SIGforum
Need help identifying and decoding this watch
July 29, 2023, 07:32 PM
BigJoeNeed help identifying and decoding this watch
A little preliminary research leads me to believe this may be around WWII. What does the "OF-181971" stand for?
Any help is appreciated.
Watch Reverse of watch
...You, higher mammal. Can you read?
....There's nothing sexier than a well worn, functional Sig!
July 29, 2023, 07:35 PM
stoic-oneWyler?
https://www.ebay.ph/itm/275886874128July 29, 2023, 07:40 PM
CPD SIGLooks like Granddaddy's "War Watch"
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"When its time to shoot, shoot. Dont talk!"
“What the government is good at is collecting taxes, taking away your freedoms and killing people. It’s not good at much else.” —Author Tom Clancy
July 29, 2023, 07:43 PM
RogueJSKIt's a WW2-era standard issue US military mechanical watch, known today as an "ordnance watch". These were made to a standard Ordnance Department pattern by Bulova, Hamilton, Elgin, and Waltham, and were intended for use by non-aviation servicemen. (There were separate patterns of aviator watches, most notably the A-11.)
The maker's mark was generally put on the dial in the top center, between the 10 and 2. But yours may have faded away. However, do I perhaps see a hint of a "Wal..."? (For Waltham.) If you're feeling adventurous and can get the back off the case, the mechanism should be engraved by the manufacturer as well.
The "OF-181971" on the back is the two letter production block followed by the serial number.
July 29, 2023, 08:42 PM
BigJoequote:
Originally posted by RogueJSK:
It's a WW2-era standard issue US military mechanical watch, known today as an "ordnance watch". These were made to a standard Ordnance Department pattern by Bulova, Hamilton, Elgin, and Waltham, and were intended for use by non-aviation servicemen. (There were separate patterns of aviator watches, most notably the A-11.)
The maker's mark was generally put on the dial in the top center, between the 10 and 2. But yours may have faded away. However, do I perhaps see a hint of a "Wal..."? (For Waltham.) If you're feeling adventurous and can get the back off the case, the mechanism should be engraved by the manufacturer as well.
The "OF-181971" on the back is the two letter production block followed by the serial number.
All that matches up. However, I don't see a faded name. If I feel adventurous tomorrow, I may try and take the back off. Thanks for digging up that info!
...You, higher mammal. Can you read?
....There's nothing sexier than a well worn, functional Sig!
July 29, 2023, 08:48 PM
CPD SIGA lot of info about Ordinance Watches.
______________________________________________________________________
"When its time to shoot, shoot. Dont talk!"
“What the government is good at is collecting taxes, taking away your freedoms and killing people. It’s not good at much else.” —Author Tom Clancy
July 30, 2023, 12:53 PM
architectMy Dad who served in WWII wore one of these, an Elgin, I think. ISTR my Mom passed it to a family friend who is now gone too, but memory fades in 45 years. As a callow youth, I wasn't interested in keeping it (to my sorrow today).
July 30, 2023, 01:41 PM
shovelheadOne thing to keep in mind, the luminous paint used on the hands and faces of these is probably Radium based even though that many times they have lost their glow. From Wikipedia:
Although old radium dials generally no longer produce light, this is due to the breakdown of the crystal structure of the luminous zinc sulfide rather than the radioactive decay of the radium. The radium isotope (226Ra) used has a half-life of about 1,600 years,[6] so radium dials remain essentially just as radioactive as when originally painted 50 or 100 years ago, whether or not they remain luminous.
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————————--Ignorance is a powerful tool if applied at the right time, even, usually, surpassing knowledge(E.J.Potter, A.K.A. The Michigan Madman)
July 30, 2023, 02:20 PM
BigJoeThanks for all the information. I appreciate it!!
...You, higher mammal. Can you read?
....There's nothing sexier than a well worn, functional Sig!