Pilot Wings & Watches

[Flightpath]

Hi,

I thought you guys might be interested in seeing some of the watches and wings from my collection.

I have mostly collected WW2 items but every now and then someone gives me an item or something I like comes along.
My grandfather was in the RAAF during WW2 and I started off with some of his things (his medals and badges ect.) and it grew from that.

The 1966 RAF Hamilton with the grey strap is my favorite at the moment and I have sold the 1956 RAF Omega with the black strap. (I've since bought a white faced Elgin A-11 and a Wittnauer-Weems navigator's watch).
While at college two of my teachers were ex-military flyers, one was a pilot with No.2 squadron RAAF, he gave me his wings and a clock from a Hudson he crash-landed in 1943. The other was an observer with 1770 FAA Royal Navy, he gave me his wings a photo of himself in front of his Firefly...... these are the sort of things that keep things interesting and it's just kept on from there.

I might post some more photos if there's some interest!

cheers,

-John

 

[Anonymous]

Please post more pics! I see you like the NATO style bands.

 

[watchmanjimg]

Ditto! I'd like to see more of this fine collection you have.

 

[Flightpath]

Here's another photo composition. I like makeing up sets of items that go together and takeing a photo of them.

The watch on the left is a 1942 RCAF Waltham 6B/150, it goes nicely with the RCAF wings.
The watch on the right is a 1943 RAF Longines 6B/159, goeing with the RAF, RAAF & RNZAF wings. The RAAF wings were from a friend who flew Hudsons in 2 Squadron RAAF and the RAAF Air Gunner wing was from my best friend's father in RAAF Liberators.
The book is an original 1943 Sunderland III pilot's notes, with three different escape compasses and an RAF/A.M. aircrew whistle. The pilot's notes were on a shelf amongst reprinted pilot's notes in a Melbourne bookshop, who knows how they got there!

I posted this photo on a mil-watch site a while ago and have more photos that I'll post soon,

cheers,

-John

 

[Flightpath]

I have to admit that I really love Spitfires, I always wanted to get a control colum 'spade grip', a rear vision mirror and a gunsight. Unfortunately, because of the extremely high prices of spade grips and mirrors I have had to settle for just the gunsight!

I bought this very nice GUNSIGHT MK II* from a guy in England many years ago, I think it cost me $100 then. This particular gunsight was produced in 1941, the first year they were issued with the square reflector glass.

To mount the gunsight I bought an inch thick alloy block, milled, filed, drilled & tapped, polished it, then had it anodised. I mounted an original switch, dimmer and panel socket as well. My best friend made the 'book end' (his dad gave me his RAAF 'AG' wing) and it all came together nicely! (I have the original transit case also).

Of course these gunsights were not only used in Spitfires but that's what comes to mind when most people see it. (They were also in some USAAF aircraft such as the P-47 & P-51).

I'll see what else I can come up with!

cheers,

-John

 

[Flightpath]

Please post more pics! I see you like the NATO style bands.

Hi wing nut,

I do like the NATO straps, but I was given a free, very nice Jurgen's hand made leather strap for my 1966 RAF Hamilton 6B-, it's much more comfortable than the NATO so I'll use it until it's worn out and go back to the NATO G10 type.
I still have the Hamilton's original strap, it's a faded and shrunk grey/green, woven strap with the pressed metal buckle. This is how the watch looked when I bought it......... notice the wear marks on the caseback from the original strap!

cheers,

-John

 

[Flightpath]

Hi,

Here's the Hamilton with the Jurgen's strap, as it is now. A good lens and case polish makes all the differance too!

I do like the look of the NATO G10 strap but this Jurgen's strap is much nicer to wear.

cheers,

-John

 

[Flightpath]

O/K,

it's aircraft clock time now, here's some of my clocks, some are no longer with me due to trades and sales to buy other things............. I'm, down to only seven aircraft clocks now!

The mounted clock (top/left) is a pre-war Longines and was from Lockheed Hudson A16-242 of 2 Squadron RAAF.
My friend Tom Graham crash landed on march 14, 1943 while on an anti-submarine patrol. During a tank change both engines cut, Tom just managed to drop depth charges, turn for the coast and make a wheels up landing in a swamp in Arnhem Land, Nth Australia. (Lat. 11.24 Lon.132.51). They waited three days to be picked up by the navy and returned to Darwin.

cheers,

-John

 

[Weasel_Loader]

Taking a break from flight jackets and enjoying an old hobby of mine again, I recently dug these pilot wings up while metal detecting in a park in Bakersfield, Ca.

There is no Sterling mark on the back of this pair. I have a set of wings given to me by a WW2 P-38 pilot that flew in the Pacific and his does have the Sterling mark on the back. I do know the ones I found are silver because of the signal they gave my detector.

Compare with the WW2 wings above marked Sterling.

 

[Anonymous]

I had my Navy Aircrew wings dipped in gold at Venus jewlery in Thailand. Cool place if you ever get over there.

 

[Weasel_Loader]

So your saying you worked the "railroad" eh? :lol: Never got over there in my travels. Korea was my only pacific posting and I hated it. :roll:

 

[Flightpath]

I had my Navy Aircrew wings dipped in gold at Venus jewlery in Thailand. Cool place if you ever get over there.

Hi wing nut,

are they the wings with the 'AC' either side of the anchor?

I'm after a set with just the anchor and no 'AC'........... to go with the items I had given to me with my G-1.

I'm haveing a leather name patch with that type (non-'AC') made just to put in the pocket of my G-1 (not sewn on the front), then, in the future people will know who it came from (maybe I should sew them on the inside of the jacket lineing?).

cheers,

-John

PS- what unit were/are you in?

 

[bazelot]

How can you make sure that Navy wings are from WWII?

I have this set that was advertised as pre WWII:

Is it really pre WWII?

 

[smkngun]

Can you post better photos?

There is no real true way to identify Pre-WWII wings from Post 1938 Patter (IE with Berries) unless they are biographical, sometimes the Maker Marks, or assemblies might help, but they are not always 100%!

Wings with pinbacks, and no berries were made up until 1964.

Regards,

John

 

[bazelot]

Can you post better photos?

There is no real true way to identify Pre-WWII wings from Post 1938 Patter (IE with Berries) unless they are biographical, sometimes the Maker Marks, or assemblies might help, but they are not always 100%!

Wings with pinbacks, and no berries were made up until 1964.

Regards,

John

i will post pics as soon as i receive the wings. What do you call berries?

 

[deeb7]

.. What do you call berries?

Here's mine, they came with a WW 11 VMF 122 patch. They are marked H-H within a star, and STER + 1/20 10K.

That'll be the 'berries' under the wings ...

 

[Clyde from Carolina]

Very cool stuff! I'm a watch nut, too.

I have a little advert booklet that Rolex put out a few years ago called, "Every Rolex Tells A Story" and there are several interesting pilot's stories in it. One of them concerns an RAF pilot who wore a Rolex Oyster that he purchased in Canada in 1941 and that he was wearing in a Lancaster bomber when the Admiral Scheer was bombed and capsized in Kiel Harbor.

The pilot describes in his letter to Rolex that when he would reassure his flying buddies that his Oyster was waterproof in case they had to ditch in the sea, his mates would immediately dunk it in a pint of beer, proving it was beer proof also!

He was still wearing the watch in 1988, but donated it to the Rolex Oldtimer's Museum.

 

[Flightpath]

Yep,
collecting can really grab hold of you (and your wallet), about seven years ago when I was still single and liveing in Australia I had a room full (plus the nicer items scattered around the house).

Now, with an apartment, a wife and two kids I'm down to an overflowing IKEA wall cabinet plus the nicer items scattered around the apartment. I also have a drawer full of silk & paper maps, photos & booklets.
I sold a lot to move and buy a place here in Norway, time is at a premium, a smaller collection gives time for family and other things.
Here's my IKEA cabinet now.... I'll post one of 'my single days' soon.

I also had a small NASA collection, I have sold some items to buy some more watches not long ago.

cheers,

-John

 

[smkngun]

Here are some photos of Naval Aviator Wings from WWI to WWII, and the known variants of “berries”, one side will have 11, and the other will have 13.

All these variations were used until 1964. In 1964, the USN adopted the 1938 Style Wing as the permanent style of wing.

John, nice collection!
Click on the thumbnails to Enlarge Photos…

 

[Flightpath]

Thanks John,

With all this wing talk I might have to look for an older set of USN wings like the ones I sold you long ago (the ones on the card without makers mark).
We all end up wishing we didn't part with things I guess!

My friend Jed who gave me his G-1 jacket asked me if I collected Air Force items because he has more friends from the Air Force than the Navy and he will ask them if they have some things for me!

cheers,

have a nice time on this forum mate,

-John