Elgin
a-11 memphis belle pilot aviation watch - us aviation military

Military pilot’s watch A-11 Elgin Navigation Hack Watch, issued by the US Air Force in 1943 — the same model worn by B-17 bomber pilots, as seen in the film *Memphis Belle*. This 32 mm stainless steel watch features a parkerized movement to protect against moisture at high altitudes.

The watch has a black dial with non-luminous painted hands. This change was implemented to avoid damaging the radium coating — typically used at the time — due to in-flight vibrations. Eliminating radium reduced maintenance (as its flakes often infiltrated and disabled the movement) and preserved the long-term integrity of the dial and hands by preventing radium-induced corrosion.

This aerial navigation watch features a hack system: pulling out the crown stops the central seconds hand, allowing precise synchronization with a reference timepiece. In bomber formations, the lead aircraft’s watch served as the master time. Synchronised timing helped reduce collateral losses (such as bomb collisions between planes) and improved the efficiency of carpet bombing thanks to evenly spaced aircraft and simultaneous bomb releases.

This military aviation watch complies with US Army Air Force specification 94-27834, which defined the standards for aviation watches post-1943. It was manufactured by Elgin and is powered by the 16-jewel Elgin 539 calibre. Once fully wound, the movement delivers a 40-hour power reserve. The watch comes fitted with a wide brown leather aviation-style strap designed to shield the case during bombing missions.

Discover the history of military A-11 and A-17 watches in the Mostra Mag by following this link.