The Mk 11 wristwatch issued to the British Royal Air Force (RAF) was aviation’s equivalent to the marine chronometer- aptly nicknamed the air chronometer. Considered by many to be the original Pilot’s watch, it was made to the incredibly strict 6B/346 specifications and was one of the costliest commissions for a wristwatch by a military.
I just obtained an International Watch Company pocket watch in an 18s hunter case. Serial number is 291687 (dates it to 1902, according to CS). Stem wound, lever set, dial appears double sunk. Anyway, if anyone can take the serial number and turn it into a jewel count, movement grade, and any other available information, I would be vrey grateful. To determine the approximate age of your watch, open the case and find the serial number, usually found engraved on the movement or the case back itself, then match it up with the list on this page. Cross reference the Movement number with the case number to find the time scale of when your watch was produced. Back to Main Watch Information Index. Brittons Watches- list of serial numbers and case numbers to date your IWC watch to give a production date mark XI, Portuguese, Portofino, Aquatimer. You can actually look at IWC watches serial numbers and compare them with a serial number list in order to date its approximate production year. Many watch brands offer an extract from the archives, but IWC does not. The company does, however, offer a Certificate of Authenticity.
Some of the 6B/346 specs included the need to be regulated or adjusted to a chronometer level, the need for a hacking function, for it to be waterproof and to be anti-magnetic. These all stemmed from real needs from pilot’s in the RAF who relied on these watches both for navigation and timing purposes.
The Mk 11 watches can lay claim to be the first watch that was built from the ground up to be antimagnetic. With a thick iron dial and a soft iron dust cap, this created a Faraday cage, protecting the movement from any interference from the other equipment on the plane. It was, without doubt the most advanced watch issued to the military at the time.
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This example features a ’T’ stamped dial, indicating that at some point, the luminous material was changed by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) from the harmful radium to tritium.
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Often misnamed as a Mark 11 or Mark XI, the correct spelling according to the MoD is actually Mk 11. A perennial favourite amongst collectors partly due to its utilitarian no-nonsense layout and incredible quality, the Mk 11 is a great casual watch to wear as a daily beater. With only roughly 8000 pieces produced, this is considered a rare timepiece rich in historical provenance.