The First African American Amputee Master Diver
Some of you may have heard of the national hero and inspirational figure that is Carl Brashear. He is looked up to by so many people as in the face of adversity he proved everyone wrong, widely known as one of the 20th centuries US Navy Heroes. The sadly departed navy diver had to overcome his amputation, defy many racial tensions thrown his way during his training and career and push through his disability in order to become the first African American and first amputee Master Diver in the U.S. Navy’s history.
Carl Maxie Brashear was born in 1931 and lived an incredible life until he passed away in 2006. Mr Brashear managed to dig deep and gain the determination and persistence he needed to be able to reach the highest possible rate (Master Chief Petty Officer) for Navy personnel. He had to battle some of the hardest obstacles but these were both mental and physical. His race played a huge part in his struggle to strive however he persevered through and proved to everyone that an African American man born on a sharecropper’s farm in rural Kentucky with only the most modest amount of education can reach inspiring achievements in their career. This however was not his greatest challenge, in 1966 he unfortunately had to have his left leg amputated just below the knee due to an injury in a salvage operation.
The Navy decided that after the injuries Mr Brashear received from this accident it would be in his best interest to retire him from active duty, however he refused and vowed not to submit to this decision but instead to fight it. To set about diving in private until he could provide solid proof that he was still able to excel despite his disability. After years and years of hard work he managed to qualify as a Master Diver which is an incredible feat under any circumstances and definitely something no black man had accomplished before.
Oris Carl Brashear Chronograph Limited Edition
Oris have recently announced that they are producing a model in his honour. This is actually the second limited edition watch made to honour this national hero. The watches case is made from bronze and the dial features a two counter chronograph. The stunning case of this Oris divers watch is 43mm in width and 1.693 inches thick, made from a multi-piece bronze with a bronze scale top ring which surrounds the sapphire crystal domed sided glass with an anti-reflective coating. On the case back is a special engraving which is screwed down to the watch to ensure premium water resistance.
The watch features an automatic winding chronograph with an oris 771 base SW 510 27 jewel movement. It has centre hands for the hours minutes and chronograph with an additional 2 subsidiary dials for continuous seconds and 30 minute counter. Winding the watch will rotate a red rotor which when fully wound will power the watch for approximately 48 hours at 28,800 vibrations an hour. The dial is a beautiful deep blue and the hands are coated with superluminova with light (old radium).
The watches bracelet is quite simple in design but really allows the full focus of the watch to be the blue dial which pulls your attention in. The bracelet is a dark leather strap with a bronze buckle and it also comes with in a luxury special limited edition case which is limited as is the watch to only 2000 models worldwide.
