Posts Tagged ‘Military’
Value Prop: RAF-Issued British Military Omega 6B/542
I am not a pedant, but I must admit that the recent Bond Seamaster rubbed me the wrong way. To many watch collectors, myself included, the MoD broad arrow symbol is a bit sacred. Seeing a commercialized movie prop given that marking by Omega themselves seemed to me uncomfortably close to the watch equivalent of…
Read More7928Ci Tudor Argentine Milsub
You will be familiar with the Royal Navy’s Rolex Milsub series. You will also likely be familiar with the classic snowflake-handed 9401/0 Marine Nationale which has recently seen new life. However, Tudor’s military history extends far beyond France. South Africa also issued its Navy divers a small run of reference 7016 subs. There are US…
Read More503.010 Sinn EZM1 AR
Those who explore the very extremities which modern tool watches have to offer will very often zero-in on Sinn. While there are watches which can dive deeper, watches with greater shock resistance, and and watches with higher legibility, Sinn consistently place themselves at the center of the correct Venn-diagrams for their clientele. Germans don’t mess…
Read More7A28-7120 Seiko RAF-Issued Gen I Chronograph
Highly collected, issued military watches do not necessarily have to come with prohibitive values. With a little careful research, one or two may actually provide value. And when I say one or two, I mean basically just Seiko 7A28 military chronographs. As a rule, I tend to prefer mechanics to to quartz for all the…
Read MoreCivilian Zenith A. Cairelli CP-2
It would be the height of understatement to say Zenith are known for their chronographs. In fact, with the exception of one literally out-of-this-world competitor, their reputation is almost synonymous with hi-beats and elapsed intervals. Undoubtedly, the El Primero range comprises the manufacture’s primary notoriety. Hey, if you can’t actually be first, just name it…
Read More‘Pre-T’ British Military Omega Seamaster 300
Quite recently, a 5513/7 milsub sold at auction for 350K USD. I understand that. Two Russian oil magnates drunk on free Krug champagne with one man in Oakleys laundering money for Sinaloa and sky’s the limit for valuations. However, what I will never understand is just why Omega’s broad-handed 300 results pale in comparison. Released…
Read More5513/7 Double Reference Rolex Royal Navy Milsub
The 5517 is a very rare 5513-derived British Royal Navy Submariner variant. There exist true milsubs which are stamped both as either 5513 or 5517. However, there are few watches which slipped through the Swiss cracks with two references engraved. Much like the 6536/8 is the rarest case engraving of the big crown era, the…
Read MoreCWC W10 British Military Field Watch
The surviving relics of Britain’s horology industry seem without exception handsome. The ‘mechanical general service watch’ was manufactured for the MoD by the Hamilton factory from 1973 to 1975. The watches were issued to the Army, Royal Navy, and Air Force (those under the 6BB code). This is not a watch for those who pour…
Read MoreFAP 1675 Rolex GMT-Master
Small engravings and stampings can mean a lot to collectors. Daytonas engraved ‘drive carefully, me’ are something entirely separate to a ‘standard’ 6239 (if there is such a thing). A Lemania chronograph engraved with the name of a particular PM, well that’s something just a bit special. Some engravings are a bit more of the…
Read MoreIraqi Air Force Issued 806 Navitimer
Breitling’s Navitimer and its logarithmic slide-rule bezel have remained a staple of aviation since inception. The 806 made its debut in 1954 at a massive 40mm with a very flat crystal. Those proportions, when combined with its distinctly flat crystal and . . .let’s be kind and call it ‘busy’ dial, are instantly recognizable to…
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