When the Stars Meet Bowhunting 

There are certain objects that cross through time and different worlds, from lunar dust to deep forests, without ever losing their legitimacy. The Omega Speedmaster is one of them. Known as the astronauts' watch, it was the first chronograph to step foot on the Moon during the Apollo 11 mission. But few know that it was also, symbolically, the watch of bowhunters. For before it was worn on Buzz Aldrin's wrist, it had captivated another elite brotherhood: that of the Fred Bear Sports Club.

In the fall of 1973, a singular announcement echoed from the forests of northern Michigan. The highly exclusive Fred Bear Sports Club, until then reserved for a handful of iconic outdoor figures, opened its doors to new members. Among the ten founding personalities were legendary archers, NASA trainers, small-screen celebrities… and also astronauts. Joe Engle, a space shuttle pilot, and Walter Cunningham, an Apollo 7 veteran, posed in a sepia photograph alongside Fred Bear himself, the pioneer of modern bowhunting.