You are not logged in.

#4976 2016-07-17 10:09:26

Oliver
Member
From: San Francisco
Posts: 6321

Re: Recent Old Ivy Finds

 

#4977 2016-07-17 10:41:08

Oliver
Member
From: San Francisco
Posts: 6321

Re: Recent Old Ivy Finds

"When World War Two-era watches are mentioned, many a WIS thinks immediately of high-quality German-made B-Uhren and chronographs. But it was a comparatively small, unobtrusive, mass-produced American watch, the so-called "A-11", which has a claim to fame of having made a crucial contribution to the Allied victory in that war.

This is the watch that kept the United States Army Air Forces (from 1947 on known as the "US Air Force") as well as the Navy and Marine Corps flying, and - to a lesser extent - the RAF (under the 6B/234 designation), the RCAF and even the Soviet Air Force. The A-11 was there when Germany was bombed and the World War II in Europe was turned around, when the war in the Pacific ended in the first - and so far only - nuclear explosions in anger occured, and when the monumental effort of the Berlin Airlift turned erstwhile foes into friends and allies, and handed the Soviets the first resounding defeat of the incipient Cold War which their political system, and their empire, would not survive. The A-11 was superseded at some time - usually the Korean War is given as a time reference - by the all-lumed A-17.

The A-11 was not so much a specific watch model but a production standard used by a number of watch companies (Elgin, Bulova and Waltham), with numerous case and minor dial/hands variations (there were even silver-cased watches, as nickel was considered a metal more critical for the war effort!), though some design aspects were largely universal: Black dial; white hands; a handwound hacking movement with center second hand, hour numbers from 1 to 12; a second scale with smaller minute/second numbers in increments of 10 on the outside edge of the dial; and same-type minute and hour hands. Several A-11 versions featured a characteristic coin-edge bezel and caseback. Some were dustproof, others were waterproof.

There are several design elements of the A-11 which are still present in today's US military issued watches, viz. the full 1-12 numerals, and the preference for the same type of minute and hour hands. Even the basic accuracy requirement for the A-11 (30 seconds per day at room temperature) is still the same for todays American mechanical milwatches!

Elgin, Waltham and Bulova all made the A-11 from 1941 on. Hamilton, then the leading US watch maker, made a similar type of watch which was not subsumed under the A-11 designation, though the watches were very similar. Lumed versions of the A-11 were produced as well, as were occasional white-dialed versions. The USAAFs version was marked with the U.S. Army specification no. 94-27834, or its subsequent iterations 94-27834-A (2 November 1942) and 94-27834-B (22 February 1943). The U.S. Navy's Bureau of Aeronautics specified lumed dial and hands for their version of the A-11; the watches were marked FSSC 88-W-800

While previous to the A-11 designation some issued watches were made with white dials, this changed after 1942 to the black dial version that is better known. Any white-dialed watch would be issued prior to the A-11 specification, most likely in 1941.

There were at least three A-11 versions made. As mentioned, Elgin, Waltham and Bulova made various incarnations of this classic watch, but the "official" version is the Elgin, as documented in TM 9-1575 from the War Department. This is the ordnance maintenance guide for wrist watches, pocket watches, stop watches and clocks, from 6 April 1945."

http://forums.watchuseek.com/f7/wristwatch-won-world-war-ii-11-american-watch-icon-207560.html

Last edited by Oliver (2016-07-17 10:42:16)

 

#4978 2016-07-17 11:13:37

Tommy
Member
Posts: 1753

Re: Recent Old Ivy Finds

 

#4979 2016-07-19 14:30:05

Armchaired
Ivy I.V.
From: Old England
Posts: 7580

Re: Recent Old Ivy Finds


�Careful with that axe Eugene.�

 

#4980 2016-07-19 14:57:46

Chief Brody
Member
Posts: 1822

Re: Recent Old Ivy Finds

That looks the "rill dill" as Lord Sugar would say. Well done, AC!

 

#4981 2016-07-19 15:08:27

Yuca
Member
Posts: 8543

Re: Recent Old Ivy Finds

Needs some cuffs and possibly not to be worn with all 3 jacket buttons done up - but otherwise superb. Brooks I assume.

Last edited by Yuca (2016-07-19 15:08:58)


some sort of banal legitimacy

 

#4982 2016-07-19 15:43:23

stanshall
Member
From: Gilligan's Island
Posts: 12991

Re: Recent Old Ivy Finds

/\  killer AC, nice work, cuff the trousers as Yuca mentioned, give it a nice pressing, and wear it in good health champ!


"bow wow wow yippie yo yippie yay"

 

#4983 2016-07-19 16:05:13

Armchaired
Ivy I.V.
From: Old England
Posts: 7580

Re: Recent Old Ivy Finds

Thank you Boys....its Brooks and i may just have enough on the length to get a Cuff.


�Careful with that axe Eugene.�

 

#4984 2016-07-19 17:46:34

farrago
Ambassador Of Ivy
From: Now in SFO
Posts: 1087

Re: Recent Old Ivy Finds

^ Cotton twill or wool gabardine, AC?

 

#4985 2016-07-19 18:07:45

Armchaired
Ivy I.V.
From: Old England
Posts: 7580

Re: Recent Old Ivy Finds


�Careful with that axe Eugene.�

 

#4986 2016-07-19 20:19:14

Worried Man
Member
From: Davebrubeckistan
Posts: 15988

Re: Recent Old Ivy Finds

Amazing!!


"We close our sto' at a reasonable hour because we figure anybody who would want one of our suits has got time to stroll over here in the daytime." - VP of George Muse Clothing, Atlanta, 1955

 

#4987 2016-07-20 01:06:16

Tomiskinky
Member
Posts: 3229

Re: Recent Old Ivy Finds

Very nice AC, perfect when it cools down a touch.

 

#4988 2016-07-20 01:09:33

McGeorge Bundyburger
Member
Posts: 756

Re: Recent Old Ivy Finds

Fantastic, AC, the stuff ebay/etsy dreams are made of...

 

#4989 2016-07-20 06:02:38

Tommy
Member
Posts: 1753

Re: Recent Old Ivy Finds

 

#4990 2016-07-20 06:11:31

Tommy
Member
Posts: 1753

Re: Recent Old Ivy Finds

Looking at both closely, her suit definitely fits better than his does.

 

#4991 2016-07-20 18:35:45

LeeLo
Member
Posts: 373

Re: Recent Old Ivy Finds

 

#4992 2016-07-28 14:55:22

Bradley
Member
Posts: 645

Re: Recent Old Ivy Finds


http://www.etsy.com/shop/PlacidVintage

 

#4993 2016-07-30 15:34:54

Armchaired
Ivy I.V.
From: Old England
Posts: 7580

Re: Recent Old Ivy Finds


�Careful with that axe Eugene.�

 

#4994 2016-07-30 15:51:10

Chief Brody
Member
Posts: 1822

Re: Recent Old Ivy Finds

Love it when a plan comes together!

 

#4995 2016-07-30 17:22:40

farrago
Ambassador Of Ivy
From: Now in SFO
Posts: 1087

Re: Recent Old Ivy Finds

Well done, AC. The sartorial gods smile upon you.

 

#4996 2016-07-31 00:26:54

stanshall
Member
From: Gilligan's Island
Posts: 12991

Re: Recent Old Ivy Finds


"bow wow wow yippie yo yippie yay"

 

#4997 2016-07-31 05:35:38

Chet
Member
Posts: 1585

Re: Recent Old Ivy Finds


Do you know what a Palmist once said to me? She said: will you let go!
Vivian Stanshall

 

#4998 2016-07-31 08:30:58

stanshall
Member
From: Gilligan's Island
Posts: 12991

Re: Recent Old Ivy Finds

/\  gracias Chetster!  this one was a steal because of a faint laundry mark on the inside of the placket toward the bottom of the shirt ....

... purchase broke a slump of several months without an unstylish Brooks short-sleeve shirt acquisition ......

but as as my entire gestalt is based on the Brooks Brothers short-sleeve buttondown shirt this was a major score ....


"bow wow wow yippie yo yippie yay"

 

#4999 2016-07-31 09:57:24

Armchaired
Ivy I.V.
From: Old England
Posts: 7580

Re: Recent Old Ivy Finds

Lovely shirt Stan , really lovely.


�Careful with that axe Eugene.�

 

#5000 2016-08-02 13:07:46

Armchaired
Ivy I.V.
From: Old England
Posts: 7580

Re: Recent Old Ivy Finds


�Careful with that axe Eugene.�

 

Board footer

Powered by PunBB
© Copyright 2002–2008 Rickard Andersson