Vintage Movado Calendomatic sport watch Ref 16382

VINTAGE MOVADO CALENDOMATIC SPORT WRISTWATCH REF:16382 黃金圈撞佗自動錶

Automatic movement cal.223. It is important that all calendars functions working properly. It has a two tone dial show lovely patina and sings of age.

Two tone case in good condition show sings of age remain unpolished; Case diameter without crown,pushers and lugs: Huge 34mm watch for that era 

Benrus type II Class A military watch

 

Monday, November 03, 2014

Benrus type 2 class A

I didn't expect to find another Benrus military but I did ... The watch is in in excellent condition making it hard to resist to keep a spare.. 

Benrus Type II Class B military watch

 

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Benrus Type 2 Class B

Vintage military watches are one of the most interesting sub-sets of timepiece collecting. For many, they encapsulate the essence of "tool watch" in their most elemental form - if for no other reason than they were built to be issued to sailors, soldiers and airmen and brought into some of the harshest 

Benrus has produced the Type I and Type II, which feature different dial designs but share the same 43mm asymmetrical corrosion-resistant steel case, ETA-based automatic movement and a depth rating of 1200 feet.

Within the Type II specification, fewer than 1,000 were designated as 'Class B,' hallmarked by non-luminous dials and painted, non-luminous hands, done to exclude even the small amounts of radioactivity generated by Radium and Tritium material that can interfere with sensitive instruments and sensors (like inside a nuclear submarine).  

Benrus Type II Class B Military watch

 

Thursday, October 30, 2014

Benrus Type II Class B

I love wearing the two Benrus type 1 & 2 military watches as the watch design is so simple and without any brand name in front, really made it unique. Moreover, these were the last few real Made in USA watches.

The dome shaped crystal and the overall feel of the watch is really nice to touch and looking at the size now, it is right for the wrists and make reading time an ease. 

For those who love military watches should try to find them..

Information extracted from the forum:

Hello. I am new to this forum, and this is my first post. I am retired US Army after 28 years active duty. I have had a little experience in military production codes and procurement acquisitions. In my analysis of the Benrus Type I and Type II production codes, I have discovered certain similarities. For instance, it appears that every Type I watch I observe with a National Stock Number or Production Code starting with "N0", such as "N00104-75-D-2059" for example, was issued to the US Navy and serial numbered, hence the "N" meaning "Naval issue". It also appears that every Type II watch Production Code starting with "DA" was issued to the US Army, such as "DAAA25-75-C-0617", hence "Department of the Army." Overall, my summation is that the preponderance of Type I's were issued to the US Navy, and the preponderance of Type II's were issued to the US Army. This appears to make logical procurement sense as upon observation the Type I dials borrow heavily from the "Rolex Submariner look" and would have been preferred by Navy diving personnel in the 1970's with the Benrus's impressive depth rating. Conversely, the Type II's dial is distinctly military with the "1-12 and 13-24" hour military markings, much more condusive with land operations, but also depth rated in line with limited "combat diver" or SCUBA infiltration operations of the US Army Special Forces personnel at that time during the 1970's. In my observations I also encountered some watches without a serial number or Type or Class marking, yet all the other Production and Procurement Codes listed. These appear to have been not issued, as I cannot imagine a Quartermaster Officer worth his salt who would issue a watch without a serial number assigning responsibility to someone if they lost it. Well, those are my observations. I hope this is helpful in aiding those who need to identify their Benrus. Thank you and I enjoy the Forum. Bernard Cenney .

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The first set of digits in a contract number are the Department of Defense Activity Address Code (DoDAAC). This is the activity that initiates the procurement. They are not necessarily the activity that issues the watches, but warehouses them until user activities request items for issue.

You have noted that the all but the first contract run* of the Type Is have a contract number starting with NOO104 (or N00104), this is the DoDAAC code for the Naval Inventory Control Point, Mechanicsburg, PA, meaning all of these watches (except the first contract) were originally ordered by the US Navy. All the Type II, Class Bs were also ordered through NAVICP, Mechanicsburg.

Conversely, all of the Type 2s have DAAA25 or DAAA09 as the first block of the contract number. DAAA25 is the DoDAAC for the US Army's Frankford Arsenal, (formerly) in Philadelphia, and DAAA09 is the DoDAAC for Rock Island Arsenal, IL. Rock Island took over all the responsibilities of Frankford, when Frankford shutdown.

However, it would be a mistake to assume that all production from the Frankford or Rock Island went to the Army, there are a number of ex-USAF personnel that were issued Type II's Further, Frankford Arsenal was "official DoD watch source." Frankford was, generally, responsible for procurement of all timepieces for the Department of Defense, as their DoDAAC prefixes pop up on a number of watches, including a number of primarily USAF issued watches**. Not to mention the fact the the Navy's MIL-W-22176 (SHIPS) were all procured through Frankford Arsenal. When Frankford Arsenal was closed in 1977 (despite a campaign pledge by Vice-Presidential candidate Walter Mondale made on the front steps of Frankford's building) all of the activities were transferred to Rock Island.

Similarly, while NAVICP, Mechanicburg ordered the all the Type I's (and Type II, Class B's), it would be a mistake to assume that they were only issued to Naval personnel.  

Now, the Rolex "connection", the dials on the Benrus Type I are almost a carbon copy of the dial specified for the TR-900 [MIL-W-22176(SHIPS)], which is heavily influenced by the original Blancpain Fifty Fathoms. I would guess the BLancpain FF had more to do with the look of the Type I's dials, than Rolex...

I have postulated that the MIL-W-50717 was the result of "McNamara-esque" commonality. When the Navy was looking for a cheaper alternative to the TR-900 (without the high anti magnetic capabilities) and the Air Force looking to replace the FAPD-5101 and numerous other highly accurate navigational watches, some whizz-kid in the DoD saw two specifications in work for highly accurate wrist watches by both services, he require they be combined.

The Type I's have a number of design cues from the TR-900 and other contemporary diver's watches, and the Type II's nave a number of design cues from the earlier MIL-W-3818B, GG-W-113 and FAPD-5101.

Also, the initial specified accuracy of the watches (+10/-0 seconds per day, comparable to chronometer requirements), indicate the watch was intended for navigational proposes.

_____________________________

* the first contract run of MIL-W-50717, Type I, Class A watches was DAAA25-72-C-0528

** one batch in particular is the FAPD-5101 in Contract No. DAAA25-YY-XXXXX, FAPD-5101 is a USAF specification

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Monday, December 15, 2014

Benrus Vietnam war military

Of all my military watches, the Benrus is one of my favourite as the size is just nice and it's rugged and it can be used daily. In addition, with the anonymous dial and without any branding, it truly reflects the fact that it is a tool watch, a watch used during military operation.

Benrus Type 1 Class A Military watch

 

Monday, September 29, 2014

Benrus Type 1 Class A

The Benrus Type 1 Class A dive watch was issued to members of the UDT-SEAL, Green Berets and Special Forces towards the end of the Vietnam conflict. These watches were very durable and some consider it to be the ultimate military dive watch, hence the Class A nomenclature. 

The Type I Class A dive watch has the perfect dial for military dive watch with its simple zen design. This field-proven case design, and the only U.S. military issued watch to feature an automatic movement with hack feature has made this watch special. 

It was made under a military specification of its own, namely the MIL-W-50717 specification. As mentioned, the watch was designated CLASS A, which is essentially the highest classification awarded to military watches. 

As it is supplied in the United States Army military watches, the watch has been named the TYPE 1  Mainly employed as a diving watches, such as the United States Navy.  TYPE 2 made in the late 1970s. This TYPE1 is for water interaction model  (diving) while TYPE 2 is the model with ground personnel. 

It has taken me almost 6 months to hunt for these Benrus Type 1 and like the Seiko 300 m 6159-700 using the hi beat movement, these watches are extremely difficult to find and much luck is needed to find them. It is easier to find Rolex then these as these active "tools" watches often went through has harsh environments and not many of these appears in the market. Initially, I was thinking that perhaps it will be easier to find a type 2 but my watch sifu Mr. TK Lee has taught me one lesson in collecting watches is that one should always go for the best and the most difficult one to collect first and the rest will fall in place.

Owing to the students demonstration, many of my customers were affected by the road blockage and I ended up walking into a vintage watch shop not expecting anything. I have always considered military watches that is still around lucky as these amazingly durable and accurate watches have faithfully accompanied their previous owners on many dangerous missions be it reconnaissance and behind-the-line operations and combat conducted in the hot and humid jungles of Vietnam. Being able to appear in the shop means that these watches have survived. These Benrus watch together with the Seiko 6105 and a Glycine Airman watches were the favourite of the US forces.

The watch is heavy and the heavy steel case measures 47.5mm lug to lug, 42.4mm across the crown, with thickness reaching 15.3mm. Rigid strap bars are fixed to the case and takes a 20mm black nylon band. It has a screw-down crown with crown protecting shoulders that protrudes smoothly from the lugs. 

One-piece case design helped the watch achieve necessary water resistantance required by the nature of underwater activities conducted by UDT-SEAL teams. Ziggy Wesolowski, author of Concise Guide to Military Timepieces, reports the watch to have been tested to depths of 495 feet. 

Like what a collector has mentioned In his blog, one of the beautiful aspects found on this Benrus dive watch is the perfect dome shaped plastic crystal. It is very thick, about 3mm, and looks extremely tough. 

Even though my watch has scratched marks within the crystal, given the 3mm thickness, it can still function well making me thinking twice of replacing the crystals.

Thanks to my friend Bryan, I have managed to consolidate my military watch collection. The dirty dozen is always on my lists but the Benrus Type 1 has taken priority owing to the unique design and larger size.

According to information found on the net, the Type I was procured in several (I count five) contracts from 1972 to 1977, all but the first contract were purchased by the Navy Supply Center (now Naval Inventory Control Point) Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. The single contract (in 1980) for The Type II, Class B was also purchased by NAVSUP Mechanicburg.

All the Type II watches (and the first contract of Type Is, five in all) were contracted by the Army from 1972 to 1977, first through Frankford Arsenal, Pennsylvania, then when Frankford started the wind down for its closure, the last two contacts were made through Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois.

Although, the last contracts for the Type I and II was set in 1977, production under these contacts lasted until 1980.

There were 9,223 Type II, Class A watches made, around 6,000 Type I, and maybe 1000 Type II, Class Bs...

As part of the exercises, I have started to streamline my watches and instead of collecting numerous of the same kind, I have decided to keep only one each and letting go the spares so that I can free up space for new toys to come in. My one in one out policy has to be reinforced as I have not been following the rules set previously.

Time to hunt for its partner type II....

Saturday, March 21, 2015

Benrus Vietnam war military watch

HISTORY OF VIETNAM SINGLE CASE WATCHES

Just found this Vietnam (Dec 1969) Mil-W-3818B issued military timepiece in very good condition and very good price.Benrus DTU-2A/P military issue wrist watch from the Vietnam era. Looks and works excellent. During the Vietnam war the Mil-W-3818B spec watches were issued to military pilots. Higher quality than the Mil-W-46374 watches issued to the grunts on the ground. The pilots watches were equipped with a Swiss made 17 jewel manual wind movement, model DR 2F2 w.

THIS FAMOUS BENRUS U.S. GOV. ISSUED MIL-W-3818 WAS THE SECOND ISSUE OF THE BENRUS PROTOTYPE  THAT ALL SUBSEQUENT MIL ISSUE WATCHES WERE CREATED BY– EXCEPT THAT THE MOVEMENTS OF OTHER COMPANIES THAT FOLLOWED WERE 15, THEN   7 JEWEL THROW AWAY. 

A GIANT LEAP IN JUNGLE BUSTING SINGLE CASED WATCH SYSTEMS 

A ONE YEAR TOUR OF DUTY “IN COUNTRY” – A PLACE CALLED “THE NAM”, MEANT A YEAR OF SWELTERING JUNGLE CONDITIONS AND MONSOONS. GOVERNMENT ISSUED WATCHES HAD TO BE DESIGNED BETTER THAN EVER BEFORE.  OF ALL THE COMPANIES THAT SUBMITTED PROTOTYPES AND ASSISTED IN DEVELOPING CASE & MOVEMENT DESIGNS WAS THE BENRUS WATCH CO.  IN FACT, BENRUS WOULD MAKE/PROPOSE THE LARGEST CONTRIBUTION: A SINGLE CASED STEM DESIGNED TO RESIST THE ELEMENTS, BE DURABLE, AND TO LAST. THUS BENRUS BEAT THE COMPETITION & WAS AWARDED THE FIRST CONTRACT.

Please visit: http://goldsmithwatchworks.com/benrus-vietnam-mil-w-3818b-hacking-history/

Vintage Military W 10 watches

This is my old blog wriiten in 2017 when I was working in Thailand. For military watch collectors, the Dirty Dozen WW2 watches is a must. However, there are another set which collectors can go for , i.e.the Vintage military W10 watches consisting of watches made by Hamilton, Smilth, CWC and the Lost Navigator. My first contact with a Hamilton W10 watches was in 1988 when I bought it at S$400 from an expatriat from UK. $400 was quite a lot of money for a fresh undergraduate... 

Thursday, May 25, 2017

Vintage military W 10 watches

W10 military watches

Throughout the 1950s, ‘60s, and ‘70s, Smiths watch has held contracts to supply watches to the UK Ministry of Defense, with the W10 being perhaps the most iconic. The W10 would become the last serially produced British watch with all of its components including the movement to be manufactured in the UK.

The W10 is 35mm with an approximate lug-to-lug height of 40mm. The lug bars are fixed, a common feature amongst mil-spec watches, so the W10 is an ideal match for most nylon mil-straps.  The W10 black dial features traditional aviator configuration found on numerous mil-spec watches: a legible hours index with a triangle at 12, sword hands, and an outer railroad track for the minutes. Right under 12 oclock is the “SMITHS” logo and an encircled T indicating the presence of tritium.

At location above 6 is the pheon (broad arrow), the official mark designating property issued by the British government dating back to the 17th century. Right below 6 along the inner perimeter of the minutes track is a proud “MADE IN ENGLAND,” a small element that differentiates the W10 from scores of other mil-spec watches. The W10 uses the cal. 60466E, a 17-jewel manual movement produced in-house by Smiths, which has a beautiful golden bronze coloured movement.

CWC W 10 (Cabot Watch Company)

Besides Simths. the W10 pattern was manufactured by CWC, Hamilton. Hamilton ceased production in the early 1970’s and production was continued by Cabot Watch Co better know by the initials CWC. It is a very robust with a thick steel case, good quality accurate Swiss jeweled movement, hacking function, easy to read dial, fixed strap bars & extra thick tough plexi.

This style of watch replaced the Smith's W10 and was the last general purpose mechanical watch ever issued to the military in the UK. This "Tonneau" shaped case watches were issued to all 3 branches of the M.O.D Army Navy and RAF from 1973-1980.

Case-back markings markings:

W10 indicates Army issue.

6645 Nato code for Timepiece.

99 country code for UK.

523-8290 = General Purpose wristwatch.

/|\ Arrow = M.O.D property, and the last set of numbers (e.g.)

1XXX/ 76 are the serial number & year of issue.

CWC, Smiths together with the Hamilton W10. This is my 3rd attempts in collecting the W10. I have my first Hamilton W10 in the 1988 in Singapore and sold it later. My second attempt was a few years back when I found another Hamilton W10 in Hong Kong but sold to a friend as it was not fitting into my collection. This 3rd attempt was a success as I have managed to find all 3 variations. I am now hunting for the Lost navigator...

Monday, June 05, 2017

The Lost Navigator military watch

I have always love watches with history. The 1976 MOD issued Sterile 6BB watch is somewhat of a mystery to collectors of  British military watches. It looks very similar to the Hamilton and CWC tonneau shaped W10 General Service watches. This is a genuine RAF Issue watch, referred to as the Lost Navigator and issued in 1976 only in 2000 pieces only.

Similar to the CWC and Hamilton W10's with monobloc case this watch is totally devoid of any makers name or markings. There has been much speculation as to who made this watch but no conclusive answer.

I am waiting for the correct hands to arrive..

http://dbaswithguns.com/Imgs/Sterile_6BB_The_Lost_Navigator.pdf
http://thewatchspotblog.com/?p=4317

 

Monday, July 31, 2017

The Lost Navigator W10

I have finally managed to get the closest hands for the Lost Navigator. There was a huge delay in shipping and I'm glad it has finally arrived. No one knows who made these but the mystery has added more charms to the watch.

http://dbaswithguns.com/Imgs/Sterile_6BB_The_Lost_Navigator.pdf