Military watch
Military watches or military wristwatches are timepieces whose most important function before the development of portable quartz watches was to accurately indicate the time over a long period of time and to withstand high loads . There is no clear differentiation from the pilot's watch ; in the civilian sector, the wristwatches were easier to market as pilot's watches. Military watches were mainly used by officers of the Western armies until World War II . One of the first wristwatches for the military was commissioned by the German Emperor Wilhelm I in 1879 from the Swiss watch manufacturer Girard-Perregaux . These clocks were very expensive before the availability of the more accurate quartz clocks because of the high demands placed on them. Such a precise and resilient military watch was necessary because maneuvers and missions had to be better coordinated. The military watch will soon be part of every officer's equipment . After the end of the Second World War, this watch also caught on in civil society .
Military watches usually had long and sturdy leather straps and a large dial so that pilots could easily see the time even during an operation. Furthermore, the military watches had to be waterproof and shielded so that officers of the navy could use the military watch. Aside from their respective specializations , these watches have a number of advantages. These advantages include their shock resistance , but also a dark dial and light, easy-to-read numbers and hands . Military watches also have a fluorescent substance on the hands and numerals, which enable them to be read at night, as there was no light in wristwatches in the 1950s. The case was made entirely of steel ; there were no watches decorated with gold . Such watches (with a gold rim) were only made after the Second World War.
Examples
| Surname | Year of manufacture | casing | Dial | clockwork | function |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IWC (pilot watch) | circa 1930 | steel | black | Mechanically with manual winding | pure time measurement |
| Longines (Type A7) | circa 1930 | Plated nickel | Dark silver | Mechanically with manual winding | Chronograph |
| Omega (pilot's watch) | 1934 | steel | black | Mechanically with manual winding | pure time measurement |
| A. Lange & Söhne (pilot watch) | circa 1940 | Special alloy | black | Mechanically with manual winding | pure time measurement |
| Hanhart (pilot's chronograph) | circa 1940 | steel | black | Mechanically with manual winding | Chronograph |
| Blancpain (Air Command) | circa 1950 | steel | black | Mechanically with manual winding | Chronograph |
| Breguet (Type XX) | circa 1950 | steel | black | Mechanically with manual winding | Chronograph |
| Heuer (type SG1550) | circa 1967 | steel | black | Mechanically with manual winding | Chronograph |
| Hamilton (General Purpose) | 1981 | steel | black | Mechanically with manual winding | pure time measurement |
| Tutima (Ref. 798) | circa 1985 | steel | black | Mechanical with automatic | Chronograph |
See also
literature
- Kaiser (Hrsg.): Watches, A manual for watch lovers and collectors , published in 2003 ISBN 3-7043-1303-3 .
- Charles Cleves: military wristwatches. In: Horological Times. May 1991.
Individual evidence
- ↑ The best military watches from the First World War to current models. In: watch guide. Accessed June 14, 2019 (German).