The ultimate "pilot" watch.

An excellent report...

I was fascinated by the exhibit in the IWC museuem. Lightings were based about 12 miles from my home town and together with Vulcan bombers, they were a very common sight (and sound). Whilst little more than a pilot, cameras and IWCs strapped to a jet engine, they were apparently very limited in their range. I'm not sure whether there are any still flying. A Vulcan V bomber was restored earlier this year and I hoped this sole flying Vulcan but it went "technical".

Thanks for the report.

Thanks Adrian!! Learn something today:)

Cheers!

rgds
ks

Thanks for this great post!

The utimate "pilot" watch

Thanks for the positive comments. All credits should go to Thomas Koenig, who is the original author on this topic. This is why I refrained from too much technical details. A few further answers and comments.
Isobars : the 10 mm dial was too small to make it a 24 hours dial(LOL)
Rave: The last Electric Lightning flew in The UK in 1988. They have also served in Germany(RAF) in Kuwait and in Saudi Arabia. Three Electric Lightnings still fly in Cape Town, South Africa. A total of 27 aircrafts have been preserved. Two of them are displayed in the USA, 2 in Germany and one in Malta. This means that no less than 22 Lightnings can be seen in museums in the UK.
Indeed was one of the limitations of the Lightning a restricted fuel capacity and by that it had a short range.
Regards, Adrian.

The utimate "pilot" watch

Hello Adrian,
Do you know what the dial itself is made from in this timing device? I noticed the thickness of the dial itself is greatly reduced (from Mk X1)...and presume if the dial material itself is not revolutionary then the A/m properties will also be reduced. Looks like the English prefered to use a railtrack on the dial when venturing away from the norm.....how very consistant.

Thank you for re-affirming....

why this is such a great forum. Great report and illustrates the IWC true tool watch heritage. Thanks for sharing

It would be intresting....

If an iron dial with reduced depth shared the same Am properties to a brass dial of twice that depth.

It would be intresting....

Hi Catherine,
As said, technical details should be explained by Thomas Koenig. Here you see one of the images from his article. It shows the complete dial which has a diameter of about 30 mm. Only the centre part, recognisable as a watch dial, is visible. You can see 2 screws and two "contacts'. The latter are at 6 and 12 o'clock , respectively. The white area of the dial is completely covered by an electro-illuminating substance of unknown(to me) origin. It starts to glow when electric power is send via the 2 contacts. This means that the dial, athough isolated from the case, must be made of metal. But I do not know which metal.
Regards,
Adrian.

Great report. Thanks Adrian

Lightenings still flying in RSA>

from Cape Town, and it is possible to buy a flight. I think they have 4 (2 two-seat and 2 single seat). They also have other old British military jets: Hunters, and the last 3 flying Buccaneers in the world.
I saw the Vulcan at Farnborough: a magnificent sight.

Ross

Cheers Adrian....

...if the dial is iron (or any other trick that offers antimagnetic properties) then by dint of it's reduced girth it's safe to conclude that sometime post '59 the British were not only being specific about exactly how much anti-magnetic protection they required but also they were at the same time giving dial legibility a coat of looking at.

Thanks again for your post.

Thanks Ad, very well explained! nt

10 AF/807 dials

seem to be of soft iron alike the Mk. 11 dials. I made no metallurgical analysis and I could examine only round about 10 of these watches physically. But all dials have that specific look of soft iron, the black anti-corrosion coating on the back and "behave" like soft iron if one makes some simple tests.

The soft iron layer is definitely thinner than with the classic Mk. 11, but I don't know, whether the luminiscent coating provided additional magnetic shielding.

In case the dial is able to provide only a lower shielding than the Mk. 11 (I asume the magnetic shielding of the Mk. 11 was about 5 to 6 times higher than the RAF spec asked for), the decision to accept a lower rate of magnetic shielding not neccessarily was made post-1959: This type of air borne radar including the recording system and the watch 10AF/807 go back to 1952. It was designated to fit another RAF interceptor aircraft, which in the very end never entered active service. So about 10 years later the system was "recycled" for the EE Lightning. But the 10AF/807 is mentioned in the RAF Stores Vocabulary in 1952 for the first time as modified nav. watch Mk. 11.

Regards

Th. Koenig

10 AF/807 dials

Thanks Thomas for the back up!
Adrian.

Thank you for the snippets Mr Koenig...

Intresting that the device was documented to be a Modified Mk 11, i guess until the actual A/m resistance rateing is discovered then it is unclear what Margins the british were willing to accept.

I used the wording 'post '59 because if the properties are indeed lower, then dates pre this time frame and especially with the unit not being used are superflous. Still...for now until the rateing is found it's safe to say that post '59 the british were willing to modify.

The whitend applied section of the dial is intresting....i remember being told that producing (then) a white soft iron dial was not such a simple matter and the execution used here with this camera device does suggest a spoon-full of 'workshop method'.

Thank you for your time
Catherine.

10 AF/807 dials

(I asume the magnetic shielding of the Mk. 11 was about 5 to 6 times higher than the RAF spec asked for),

Do you think the other companies independtly over-shot the rateing with thier identical proportion of dial when producing these pieces?

Hard to say!

My educated guess is, the JLC Mk. 11 as well granted much more magnetic shielding than the specs asked for.

But I have no idea regarding all the OMEGA 1953, the numerous Smiths and other RAF watches.

Th. Koenig

Hard to imagine.....

That companies providing a/mag wristwatches for the British pre'55 all to a man overcooked the depth of dial they were being asked for(to the same degree)...from thier own volition.

Still... thats by the by...the intresting part is the need/call to reduce the proportion of the dial....especially with the mod having plenty that would more than suffice in thier inventory. They would have made that move for a reason....and for once in horological world i cannot see it being simple economics.