Switzerland Military
Military Watches
A Brief History of Military Watches
Military watches, as their name suggests, were developed for use in the armed forces. The first military watches were naval pieces, chronometers that worked well for their purposes, but as other branches of the military - aviation in particular - made major technological advances around the time of the Second World War, precise seconds became critical. As the saying goes, "necessity is the mother of invention," and Navigator (also known as "Pilot") watches were born.
In Navigator watch design, the seconds bezel allowed the pilot to synchronize the seconds hand with correct reference time before takeoff, and to make manual corrections to radio time signals while in flight, thus eliminating any "chronometer error" and the navigational errors that could result.
Great War, Great Technological Advances
Seconds continued to be of the essence in both military technology and military watches. "Center-seconds" hands, (also called a "hack seconds feature") - the feature that allowed for synchronization between two timepieces - continued to improve and advance.
The definitive Navigator "hack" watches feature a black dial and white Arabic numerals and indices, hour, minute, and center-seconds hands. Sizing is all over the board; historically, such notable companies as Elgin, Waltham, and Bulova Watches crafted watches (for the renamed Army Air Force in 1941), as small as 31mm in diameter. The German army tended toward larger faces, often in the 55mm range. These watches were worn on the outside of a flight jacket or on the navigator's thigh. The Germans also added antimagnetic protection to their chronometers.
Within another major Axis power, Seiko produced a staggering number of military watches for the Japanese Imperial Army and Navy. These watches averaged around 49mm in diameter.
Navigating The Cold War
As the days of WWII faded into memory and the strained peace of the "Cold War" became reality, military budgets and military technology boomed. In the era of nuclear bombs the airplane ascended to its most powerful military and political role in history. Watchmakers rose to the call by designing an instrument worthy of going into battle with humankind's most powerful weapon. Those were the Glory Days of the military watch, although no one design house can claim full credit for the strides made in the industry during that time.
Cold War-era military watches were much larger in size than the average American navigators before them. Averaging 36mm in diameter, the crafting of these timepieces was moved to Switzerland and Swiss military watch companies with centuries' old reputations for precision. Like those before them, these Navigators also featured a matte black dial marked with white Arabic numerals 1-12, and with white indices. The new designs did not have white numerals at cardinal 3, 6, 9, and 12. Another new addition was a shatterproof Perspex acrylic crystal, which protected its large 12 ligne movement from magnetic fields. These hand-wound watches were expected to be water-resistant to 20 feet, including water-resistance under low-pressure at operational altitudes.
Own A Piece of History - At A Reasonable Price
While several of the top-tier watchmakers are reviving this classic style, vintage quality does not have to break the bank. Seiko watches established a reputation for the brand, recognized by watch collectors. You can buy watches from Seiko for reasonable prices, classic Navigator-style watches can be enjoyed by all.
This Article is Originally Published here: Military Watches
Learn More:
When you buy watches online, be sure to check size, warranty information, shipping guarantee and their return policy. Kenmar Watches has been selling watches on the internet since 1997. They have been providing 100% CUSTOMER SATISFACTION from beginning.
About the Author
James Manning is a recognized horologist authority and avid collector of watches, clocks and other timekeeping devices. He can be reached at www.kenmarwatches.com.
Swiss Armed Forces
 |
 SWITZERLAND Military Mail WWI Compagnie de Mitrailleurs $13.90 Time Remaining: 26d 1h 39m Buy It Now for only: $13.90 Buy It Now |
 MOTOR Switzerland 1940 Mi military motor perf unperf $13.13 Time Remaining: 1h 35m |
 MOTOR Switzerland 1940 Mi military active service motor $13.13 Time Remaining: 1h 35m |
 MOTOR Switzerland 1939 Mi military motor perf 04 $13.13 Time Remaining: 1h 37m |
 SWITZERLAND SECOND WAR 12 Military Stamps VF $36.50 Time Remaining: 11d 22h 21m Buy It Now for only: $36.50 Buy It Now |
 MOTOR Switzerland 1939 Mi military block van 4 groen 01 $33.33 Time Remaining: 1h 39m |
 MOTOR Switzerland 1939 Mi military block van 4 geel 02 $33.33 Time Remaining: 1h 39m |
 Switzerland WWII Active Service Air Force Fieldpost 19 USED Military Cover Z31 $21.50 Time Remaining: 29d 7h 52m Buy It Now for only: $21.50 Buy It Now |
 SWITZERLAND France Military Censored With Tape To Red C $5.56 Time Remaining: 4d 1h 14m |
 SWITZERLAND 1880 Military Envelope Service Postal Milit $4.34 Time Remaining: 4d 2h 9m |
 SWITZERLAND 1916 Military Mail WWI Straight Line Mark S $13.90 Time Remaining: 26d 1h 38m Buy It Now for only: $13.90 Buy It Now |
 SWITZERLAND Military Kaserne Frauenfeld Military Barrac $3.48 Time Remaining: 4d 2h 6m |
 SWITZERLAND 1940 Soldier Stamp Military On Card Pontoon $3.05 Time Remaining: 4d 2h 9m |
 SWITZERLAND 1942 Military Feldpost 26 Paid Air Mail To $17.38 Time Remaining: 29d 33m Buy It Now for only: $17.38 Buy It Now |
 SWITZERLAND 1940 Internment Camp Affeltrangen Military $6.52 Time Remaining: 4d 1h 55m |
 SWITZERLAND 1940 Internment Camp Lommis On Military Pos $10.85 Time Remaining: 4d 1h 58m |
 SWITZERLAND Military Mail Bataillon 10 Poste de Campagn $17.38 Time Remaining: 12d 22m Buy It Now for only: $17.38 Buy It Now |
 SWITZERLAND 1940 Internment Camp Burgdorf On Military P $6.52 Time Remaining: 4d 1h 54m |
 Switzerland 1940 Soldier Stamp Military INF FUS KP 111 $6.08 (1 Bid) Time Remaining: 4d 2h 26m |
 Switzerland 1916 Soldier Stamp Military 2nd Division Imperf Zum 47 $17.38 Time Remaining: 4d 2h 13m |
 SWITZERLAND Military Mail Bataillon 3 Poste de Campagne $17.38 Time Remaining: 1d 9m Buy It Now for only: $17.38 Buy It Now |
 WILD Military gun SIGHT Kollimator Complete Set Made in Switzerland $495.00 Time Remaining: 4d 15m |
 Switzerland 1940 Soldier Stamp Military INF FUS BAT 81 $3.48 (1 Bid) Time Remaining: 4d 2h 26m |
 SWITZERLAND Military Mail Bataillon 9 Poste de Campagne $17.38 Time Remaining: 9d 10m Buy It Now for only: $17.38 Buy It Now |
 Switzerland 1942 Military Soldier Stamp Propoganda Prom $1.56 Time Remaining: 4d 2h 10m |
 Switzerland 1939 Soldier Stamp Military INF GEB Fus 47 $7.88 (1 Bid) Time Remaining: 4d 2h 26m |
 SWITZERLAND Military Mail WWI Switzerland Federation So $13.90 Time Remaining: 29d 29m Buy It Now for only: $13.90 Buy It Now |
 SWITZERLAND 1918 Military Soldier Stamp Landwehrtrup Me $4.34 Time Remaining: 4d 2h 10m |
 SWITZERLAND 1940 Soldier Stamp Military On Cover MSA $3.05 Time Remaining: 4d 2h 9m |
 SWITZERLAND Military Envelope Feldpost 8 $3.48 Time Remaining: 29d 24m Buy It Now for only: $3.48 Buy It Now |
 Switzerland 1918 Military Soldier Stamp 3 Div With Over $4.34 Time Remaining: 4d 2h 10m |
 SWITZERLAND 1940 Soldier Stamp Military On Envelope Col $3.05 Time Remaining: 4d 2h 9m |
 SWITZERLAND 1919 Military Mail WWI Motorwagendepet Feld $26.07 Time Remaining: 18d 10m Buy It Now for only: $26.07 Buy It Now |
 SWITZERLAND 1940 Soldier Stamp Military On Envelope Col $3.05 Time Remaining: 4d 2h 9m |
 SWITZERLAND Soldier Stamp Artillerie On Military Postca $4.34 Time Remaining: 4d 2h 19m |
 SWITZERLAND Soldier Stamp Artillerie On Military Postca $4.34 Time Remaining: 4d 2h 19m |
 Switzerland Swiss Soldier Stamp Military Post Mountain Brigade VF MNH 97 $5.97 Time Remaining: 7d 18h 20m Buy It Now for only: $5.97 Buy It Now |
 SWITZERLAND 1940 Soldier Stamp Military Used Gun On Spe $3.48 Time Remaining: 4d 2h 7m |
 SWITZERLAND 1940 Soldier Stamp Military Used Gun On Spe $3.48 Time Remaining: 4d 2h 8m |
 SWITZERLAND Military Mail WWI Bttr de Mont 1 Poste de C $13.90 Time Remaining: 26d 1h 39m Buy It Now for only: $13.90 Buy It Now |
 SWITZERLAND 1940 Soldier Stamp Military Used Gun On Spe $3.48 Time Remaining: 4d 2h 8m |
 Switzerland 1918 Military Soldier Stamp 2 Div With Over $26.07 Time Remaining: 4d 2h 10m |
 WWI Swiss 3rd Div Military Error Stamps from 1914 18 $20.00 Time Remaining: 6d 1h 56m Buy It Now for only: $20.00 Buy It Now |
 SWITZERLAND 1939 Military Soldier Stamp On Cover Grenzb $3.05 Time Remaining: 4d 2h 9m |
 SWITZERLAND 1939 Military Soldier Stamp On Card Sword S $3.05 Time Remaining: 4d 1h 52m |
 SWITZERLAND 1917 Military Mail WWI Cours Superieur de S $13.90 Time Remaining: 26d 1h 40m Buy It Now for only: $13.90 Buy It Now |
 SWITZERLAND 1939 Military Soldier Stamp On Card Guns FU $3.05 Time Remaining: 4d 1h 52m |
 SWITZERLAND 1939 Military Soldier Stamp On Card Soldier $3.05 Time Remaining: 4d 1h 52m |
 SWITZERLAND 1914 France Troyes Military Cover To Red C $6.95 Time Remaining: 14d Buy It Now for only: $6.95 Buy It Now |
 SWITZERLAND 1939 Military Soldier Stamp On Card Soldier $3.05 Time Remaining: 4d 1h 52m |
 SWITZERLAND 1939 Military Soldier Stamp On Card Soldier $3.05 Time Remaining: 4d 1h 52m |
 Let's Swallow Switzerland: Hitler's Plans against the Swiss Confederation List Price: Sale Price: $40.46 You save: $9.54 (19%)  Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 10 to 11 days See Reviews For This Product DescriptionWhy was Switzerland spared a German attack during World War II? Was its existence actually endangered at any time? In "Let's Swallow Switzerland," historian Klaus Urner reveals new data uncovered about the actual threats Switzerland faced during the war...  |
 The Challenge of Neutrality: Diplomacy and the Defense of Switzerland List Price: Sale Price: $6.99 See Reviews For This Product DescriptionProminent historian and former President of the Swiss Confederation Georges-André Chevallaz begins his study of Swiss neutrality during World War II with two essential questions: Why, in the face of German imperialism—with its authoritarian, totalitarian, and racist ideology—did Switzerland declare neutrality? Why did it not join the "camp of democracies," or the other European nations who resolved to hold firm against the Germans? Chevallaz's provocative and insightful book, presented here for the first time in English, attempts to answer these questions... |
 Between the Alps & A Hard Place: Switzerland in World War II and Moral Blackmail Today Sale Price: $27.95 Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours See Reviews For This Product DescriptionWhat really happened to the billions of dollars worth of gold seized by Nazi Germany? What role did the Swiss government play and what are the implications of neutrality during wartime? The author addresses these questions, presents the case for and against Switzerland, and applies the lessons learned from World War II to the broader issue of companies--and countries--profiting during wartime. |
 Shot from the Sky: American POWs in Switzerland List Price: Sale Price: $9.95 See Reviews For This Product DescriptionThis book is about one of the great, dark secrets of World War II: neutral Switzerland shot down U.S. aircraft entering Swiss airspace and imprisoned the survivors in internment camps, detaining more than one thousand American flyers between 1943 and the war’s end... |
 Refuge from the Reich: American Airmen and Switzerland During World War II Sale Price: $36.00 Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours See Reviews For This Product DescriptionImagine the courage of a U.S. aircrew whose plane is rocked by explosions at 26,000 feet. The engines smoking, wounded crying, pilots desperately trying to control the falling craft, secretly unsure whether to shout the dreaded order: "Bail out!" A final moment of terror occurs when fighter planes suddenly appear alongside the stricken craft-and then a sigh of relief... |
 And Direction Was Given: A Daring Escape from a POW Camp and a Dramatic Journey to Neutral Switzerland Sale Price: $9.94 Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours See Reviews For This Product DescriptionIn the dying days of World War II, Alan Flederman was a POW in Italy. As the Allies advanced, there was an ever-present threat that he and his fellow prisoners would be despatched deep into the land of their fears - Germany... |
 The 2011 Import and Export Market for Parts and Accessories of Military Weapons, Revolvers and Pistols Designed to Fire Live Ammunition, and Non-Military Arms in Switzerland Sale Price: $135.00 Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours See Reviews For This Product DescriptionOn the demand side, exporters and strategic planners focusing on parts and accessories of military weapons, revolvers and pistols designed to fire live ammunition, and non-military arms in Switzerland face a number of questions... |
 The 2011 Import and Export Market for Non-Military Arms in Switzerland Sale Price: $138.00 Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours See Reviews For This Product DescriptionOn the demand side, exporters and strategic planners focusing on non-military arms in Switzerland face a number of questions. Which countries are supplying non-military arms to Switzerland? How important is Switzerland compared to others in terms of the entire global and regional market? How much do the imports of non-military arms vary from one country of origin to another in Switzerland? On the supply side, Switzerland also exports non-military arms... |
