Eaglemoss Military Watches Collection.

[Churchy]

MWC 79 - 1940s British Prisoners of War

Name, Rank and Military Number. The Geneva Convention attempts to ensure the basic rights of prisoners on all sides of any conflict, German POW camps during WW2 were carefully segregated into Officer, NCO ranks and lower-rank servicemen. They also kept the different forces, Army, Navy and Airforce, separated into different camps.
The camps themselves would usually have Senior Officer or NCO who would be responsible for negotiating conditions of daily life in the camp with the German Senior staff, and the prisoners Red Cross liaison.
Conditions across the camps varied but were usually basic, as were the food rations, these were supplemented by Red Cross parcels made up from donations from across the world, nothing was allowed to be wasted and prisoners became experts in recycling.
Switzerland's neutrality during WW2 meant that the access allowed the International Red Cross also extended to Swiss companies, and men like Hans Wilsdorf, the then Managing Director of Rolex. In a gesture to raise the morale of the POWs, he offered a Rolex watch to thousands if they would just write and request one. The watch would be provided, with the invoice to be paid only after the war was over. Many opted for the Oyster Speed King, and today any documented POW Rolex is highly valued.




Case
Polished 30mm case, 32.3mm with crown, 8mm deep, 35.5mm Lug to Lug, 14mm lug width.

Interior diameter 27.3mm, 6.2mm deep, 4.5mm crown, 27mm flat glass,

Dial

"Aged" cream Dial with a black minute scale at the outside edge numbered at 5-minute intervals. Even numbered Hours indicated in Orange Arabic numerals, Odd hours are marked with orange triangles.

Black hour and minute hands, sword style with orange Infill, and a slim black seconds hand.

Strap

Brown PU leather strap 14mm at the lug, narrows to a 12mm polished buckle, approx. fitting 165/210mm

[Churchy]

MWC 80 - 1940s American Airman



In 1941, with the conflict in Europe escalating, there was an increasing likelihood of the United States joining World War II. It was becoming obvious that a properly structured Air Force was far more effective than the dispersed command structure still in place so in June of 1941 the US Army Air Force was formed. There was still significant disagreement as to who within the command structure was in overall control, even after the devastating attack on Pearl Harbour on December 7th that year.
The American population was shocked, more than 2400 people had been killed and 1200 wounded, also a significant portion of the US pacific fleet had been destroyed or damaged, along with nearly 200 aircraft.
The very next day the United States declared War on Japan, and three days later also declared against Italy and Germany.
On the 18th of April 16 B-25B Mitchell medium Bombers took off from the deck of the aircraft carrier USSS Hornet, they were still 300 kilometers short of their planned take off point, but the convoy they were in had been spotted and the success of this retaliatory mission was paramount. Led by Lt-Col 'Jimmy' Doolittle, the target was Tokyo.
Flying without fighter support they successfully carried out the sortie, avoiding defending fighter aircraft and bombing an area of factory buildings, before flying on to China, where desperately short of fuel they were forced to parachute from the aircraft. Although little damage was actually done, the Japanese now understood that they were not safe from reprisals at home and the moral of the US and Allied countries was given a great boost.
The crews were highly trained but in the early days of combat flying reliance on accurate timepieces was essential, USAAF and USAAC pilots were issued with Longines A-11 'Weems' watches. These had an adjustable, lockable bezel to ensure accurate timekeeping





Case
Polished 27.7mm case, 30.4mm with crown, 8.7mm deep, 33.8mm Lug to Lug, 13.8mm lug width.

Interior diameter 23.6mm, 6mm deep, 3.8mm crown, 20.7mm flat glass,

Dial

Cream Dial with a black minute scale at the outside edge. Hours indicated in Black Arabic numerals.

Blue lozenge shaped hour and minute hands, and a matching slim blue seconds hand.

Strap

Beige nylon 14mm wide polished buckle, approx. fitting 165/205mm





The watch is similar to the issue 33 RAF navigator watch, just much smaller, 27.7mm versus 42.2, in fact, the glass and dial size of this issues watch are the smallest so far in all the collection.

[Churchy]

MWC 81 - 1960s British Submariner



The Royal Navy first launched a submarine in 1901, the HMS Holand One, and although Admiral Sir Arthur Wilson, then Controller of the Navy, called the new style of sea warfare "underhand, unfair and damned un-English" the submarine was here to stay. During World War One submarines proved their effectiveness, despite being a small minority of the active Navy personnel, The Submarine Service was awarded Five Victoria Crosses - the highest award for gallantry in wartime - out of the 19 awarded to the Royal Navy.
World War Two was again a challenging time for the Royal Navy, Germany was pushing technology to new limits and innovation in both evasion and detection made huge leaps during the war. Crews were pushed well beyond normal limits of endurance often under extremely stressful conditions for days at a time.
The introduction of nuclear-powered Submarines removed one of the limiting factors of keeping submerged for long periods, and the Russians concentrated on getting large numbers of Submarines armed with Ballistic missiles. The USA and UK Navies concentrated on improved technology and crew training in advanced tactics to balance the capabilities of the respective fleets. Having a silent, undetectable launch platform operating, often unknown even to their own side, anywhere in the world, became the backbone of the nuclear deterrent during the Cold War.
Some key crewmen on Royal Navy vessels were issued Lemania Chronographs, similar to those used by surface crews and Royal Airforce pilots, but without the radioactive luminous dials, due to the sensitivity of radiation detection equipment on the vessels.





Case
Bushed 42mm asymmetric case, 43mm with protected crown, 13.5mm deep, 46mm Lug to Lug, 20mm lug width.

Interior diameter 36mm, 13.5mm deep, 7mm crown, 33mm flat glass, Cosmetic sprung pusher at 2 O'clock position

Dial

White Dial with a black minute scale at the outside edge. Hours indicated in Black Arabic numerals.

Black lozenge shaped hour and minute hands, and a matching slim seconds hand.

Strap

Black Canvas 20mm wide, polished buckle, approx. fitting 180/225mm

[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

[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