MWC A-17 Classic 1950s Pattern US Korean War Issue Watch with 24 Jewel Automatic Movement, 100m Water Resistance and Sapphire Crystal

SKU Code:B A-17/100

This recreation of the A-17 is based on the original design used by U.S. pilots during the Korean War, which was fought between North Korea and South Korea from 1950 to 1953. The original A-17 itself was essentially an improved and updated version of the A-11 used by the USAAF in WW2 but in the case of this watch theB mechanical movement is upgraded to automatic with the option to hand wind if required. The watch offers the benefit of retaining the classic 1950s outward appearance whilst having the advantage of a a few discreet updates such as the shatter and scratch resistantB sapphire crystal to improve itsB durability for use on a day to day basis.

The other watches we produce in this family of watches are the A-11 based on the WW2 USAAF pilots watch and the GG-W-113 based on the Vietnam issue watch. OurB A-17 is different to theB originalB models because we have upgraded the case and upgraded the watch to 100m / 330ft water resistance which means that rather than just being splash-proof like the originals this watch is much more practical andB idealy for swimming and other activities, although the updates vastly improve the watch in terms of performanceB it stillB retains it’s historical retro appearance.

The history of our recreation and how it came into being goes back to January 2009 when we were approached by a US veterans association who asked us to examine the viability of making a watch that was identical in appearance to the original watches which were made by Hamilton, Bulova, and Benrus during the Vietnam War. We were sent samples of watches to examine and also the original specification sheets and the result was a watch which was very close to the original and used a high grade fully jeweled hand-wound movement, this watch was the GG-W-113 which we still make. As a result of making that watch, we were contacted again with a view to recreating 2 earlier models, one was the A-11 from WW2 which are now almost impossible to find in good sound condition because most were made from 1943 onwards, when resources were limited and hence cheap metal was used.B The 1950s pattern A-17 sits between the 1940s A-11 and the 1960s GG-W-113 and encompasses various characteristics shared by both of the other 2 watches.

This watch has a heavy stainless steel satin finish case made from Military Grade 316L stainless steel, sweep second hand, hacking function, black dial and luminous markings. Please note: The watch uses Luminous Super Luminova paintB for first class visibility in the hours of darkness.

This model was developed in 2019 to retain the appearance of the original watches but with multiple upgrades as mentioned above such as screw down crown, shatter and scratch resistant sapphire crystal, 100B m water resistance and screw caseback.

SPECIFICATION

• Width Inc Crown: 40B mm
• Width Exc Crown: 38B mm
• Sapphire Crystal*
• Thickness: 11.5B mm
• Weight: 61g
• Lug Size: 20B mm
• Lug to lug is 45mm
• 100B m Water Resistance
• Screw caseback and crown
• 24 jewel, mechanical self-winding automatic movement, with “Hacking”
• 20B mm Canvas Strap

* A lot of people ask us what are the benefits of sapphire crystal over a standard mineral crystal? The answer is that synthetic sapphire is by far the best material for watch crystals because it is very strong and also shatter and scratch-resistant, these characteristics make it very appealing to military and security personnel, police officers and people who lead active outdoor lifestyles, these groups account for over 70% of our customers. To get things into perspective we find that when clients have accidents with watches resulting in a cracked crystal over 90% usually watches with mineral glass crystals, even factoring in that we use hardened mineral crystals they still do not come close to sapphire for durability under adverse conditions. The reason that sapphire crystals are so strong is that after the sapphire glass is manufactured it is also heat-treated to remove its internal stressesb which can cause weaknessb it is then made into the watch crystals and two layers of anti-reflective coating are applied, interestingly sapphire crystal is now used on the latest iPhone. Of course, sapphire crystal comes at a price hence you find that it’s normally only fitted to higher-end watches.