
RE: They asked me who was the president, and I said Reagan. He wasn’t. I suffered a severe concussion. A few years later, when eBay happened, I found another 7009-8100 in NOS condition. It’s not my greatest or favorite, but it does remind me of a part of my history. I have to say that the quick setting day-date ruined a lot of my subsequent vintage watch experiences.
In 1981, I graduated from the Maine Maritime Academy with a Bachelor’s degree in Nautical Science and, to the surprise of many, passed my Coast Guard license exam on the first try. Many of the exam questions that year were revised, so only 10 of my 60 classmates passed on the first try. My job in Florida wasn’t all that high profile, but I was a second officer on one of the ships that recovered spent rocket boosters from the first three launches of the Space Shuttle program. . It was a bit of a PR dream come true, so I met with a few VIPs and astronauts and gave them a tour of the bridge. Sure, other people had Omega Speedmasters and watches from other brands on their wrists, but my Seiko’s funky faceted crystal grabbed attention and started conversations.
Time spent with NASA and the Omega Speedmaster
RE: That’s why I had to replace my first Seiko. When it came to an end, it was thoroughly worn out. The watch didn’t save my life, but it was a meaningful part of a great time. Everyone should own a Seiko early on. I have over 20 of them now, but I just bought a stainless steel case Seiko Champion 850 Alpinist, which has been on my list as a holy grail watch for decades. I always thought the dial had a Grand Sector type design and typography. It’s amazing how a well-used Seiko watch from the 1960s and 1970s, despite having no service history, continues to keep accurate time.
While at NASA, I was briefed on chronographs by engineers and several astronauts. My trusty Seiko was checked daily on the ship’s chronometer and maintained +6 to 8 seconds per day. If I’m on a bridge at sea, I use a sextant to photograph the scene at noon and double check my location with satellite navigation. Seiko incorporated some ribbing into the faceted crystal, but it held up well despite numerous steel handrails and waterproof hip ports. No one on the plane wore a Speedmaster, but it was my original holy grail watch. A few years later, I bought a 1982 Speedmaster 145.012 with box and papers to commemorate my time there. I had been there for three missions and was ready for the next adventure.
Using Seiko with a naval sextant
HB: Has Seiko helped you in your work?
RE: At that time, I was using a Seiko while honing my sextant skills. My father also graduated from the same school in 1943 and enlisted as an alternate for the draft. He used two sextants as a first mate during World War II, crossing the Atlantic and back, as well as on one trip to the Solomon Islands.
During our time at the Academy, we all spent at least 90 days training as cadets aboard a working Merchant Marine. I worked on a 1,300-foot fully automated ultra-large crude oil carrier called the TT Stuyvesant. I ran from Valdez, Alaska to Puerto Almuerez, Panama twice. Prince William Sound was amazing and had countless whales and killer whales. During my second stay in Panama, Captain Franklin P. Liberty arranged for me to travel through the Panama Canal on another American ship. It was a very good experience. After experiencing the thrill of sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge on the largest ship entering the bay at the time, I disembarked in San Francisco. \
Aboard the UTC Liberty
HB: Rob, tell us a little more about your naval career. Retrieving rocket boosters sounds like an interesting job!
RE: Well, the UTC (United Technologies Corporation) Liberty was my first ship as a licensed deck officer. I sailed as a second mate under Captain James Bond – no lie. This photo shows a ship on a training mission with a rocket booster frustum being delivered and brought on board. However, there was a parachute to deal with first. The booster shown is 140 feet long, and the diver dives with an air hose that pumps enough air for the booster to rise and collapse. A small cherry-picker crane was attached for a return trip to Port Canaveral, through the locks to the Banana River, and back to Hangar AF’s home base at Kennedy Space Center. UTC used us for public relations. We had an amazing cook in the galley who served lunch on board for VIPs, astronauts, etc.
A life of adventure and UTC Liberty
HB: So, Rob, it sounds like it’s a time of great adventure for you.
RE: Well, in between Space Shuttle missions, the spaceship was doing some freelance work. I was fortunate enough to be hired just in time for a special naval operation laying cables off the coast of Andros Island in the Bahamas for three months. We attached a boat to carry and lay the cable and headed north to our hometown of Portsmouth, New Hampshire to lay the cable. While there, I went to the police station with the captain to do the necessary security checks. My father, who became a veterinarian after the war, was a well-known figure in our small town, so it was a bit of a talking point. They then departed for the island of Andros, where the planes flew over at night in the absence of light and dropped bales and bundles of illegal drugs onto the island.
There was a small US naval base there, and we were instructed not to leave the base grounds. When we weren’t laying cables for things like submarine navigation check systems, we were making jokes to ourselves (this is classified and more of a guess). At Harumi, he often took the helm and controlled the 176-foot vessel with twin diesel throttles. But there was also some great snorkeling and decent spearfishing at the pier where we anchored, and there were plenty of conch. My favorite memory of the watch is when we were underwater and the shiny metal was attracting a 6-foot-tall barracuda, and a sailor pointed at my watch so I could take it off and shove it in the trunk. That’s what I agreed to do. It looks much bigger underwater.
lover’s journey
RE: I also went back to school in Colorado to study graphic design, paid my way through the advertising industry, and then turned creative as a designer at Levi Strauss & Co. As our final activity, we shifted gears to planning the interior space centered around the kitchen. And bathroom design. I have lived in some special places and am now retired and looking to come full circle to be closer to family and old friends.
I have other watches and am an avid vintage collector. I love the 34mm three-hander. Nivada’s Antarctic models are popular and Arshuddin Bilimoria features more than 20 models in his Nivada books. I am also interested in a collection of about 200 watches, including early Omega Seamaster models, EPSA compressor case watches, sports watches, diver’s watches, and chronographs. My latest find is a 34mm 1974 Rolex Date 1500 with a Sigma dial. I wore the watch on a 1976 78350-A solid link Oyster bracelet.
HB: Rob, thank you for sharing your amazing story with us at Fratello!
