Eaglemoss Military Watches Collection.

[Churchy]

MWC 82 - 1940s American Marine Corp Airman



The War in the Pacific had been a long time beginning. As far back as the early 1930s, Japan had followed an increasingly Imperialist policy, aiming to expand its territories and influence in an attempt to gain access to the raw materials that the Japanese homeland lacked, for example, the Dutch East-Indies was known to be rich in oil reserves. Australia, The Netherlands Britain and the USA had supported an embargo on any material being sold to Japan that may benefit the Japanese war machine and its expansionist policies.
Undeterred by this opposition the Japanese Generals still planned for war and their first major offensive strike proved to be disastrous for the United States, the bombing of The Naval base at Pearl Harbour had been a tremendous shock to the US military and civilians alike. However they were not the only ones targeted, the Australians suffered a major attack on their own home soil in February of 1942 when the Japanese bombed the city of Darwin, killing 235 Australians fueling fears that Japan was intent on invading Australia itself.
The coordinated fightback by the allies began in the middle of 1942, but it would be a slow progression, island by island and terrible costly in manpower, and the nearer to mainland Japan the allies progressed the heavier the losses became, and the more desperate the Japanese became. Okinawa island had been targeted by the allies as a forward operations base in the push toward the mainland, in the 82 days of battle following the fist landings on April 1st American casualties numbered over a thousand each day and over a thousand a week were killed, however it was the Japanese civilians who were to count the heaviest losses, almost a third of the 300,000 inhabitants of the island were killed, the Japanese army were known to have used civilians as human shields, and conscript schoolboys into shock troops forced to attack Allied lines. There is still a controversy today in the roll of Japanese troops in the huge losses of Okinawan civilians.
One of the major factors in the pacific war was to do with material availability. The USA was able to continually renew aircraft and ships throughout the war, whereas the Japanese were severely restricted, and US marine Corp aircraft were able to operate relatively unopposed and reduce even further the capacity of the Japanese to resupply their troops. Marine Corp Pilots often used the highly prized Elgin A-11 watches, which despite being mass produced were still very accurate for the day.





Case
Polished 30mm case, 32.3mm with crown, 8.45mm deep, 37.4mm Lug to Lug, 13.8mm lug width.

Interior diameter 26mm, 8.4mm deep, 4.5mm crown, 25mm flat glass.

Dial

Black Dial with tan printed minute scale at the outside edge. Numbered at 5-minute intervals, Hours indicated in tan colour Arabic numerals.

polished lozenge shaped hour and minute hands with tan infill, and a matching slim seconds hand.

Strap

Tan PU Leather strap 14mm wide at the lugs, narrows to a 12mm polished buckle, approx. fitting 175/215mm

[Churchy]

MWC 83 - 1970s Swedish Airman



Sweden remained neutral throughout the second world war, but recognised the growing tension between the Nato Alliance and the Warsaw Pact countries, with the Russian border just 200 kilometres away Sweden knew it would have to react with lightning speed should any invasion come.
Knowing airfields would be priority targets for any invasion force the Swedish government devised a series of Sub-Airfields, dispersed across the country in remote locations, concrete bunkers designed to be self-sufficient for 14 days held air and ground crew for small groups of planes, notable amongst these was the Saab AJ37 Viggen, the Thunderbolt.
Developed jointly with the USA as part of NATO the Viggen was a highly advanced strike fighter that was capable of Short take off and landing, essential for the sub-airfields runways that were often mere stretches of road in forested areas. The Viggen proved to be reliable and easy to maintain and continued to be developed for the lifetime of its use, thanks to its highly skilled pilots and advanced avionics it was the only aircraft to get a 'Radar Lock' on the USAs most famous spy plane, the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, despite its extensive Anti-radar capability.
Swedish Pilots were also equipped with Lemania Chronographs, of a design used only by Sweden and South Africa, around 630 were produced and these limited numbers make them highly desirable.







Case
Polished 41.3mm case, 44.1mm with crown, 11.5mm deep, 47.5mm Lug to Lug, 20mm lug width
Interior diameter 35.8mm, 8.5mm deep, 6mm crown, 32mm flat glass
Two cosmetic, non-functional Pushers at 2 and 4 positions
Dial
Black Dial with white printed minute scale at the outside edge in 5th-second increments. Numbered at 5-minute intervals, Hours indicated in green colour Arabic numerals
polished pencil shaped hour and minute hands with green infill, and a matching slim seconds hand
Black infill bezel with Metalic green scale numbered at 10-minute marks
Strap
Black PU Leather strap 2014mm wide at the lugs, narrows to an 18mm polished buckle, approx. fitting 180/225mm

[meijlinder]

MWC 83 - 1970s Swedish Airman

nice write up as always Churchy.

some more info on the SwAF watches here: http://www.intlwatchleague.com/showt...0-SwAf-watches

[Churchy]

MWC 84 - 1940s German Paratrooper



The Soviets had already demonstrated the military possibilities of airborne infantry, large numbers of troops could parachute into potential battle zones via large transport aircraft, and while they would not be heavily armed they had the advantage of surprise and could then be reinforced by land-based infantry with heavier armaments

Germany's Parachute arm, the Fallschirmjager, was officially begun in January of 1936 with a small number of men and saw their first official combat during the invasion of Norway in 1940, the success of that encounter saw their numbers increased and further and a series of actions in the Low Countries, Italy and the Balkans, bothe Eastern and Western fronts and in 1941 the Battle of Crete

German Paratroops were not heavily armed and were often issued with light machine guns and recoilless artillery, timings of advances were critical so each trooper would have a wristwatch, usually standard army issue, but on occasion, Luftwaffe issue watches were also used





Case
Polished 33mm case, 35.7mm with crown, 8mm deep, 42mm Lug to Lug, 18mm lug width
Interior diameter 30mm, 6mm deep, 4.5mm crown, 30mm flat glass
Dial
Black Dial with white printed rail-track minute scale at the outside edge. Tan dots at 5-minute intervals,
Hours indicated in Tan colour Arabic numerals
Polished Sword shaped hour and minute hands with tan infill, and a polished slim seconds hand
Strap
Black PU Leather "croc" effect strap 16mm wide at the lugs, narrows to an 14mm polished buckle, approx. fitting 70/220mm

[Churchy]

MWC 85 - 1970s Chinese Army Officer



The differences in communist ideology between The Soviet Union and China caused a split between the two countries that verged on open war for nearly three decades, the cold war had driven the Soviets to major military advancements and increases in military hardware and personnel. Border skirmishes were not unheard of and many troops were killed and equipment captured, including a Russian t-62 tank which gave the Chinese a huge advance in armoured capability when they learned its secrets.
Mao Zedong was keen to emphasise the superiority of his people over technological advances, hardly surprising as Russian hardware was far superior in design and capability, the sheer numbers of Chinese in the Peoples Liberation Army far outnumbered the Russians, this was not the case during The Cultural Revolution, when many high ranking members of the Army High Command were removed from their posts, internal differences and arguments halted funding and training and 2 million of the PLA's troops were concentrated on domestic law and order functions.
Watches for senior ranks were supplied from within China, such as the A623 made by the Shanghai Wristwatch Factory and the Taihang brand made by Shijiazhuang Watch Factory in Hebei





Case
Polished 35mm case, 38mm with crown, 8.5mm deep, 43mm Lug to Lug, 17.5mm lug width
Interior diameter 31.2mm, 7mm deep, 5mm crown, 28mm flat glass
Gold coloured band around the edge of the dial

Dial
Cream Dial with black printed minute scale at the outside edge.
Hours indicated by applied Gold colour bars at 5-minute intervals
Polished gold coloured baguet shaped hour and minute hands and a slim seconds hand with a red infiltrate circle near the tip

Strap
Brown PU Leather "Lizard" effect strap 17.5mm wide at the lugs, narrows to a 16mm polished buckle, approx. fitting 175/220mm

[Churchy]

MWC 86 - 1940s Soviet Airman



As the Russian Army advanced through Germany at the close of World War II they captured Glashutte, one of the most important watch manufacturing areas in Germany. The Soviets quickly recognised an opportunity and seized all the watchmaking machinery and equipment, technical diagrams and spare parts, that they could, loaded them onto trucks, and carried them off as war reparations to Moscow
From 1947 the First Moscow Watch Factory, the major Soviet watchmaker of the time, started to supply Soviet Pilots using re-branded and re-cased German watches, and by 1949 the captured machines were producing components to enable the factory to produce components for a watch that was the same design as a Tutima Type 69 Chronograph





Case
Polished 40mm case, 43.3mm with crown, 9.8mm deep, 46.4mm Lug to Lug, 20mm lug width
Interior diameter 35mm, 8mm deep, 6mm crown, 35.5mm flat glass
Grooved band around the edge of the dial, red mark at 12
Dial
Black Dial with white printed 5th-second scale at the outside edge numbered at 5-second intervals.
Hours indicated by Green Arabic numerals
Polished cathedral style hour and minute hands and a slim seconds hand with poise counter
Strap
Brown PU Leather strap 20mm wide at the lugs, narrows to an 18mm polished buckle, approx. fitting 180/225mm





Unusual ISA 638 movement



This is the second watch of the series that has been based on the Tutima Fliegerchronograph, the other was issue 31 French Pilot IRAM watch.
I'm still a little confused why they didn't just present the original rather than the 'stolen' ones, though I guess the history is worth noting

[Churchy]

MWC 87 - 1970s American Army Soldier



By 1970 there was increasing political pressure in the U.S.A. to end the Vietnam war peacefully, as well as several other conflicts in the area that the US had a part in. there was however still heavy fighting ongoing throughout the region including Large scale operations and small Special forces operations, the difficult unfamiliar terrain and inhospitable climate made standard tactics unusable and the enemy was adept in guerrilla warfare
Vietnam forces were poorly equipped but tenacious and resourceful, often employing old French and Japanese guns and improvised explosives against the better equipped and heavily armed American GI, a nickname derived from all their equipment being marked 'Government Issue'
Equipment was constantly being tested to its limits and beyond, and was continually under development and assessment, US forces found that alternative items were better suited to the environment and one of these items is the Seiko 6105 divers watch, though not standard issue it could be bought from the Army Base PX store, its robust movement and waterproof design made it a favourite amongst the troops
The watch has two main variations, the 6105-8110 version was famously worn in the film 'Apocalypse Now' by the character Captain Willard, played by Martin Sheen, and has something of a cult following. Good original models are rare and command high prices







Case
Polished Asymmetric, cushion style case approx 44mm across its narrow part, 45.5mm at the crown, 9.6mm deep, 46.mm Lug to Lug, 19mm lug width
Interior diameter 36.2mm, 7mm deep, Large 7mm crown, 32mm flat glass
41.3mm non-rotating bezel with black insert, Triangle at 12 with luminous pip, marked at 10-minute intervals with roman numbers
Dial
Black Dial with white printed second scale at the outside edge
Hours indicated by applied green markers of various shapes, which have polished surrounds
Polished baton style hour and minute hands with luminous infill and a slim seconds hand
Strap
Black NATO style nylon strap 20mm wide, approx. fitting 180/220mm

[Churchy]

MWC 88 - 1940s American Naval Diver



During WWII the United States Navy set up an elite force, The Underwater Demolition Teams (UDT) Their two main objectives were reconnaissance of enemy defences on coastal positions, and demolition of beach obstacles designed to hinder amphibious landing craft.
Aware of the disastrous allied landings at Gallipoli in World War I, the US Navy provided possible solutions for future conflicts, the specialist skills of the UDT were so effective in saving lives of troops in the first invading waves they were deployed in the Korean and Vietnam wars also, particularly after the loss of many lives at the Battle of Tarawa, where aerial reconnaissance failed to pinpoint the defences accurately.
Before the large scale D-Day invasion of Europe on the French Normandy beaches, the UDT undertook many difficult missions mapping the German defences, over several weeks the extent of the 'Atlantic Wall' and detailed descriptions and plans of the obstacles employed, allowed the Allies to practice overcoming replica barriers and experiment with how to bypass or destroy them.
Even during the landings, the UDT were ahead of the main attack carrying out demolitions under cover of heavy bombardment from air and sea to allow as clear a path as possible for the landing craft and troops behind.
A watch was specially designed and produced by Hamilton, A thick Domed glass, sealed with lead to prevent water ingress, a custom screw back, and an oversize Canteen cap over the crown with a loop and two piece chain fixed to the case. Obviously, these are very rare watches and they are rarely found in original condition





Case
Polished case approx 31.5mm across, 34mm at the crown, 8.5mm deep, 39mm Lug to Lug, 18mm lug width
Interior diameter 27mm, 7mm deep, 5mm crown, 26.5mm flat glass
Dial
Black Dial with white printed second scale and Arabic numbers marking ten-second intervals at the outside edge
Hours indicated by orange Arabic numbers and dots
Polished cathedral style hour and minute hands with luminous infill and a slim seconds hand
Strap
Grey Nylon webbing strap 18mm wide, approx. fitting 170/210mm







Looking at pictures of the original Hamilton watches this 'replica' misses the two most important and obvious features of the watch, the high domed glass and the 'canteen' cap over the crown, a disappointing ommision

[Churchy]

MWC 89 - 1960s Swedish Soldier



Sweden was very aware that during the cold war their position directly on Soviet border meant they were on the very front line should any conflict between NATO and the Warsaw Pact countries start, and with typical Swedish attention to detail they prepared the whole country to be ready for war at very short notice.
The numbers of troops went up from 250,000 to 400,000 in 1950. Young men were conscripted for 14-22 months which was followed by 30 years in the reserves, which included 30 days of service every 18 months to keep up to date with equipment changes, anyone deliberately avoiding conscription would lose rights to state benefits.
Protection of civilian and army personnel was at the core of Swedish military philosophy. Large numbers of bomb shelters were built to house civilians should any conflict begin, fighter/intercept aircraft were dispersed across the country in small units to prevent losses if bombing raids targeted them, even Tanks were redesigned from the ground up.
The unique Stridsvagen 103 "S-Tank" was designed without a turret to make its profile lower and less exposed to enemy fire, the munitions were loaded mechanically, reducing the crew from 5 to 3. It was lighter and therefore more manoeuvrable, and could also be converted to run amphibiously in just 20 minutes, enabling it to dispense with the need to use bridges, a place where tanks are often vunerable.
Swedish army officers used the Swedish built "rugged" watch also did exactly what was required by its description, though they are hard to find on the market today





Case
Slim, Polished cushion style case 35mm at its narrow point, 37.5mm at the crown, 8mm deep, 44mm Lug to Lug, 18mm lug width
Interior diameter 30mm, 6mm deep, 5mm crown, 28mm flat glass
Dial
Black Dial with white printed railtrack second scale and green dots marking five-second intervals at the outside edge
Hours indicated by green Arabic numbers
Polished needle style hour and minute hands with luminous infill and a slim seconds hand
Strap
Black PU leather strap 18mm wide narrows to 16mm buckle, approx. fitting 175/220mm







The original Candino watch was a very simple smooth pared back design, slim with a brushed finish and no adornments unlike the replica

[Churchy]

MWC 90 - 1950s French Naval Diver



The Blancpain Fifty Fathoms is an Iconic piece and the model for the modern divers watch
In the early 1950s, the head of Blancpain, Jean-Jacques Fiechter, was a pioneer of sports diving. He understood that the life of a diver depended on a reliable timepiece and found that there was nothing suitable on the market. He tasked his watchmakers with the challenge of accurately measuring time in an underwater environment
To solve the problem of water resistance he first designed a double-sealed crown, to protect the watch from water penetration if the crown were accidentally pulled during a dive. The second internal seal ensured the water resistance of the movement. Fiechter filed a patent for this invention, and a second patent was granted for the sealing system for the case back. To prevent twisting, the "O" ring was inserted into a channel and held in position by an additional metal disk
He then addressed measuring the time of a dive. His idea was a minute scale on a rotating bezel. By placing the zero index of the bezel next to the minute hand of the watch divers could read the passage of time with the minute hand. Any accidental movement of the bezel could, however, cause a timing error. Fiechter, therefore, developed a locking mechanism to prevent accidental rotation of the bezel. For this, he received another patent. Later Blancpain developed the worlds first unidirectional rotating bezel which ensured safety during a dive
Legibility was an important factor, especially in cloudy water, so Fiechter used a large diameter watch with a strong contrast of white luminescent indexes and hands on a black background. The automatic movement was also thought to be essential to limit unnecessary wear of the crown seals



At the same period in France, Captain Robert Maloubier and lieutenant Claude Riffaud were acquiring equipment suitable for use by the newly formed French Navy Combat Diving team they led. The two officers looked for a timepiece that would be an indispensable tool for their divers. They compiled a list of specific criteria for a watch to meet their needs. The first tests they made with French watches were disastrous. They were much too small, the dials were hard to read, and the cases were far from being waterproof
In 1953, Blancpain was able to provide the French team with a watch that met its criteria. The Blancpain was outstanding in all tests and it became one of the most important pieces of equipment for the Corp. Later the same became true for naval forces around the world
Fiechter continued its quest for the safety of diving and incorporated a water-tightness indicator. If the liquid penetrated into the watch case, a circle at 6 o'clock on the dial would change colour from white to red. This indicator was on the MIL-SPEC 1, which was introduced in 1957-1958 to meet the stringent requirements of the army
In early 1958, the US Navy tested a variety of watches searching for a watch suitable for use by their Military divers in underwater missions. After these tests, the Fifty Fathoms became the standard issue for American combat divers as well as the benchmark for future watches, planned for production in the United States. Meanwhile, Blancpain was awarded contracts to equip members of the elite UDT and the Navy Seals with MIL-SPEC 1 watches

Captain Robert Maloubier, pictured below in his dive suit wearing a Blancpain, was a legendary figure of World War II and beyond, his amazing story is worthy of a read but a little long to be retold here



Case
Polished 41mm case, 43.8mm at the crown, 9.2mm deep, 49.4mm Lug to Lug, 20mm lug width
Case Interior diameter 36mm, 7mm deep. 6mm crown, 29mm glass.
Bezel is 41.5mm across with a black insert, Minutes indicated with batons at 5-minute marks, Arabic numbers at 15-minute marks and a diamond shape at the 'Zero' index
Dial
Black Dial with white printed 5th-second scale, yellow battons at five-minute intervals and 3-6-9-12 Hours indicated by Arabic numbers
trapezoid shaped hands with yellow infill and slim polished seconds hand
Strap
Black nylon strap 20mm wide polished buckle, approx. fitting 175/215mm