Now you know that you ought to be selling that to me; it's got my initials on the dial.
**minces off to Ebay to update his saved searches**
I recently bought this Mark V cockpit watch off eBay. It was advertised only as a 'military pocket watch' so my interest was a bit random - isn't that always the most dangerous time :).
I really like the dial and a bit of research indicated to me it was a Zenith dial, the numerals and the C.B. mark mainly. I could see that the hands were completely wrong but I surprised myself by winning for not much more than a decent GSTP (so I tell myself).
There were no movement pictures so when it arrived I was half hoping for a Zenith movement. As it turns out it's a Doxa movement and case, still very nice but I don't believe matching the dial. It seems to run very well. The numbers inside the case all match.
So I'm guessing what I have is a Doxa watch where the dial and hands were damaged and replaced by a Zenith dial and some mongrel hands, sometime in the last 100 years. I really like the dial and I'm happy with a bit of a Franken in that respect. I would like to fit the correct non-luminous hands though.
Thoughts, suggestions, opinions, corrections very welcome. As I said, it wasn't a lot of money and I'm realistic about what I have.
Incidentally, for those like me who aren't familiar with these watches, they were apparently issued to WWI Royal Flying Corps pilots and mounted into the cockpit of a plane for each flight, although quite possibly they weren't issued until right at the end of the war by which time the RAF was in existence.
This picture of a Sopwith Camel shows a similar watch mounted bottom right.
PS I've also posted this on MWR, apologies to MWR members for the repetition.
Now you know that you ought to be selling that to me; it's got my initials on the dial.
**minces off to Ebay to update his saved searches**
In the Sotadic Zone, apparently.