6B - H↑S9 - MK2

[Seriously]

the description of an Omega 6b or an IWC 6b wartime issued numbered watch as a 'spitfire' is entirely tenuous - never actually been such a watch -simply a great selling ploy to attach that handle to it - nor has it anything to do with a seaplane -
6B is an ordnance reference signifying RAF - i
no doubt many wartime pilots and navigators , some would have flown the Spitfire ,some would have flown bombers were issued watches of various brands both British and American -some more expensive than others eg Omega ,IWC to Elgin etc
am still asking ,without any explanation being given , why a micro brand is using this very specific reference on their watch other than a selling ploy to buyers who are mistaken in their thinking or being led to believe it is something other than it is

Calm down dear , it's only a watch and its maker

I quite like the chrono in the OP, apart from the oval pushers, it needs roundys

[shameless]

Mostly whimsy I would expect. As I remember, Carl spent his career working as an RAF fabricator (the sort of general engineer who made whatever was needed from scratch) before moving on, in his retirement to making the highly regarded gas gas bones range of straps. Now that he's moved into watches, it's a very natural logo for a man steeped in RAF tradition as, in his youth, it would have been the designation for the very highest quality of timepiece used by aircrew. Sadly it isn't any more, with the advent of NATO stock numbers.

The Pheon or broadarrow symbol, historically a sign of crown ownership of something (and still to be seen on very old things throughout the defunct British Empire and even remembered as a sign of oppression - as it would be scribed into taxed or confiscated goods such as buildings or lumber) In this case it was a historical reminder of the allegiance and ultimate boss and owner of the armed forces and all their chattels; it's a reminder that this watch wasn't yours, it was the king's (or queen's) As such, any military watch carrying an undischarged pheon is, in principle, stolen, or at least borrowed, from her Majesty.

Now the acceptability to the crown of using the pheon has already been tested by Eddie at Timefactors with his now rather collectible and highly regarded range of broadarrow watches like this one:



Which, as you can see, clearly display the pheon. Sadly, while the pheon was acceptable to the crown, Omega got into a huff about the word 'broadarrow' and threw an embarrassment of lawyers and money at it. Eddie tells the tale in his usual dryly humorous manner over on TZ-UK. However, it wasn't the pheon that was the issue as another of his fine watches from a few years later shows


(spot the odd one out)

Meanwhile, the 6b/xxx isn't just a designation, it's a specification. The RAF had specifications for everything, for example:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...specifications

So all those lovely watches you see from Cyma or Waltham or Longines are actually following the 6B/159 specification. That's why they all look so similar - because the original designs and dials can usually either be attributed to an unknown RAF draughtsman (or team of draughtsmen) or a particular company who supplied the seminal watch for the specification. So what Carl is doing is no different to what, for example, IWC or Omega or every manufacture who has ever produced a copy of a military spec watch is doing.

If he were scribing specific stock numbers on to the back of functionally identical watches then I could see the problem. He's not. He bringing together two separate but iconic features of classic military aviation watches to produce a new and rather effective logo for his new brand. In doing this, he's following a very very well trodden:



road of appropriating a selection of features from classic and well loved watches while mixing and reinterpreting them to produce a new and unique logo. In his case, he's actually personally got a connection, just as Eddie has, from actually having served in a branch of the UK military. In both cases, the respect, even love, they have for the armed forces in which they served is bloody obvious. Even if Carl has the poor taste to prefer the 'fuel warning light' charms of the Lightning over the zero altitude delights of the Bucanneer...

So that's my take, but if you want a definitive answer, I'd ask him. The few direct interactions I have had with him show him to be a very friendly, approachable and straight chap who would delight in explaining his rationale. He's also been a fine contributor on a number of forums and I'd be surprised if he doesn't end up here at some point...

Have a Lancaster

you can have one of mine from 1941- my dad's in the front row

[Seriously]

you can have one of mine from 1941- my dad's in the front row

That one looks in better nick

[shameless]

only two left now ! one here and one is in Canada -they both came together earlier this year flying over the Derwent Dam where they trained for the Dambuster raid

[Matt]

you can have one of mine from 1941- my dad's in the front row

That's very cool, you don't often see pictures of the Short Sterling. Quite splendid. He was lucky to survive in one of those in that period!

[Matt]

only two left now ! one here and one is in Canada -they both came together earlier this year flying over the Derwent Dam where they trained for the Dambuster raid

What a stunning shot. I was gutted when I missed them at Shoreham due to the engine failure, but I saw them at duxford and was so inspired I popped up to the Lincolnshire aviation heritage do afterwards.

[shameless]

That's very cool, you don't often see pictures of the Short Sterling. Quite splendid. He was lucky to survive in one of those in that period!

thankyou -the plane was hit and went into a slow spiral down -he actually parachuted out during the thousand bomber raid - survived , captured , pow - believe it or not the sergeant pilot actually crash landed the plane
btw -the two Lancasters flew in tandem directly over my home in Lancashire on their way home -couldn't believe it -they were so low -wonderful sight and sound

[chrono555]

Only two flying originals left, but Peter Jackson's had ten airworthy reproductions made, so eventually we'll see more than one Lanc at a time.

[Matt]

He's doubly lucky then, many of the aircrew who survived being shot down over places like Cologne and Hamburg suffered terrible fates at the hands of survivors on the ground.

*edit* I note that three group only lost two Stirlings over Cologne, so it would be dead easy to dig up the whole history in detail. If it's not already on the Internet, it'll all be on 'Fische at Kew. I've done it for a few aircraft I have dived and it's astonishing how much detail there is in the records, especially for a raid like that. You have to do a short exam to get a reader's card, but it's a doddle.

[shameless]

thankyou for the imput Matt , you are very knowledgible on this - my father died when i was young so i don't have a lot of info about him - no more than the basic - he was a rear gunner radio operator i believe i do know the family received a War Office telegram telling them he was lost in action and presumed dead -and some time later his brother heard his name called out as a pow on a German radio broadcast - first they realised he was alive - i know what you mean about the atrocities committed on some RAF , yes he was lucky , ended up in Poland i think !
its a shame in a disfunctional upbringing as i had in the wartime 40's ,his papers , medals and all relevant info just went by the by -so very little to show , always regretted a lack of knowledge of him -of course he would have only been maybe 19/20 yrs old ! thankyou again for your interesting comments my friendedit i do have this one