Smiths / Jeager la Coultre - Early WWII cockpit clock

For sale, this excellent example of an army-issued 8-day travel time chronograph aircraft clock from Smiths dating from September 1939, the movement is from Jaeger-LeCoultre. The clock is in exceptionally good and original condition. Fully working and keeps time very accurately. Fully marked back plate. Mounted in a good custom-made metal holder for use as, for example, a desk clock. Clock dial diameter 8.5 cm, holder size 15 cm by 14.5 cm by 5 cm HOW DO WE DATE THIS MOVEMENT? From the serial number on the front of the dial, we can accurately date this cockpit clock to September 1939. This type of cockpit chronograph has a long service life. At the beginning of the Second World War they were found in Hampden bombers; during the Battle of Britain they were used in the Spitfire, and given the production year (1939) it experienced the Battle of Britain. It has a crown on the back with the letters A.M., which means Air Ministry; this marking was used in WW2. The dial has a 24-hour layout, which was later changed to a 12-hour layout during the war. These 24-hour cockpit clocks are rare because they date from the early WW2 period; most were lost in action. The movement is a high-quality Swiss Le-Coultre 330, which has a chronograph for the elapsed time dial (time of trip) at 12 o'clock. Because it is an eight-day movement, it is ideal for use as a desk clock that can be wound at the start of each work week. It can be used as is, with the holder. Or perhaps mounted on a plate to imitate the 2.5″ holes with spacing around the outside of the housing, and that is how it would have been mounted in a cockpit. The left button is extendable and then sets the time; when pressed, it winds the movement (counterclockwise, which is unusual). It often happened that pilots tried to wind the clock clockwise, which caused damage; it is also better not to wind the clock too tightly. The right button starts the travel time and resets the chronograph mechanism. It works well and the speed of the movement can be adjusted via a slider at the back of the housing. The paint is all original, as are the dial and the hands of the two sub-dials. The luminous hands still work, but only briefly, after being placed in darkness they glow green for only a few minutes. Size of the movement without the holder Width 82.6 mm (3.25 inches) Case thickness 41.0 mm All sizes are approximate. So again: How does this clock work: The metal case clock has a Swiss-made Jaeger-Le-Coultre 8-day movement with 13 jewels. It is a keyless movement with a 7.5 cm 12-hour black dial, luminous Arabic numerals (which still glow briefly) and an additional 12-hour dial that records the 'time of the trip'. The high-quality movement provides a chronograph function for the time of the trip. Two buttons at 4 o’clock and 8 o’clock control the operation of the clock, and there is a lever behind a slider at the back of the case for regulating speed. The left knob serves as the winder (turned counterclockwise) and, when pulled out, can be used to set the time. N.B. (it often happened that pilots tried to wind the clock clockwise, which caused damage): The button at 8 o’clock stops the seconds hand when pressed, and a further press restarts the seconds hand. THE LAST PHOTO IS AN ENHANCED VERSION TO MAKE THE LETTERING READABLE!

估價:$726.28

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