At the start of the 1970's, the need for war died down and as military spending was reduced in Britain's Forces, the quality of watches produced consistently followed this as a consequence. The Ministry of Defence's DEF-STAN (Defence Standardization) was altered in order to produce more commercially viable pieces for the military.
.
The result of this was the creation of watches over a decade. Despite the change in specs, these watches followed the specifications of its predecessor, the Lemania Monopusher as it remained housed in a 39mm asymmetric stainless steel case and consisted of a black dial with luminous hands and markers. The change was that instead of one chronograph pusher, you now had two. As such, the movements that powered these pieces were the workhorse cam activated Valjoux 7733.
.
The 4 companies chosen were: Hamilton, CWC, Precista and Newmark.
.
Today's example was issued to the RAF in the first year of the contract, 1970, and is 1 of 3000 issued in the years 1970-1972.
.
For the full scope on these Watches, including how they came to be and how they very almost became the "Fab Five" please visit our friend Jon over at CWC Addict: Here.
.
The Specs
Age: c.1970.
Reference: Fab Four.
Movement: Manual wind with 30 minute Chronograph.
Calibre: Valjoux 7733.
Dial: Original Hamilton Military Dial.
Crystal: Correct Acrylic Crystal.
Getting Acquainted
.
Bits that stand out:
- From the First Year of Contract.
- All Original and Correct.
- 39mm Case.
.
Nitty Gritty:
.
Overall the Hamilton is in nice Vintage condition.