Eaglemoss Military Watches Collection.
Issue 44 - 1940s British Soldier
by
, Oct 25, 2015 at 11:02 PM (8103 Views)
In the period leading up to the Allied invasion of Europe it was realised that timing the phases of the invasion would be vital, the reliable and effective Army Trade Pattern watch was up to the task.
They were not issued to all troops but people who's role required accurate time information, such as readio operators, Forward Air controlers and Artillery batteries.
ATP watches were sourced from a large number of suppliers: Buren, Cortebert, Cyma, Ebel, Enicar, Fontainemelon, Grana, Lemania, Leonidas, Moeris, Reconvilier, Record, Revue, Rotary, Timor, Unitas and Vertex.
These watches can still be found today in various states of repair from New Old Stock finds, to barely recognisable worn items.
Case
Polished 40mm case, 42.5mm with crown, 8.5mm thick, 47mm lug to lug 20mm wide
Interior aperture 36.4mm across, 5mm deep. 5mm Crown 34.5mm flat glass.
Case engraved with watch description.
Dial
Cream coloured 35.5mm dial, rialtrack minute scale in black with biege dots at 5 minute intervals and bar at 12.
Arabic hour numerals from 1 through 12 inclusive, minutes shown as 5 minute increments.
Black baton style hours and minutes hands filled with biege paint, straight slim black seconds hand.
Strap
Tan PU leather 22mm wide, narrows to 20mm polished buckle. approx. fitting 195-235mm
Close up of hands and markers
The text Hints that this is based on the Unitas version of the ATP watch, lacking the sub dial as is now usual.
Watches of this period were definitely designed for functionality first, and watches from different countries look very similar