Ww2 radium watches12/24/2023 ![]() 60466E, an impressive hacking, 17-jewel in-house caliber with frosted gilding and an anti-magnetic dust cover inspired by the JLC movement from the Mk. This 35-millimeter watch featured the Smiths cal. 0434E or 27CS (center seconds) movement (watches are stamped 27CS on the movement, but the Smiths catalog referred to them as the 0434E, making for some confusion).Īnother Smiths military watch, not to be confused with the 6B/542 issue, is the W10, and it has the distinction of being the last serially-produced wristwatch made entirely in England for the MoD in the late 1960s/early 1970s ( see our past in-depth coverage here). The Smiths variant, generally produced under the “Smiths DeLuxe” line and also referred to as the “General Service” watch, featured the Smiths in-house cal. The watch went through several iterations, including a later version with “G.S.” (General Service) on the dial, which was evidently issued to non-military government personnel. Early Hamilton versions featured the non-hacking 75s movement, while the later versions featured a hacking S75S movement. Image courtesy of Analog Shift.Ī similar model was also produced by Hamilton and Smiths. These watches featured the Omega caliber 283 complete with a Faraday cage for anti-magnetic protection. Occasionally, tritium dials are seen with thin arrows, which appear to be a rarer variant of the watch, as Omega was likely using spare dials that had not yet been lumed. Omega produced this watch in 1953, and examples are generally referred to either as the “Omega 53,” or as the “Thin Arrow” or “Fat Arrow” (originally, dials were produced with radium lume and a thin broad arrow, but these watches were later recalled and swapped for tritium dials on which a thicker broad arrow was painted). In the early 1950s, the MOD drew up the 6B/542 spec, which called for a 36mm, stainless steel-cased, manually-wound watch with a matte black military-type dial with white numerals. These IWCs were finally decommissioned in 1981. 89s were returning often for service for the same reason, subsequently updated their newer 89s with Incabloc shock protection. The JLC version was eventually discontinued in 1953 and later decommissioned due to its inadequate shock protection, and IWC, realizing that their original Cal. 89, widely lauded as one of the best three-hander movements produced by any Swiss firm, and it was subsequently used in numerous civilian dress watches. The IWC variants utilized the famous Cal. 488/SBr, which was a chronometer-grade movement that later saw use as the basis of the 1958 JLC Chronométre Geophysique. 11 were eventually issued to the RAF, FAA (Fleet Air Arm), RAAF (Royal Australian Air Force), RNZAF (Royal New Zealand Air Force), and several other units. Images courtesy of Analog Shift.īoth versions of the Mk. Early versions featured radium lume, with later versions featuring tritium denoted with a circle “T” on the dial. Cases were expected to be waterproof to 20 feet and acrylic crystals were held together via a retaining screw to prevent detachment during decompression. Movements were specified to be central-second, 12-ligne Swiss calibers with 36-hour power reserves and a daily rate variation of no more than +/- 4 seconds. The dials have Arabic numerals from one to 12 (later, the 12 became a triangle) and minute markings in white, with the exception of the cardinal, lumed graduations at three, six, and nine. These watches had stainless steel cases measuring 35-36 millimeters with long lugs and (generally) fixed strap bars, antimagnetic Faraday cages, and matte black iron dials. This spec was designed in the immediate aftermath of the War as a new, highly accurate navigation watch for issue to pilots by the MoD, and was in use from 1948 through 1981-quite a run for an issued timepiece. ![]() 11 and produced by Jaeger LeCoultre and International Watch Company. One of the most iconic of perhaps all issued military watches is the 6B/346, commonly referred to as the Mk. ![]() In Part 2 of the British installment of our series, Military Watches of the World, we are going to examine the wristwatches issued to HM’s forces from the post-WWII period through the Vietnam War era. ![]()
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