Ιστορικα στοιχεια για την σειρα Mark,γιατι την εχουμε κρατησει στην σκια.θεωρω το μοντελο 11,απο τα πιο αξιολογα της σειρας και με μεγαλη συλλεκτικη αξια.
Knirim.deRoyal Air Force: Wrist Watch Mk. 11 IWC
IWC Schaffhausen, Cal. 89 Einführungsjahr 1948Description:
Wrist Watch Mk. 11, IWC , Registratrion: Broad Arrow, Reference 6B/346, No. 1056 / 48, Movement: #11497298, 12 ligne with central seconds, Breguet balance spring of Nivarox and Glucydur balance
Case: Stainless steel, antimagnetic screen, black luminous dial and hands, inner case of antimagnetic material Strap: Each watch is supplied with a stainless steel 'Bonclip' type bracelet (Ref. No. 6B/2763) permanently fitted with this case. An alternative nylon strap (Ref. No. 6B/2617) is also available.
Application:
Airman's watch: 36 hour highly accurate time-piece siutable for astro-navigational purposes. Means are provided for stopping the centre seconds hand, when the winding button is pulled, to synchronize with radio time signal.
Against used categorisation, Mark 11 is not an IWC reference but a military specification (Air Publication 1275A, Vol. 1 Sect. 19 by Command of the Defence Council of the Ministry of Defence, Naval Service, Air Service)
There are other brands meeting these Mk 11 specs, e.g.:
- Jaeger Le Coultre: Cal. 488/Sbr, 6B/346 RAF 234/53
The legendary Mark 11 is the original pilot's watch made to the strict 6B/346 specification by the British Military of Defense (MoD) and issued to navigators in the RAF and later in the Australian RAAF. Produced by both Jaeger-LeCoultre (JLC) and International Watch Company (IWC) only, both watches appear very similar with slight differences as can be seen in two great RAF examples below:
Air Ministry and the RAF:
“The Air Ministry was created in January 1918 to oversee the birth in April 1918 of the Royal Air Force from the amalgamation of the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service. The organization was broadly similar to that of the Admiralty and the War Office, with a Secretary of State chairing the Air Council and the senior RAF member holding the post of Chief of the Air Staff. In 1919 the Air Ministry moved to Adastral House, then in Kingsway. In 1952 the central part of the Air Ministry moved to the new building in Whitehall Gardens that was later to become the Main Building of the Ministry of Defence.”1
The British MOD:
“That the MOD can seem complex and confusing is partly attributable to the variety of tasks we undertake, but another reason lies in the Department’s origins. Today’s MOD is a fusion of old ministries: from 1946 to 1964 there were five Departments of State doing what the unified MOD does now: the Admiralty, the War Office, the Air Ministry, the Ministry of Aviation and the Ministry of Defence itself. In 1964 the first three and the MOD were amalgamated, and the defence functions of the Ministry of Aviation Supply (as it had by then become) were absorbed in 1971, when the MOD took over responsibility for supplying military aircraft and guided weapons.”1
As noted above, the Royal Air Force (RAF) fell under the Air Ministry (AM). I didn’t bother to find out how far the AM survived into the 50's, “but you will certainly notice, that some WW2 watches are either marked AM 6B etc., or simply have the Arrow mark - Never both (?) At any rate, you will of course not see the AM mark on any of the IWC, or other 1950's genre of RAF pilot's watches (except for the 1956 'rebuild' series).”2
http://www.markeleven.com/