>SHOP

keep my inbox inspiring

Sign up to our monthly newsletter for exclusive news and trends

Follow us on all channels

Start following us for more content, inspiration, news, trends and more

The ultimate military chronograph
History & Masterpieces

The ultimate military chronograph

Monday, 27 June 2016
By Ilias Yiannopoulos
close
Ilias Yiannopoulos

Read More

CLOSE
6 min read

Before the introduction of electronics and GPS, an accurate mechanical watch was a very important piece of military equipment. The Lemania Two-Pusher Royal Navy Chronograph is a case study in minimalism.

During World War II, various types of wristwatch were in use among military forces. The general-purpose watches issued to men in the field were simple and rugged. Dive watches were vital equipment for navy divers and instructors. Last but not least were the pilot’s watches. These were either highly accurate time-only watches used for navigation, or chronographs.

German, French and English military forces each had their own school of design for these chronographs, with common denominators of legibility, solidity and precision. The Germans led the way with the Luftwaffe Flieger chronograph, produced by Hanhart (1938) and Tutima (1941), or UROFA-UFAG as it was then. Even after World War II had ended, aviation personnel continued to wear these chronographs until 1958 when the Hanhart was replaced by the Bund-issue Junghans-J88. Later chronographs from Heuer, Orfina-PD, Tutima, Arctos and Tengler were worn by helicopter pilots, artillery officers as well as submarine commanders. The French school was heavily influenced by the Germans. It too had its landmark designs, referred to as Type XX and later Type XXI. Type XX was commissioned from six makers: Breguet, Vixa, Boullier, Auricoste, Dodane and Airain from the early 1950s until the 1960s. Users included pilots and flying personnel in the French Air Force, French Navy, and the Centre d’essai en vol (CEV), the French flight test center.

The Lemania Two-Pusher Royal Navy Chronograph.
The Lemania Two-Pusher Royal Navy Chronograph.
The English school

The English school of military chronographs is, to my mind, the purest of the three. These are minimal, rugged timepieces of high quality that demonstrated a continuity of design throughout their entire time of production and use. The UK Ministry of Defense (MoD) issued a Defense Standard (DEF-STAN) that right from the start prescribed the design characteristics of military pilot’s chronographs, namely a classic black (in some cases white), two-register and highly legible dial with a workhorse movement, and a simple round case that was later replaced by an asymmetrical design. From the late 1940s until the 1970s, all English military chronographs were made by a single company: Lemania. They were used by the RAF, the Fleet Air Arm pilots and other branches such as the Hydrographic Service. All had a single pusher; by dispensing with the need for an additional zero button, a single-button chrono rules out the possibility of error and is therefore ideal when navigating and measuring distances while dead-reckoning current position. The earliest examples of these chronographs in use are the Lemania Cal. 15CHT and later variant Cal.2220.

The military chronograph from Lemania presented here is perhaps an anomaly.

In the early 1970s, the Ministry of Defense (MoD) made a significant change to the standardization specifications for wrist chronographs (DEF-STAN 66-4/Part 2) that subsequently allowed the use of two pushers. This revision coincided with a reduction in both the size and cost of the British armed forces. As a very small part of this program, the MoD modified the Defense Standard for military pilot’s watches to allow cheaper variants and movements. This enabled more manufacturers to propose chronographs and paved the way for more affordable movements such as the Valjoux 7733. Hamilton, CWC, Precista and Newmark came onboard, until the introduction of quartz in the 1980s when the English forces started using Seiko wrist chronographs.

The military chronograph from Lemania presented here is perhaps an anomaly. Issued for just two years (1975-1976), it was the last chronograph from this great Swiss company to be used by the English armed forces, primarily Fleet Air Arm pilots. It has an asymmetrical case and its dial is the same as previous military chronographs in the series. The difference lies in the second reset pusher, and of course the caliber which in our case is the Lemania 1872. At this point we should note that Lemania also produced a small number of 1872-powered watches for the Swedish and South African air forces. Cases, dials and hands were different which, together with the small quantity produced, makes them highly collectible.

The Lemania Two-Pusher Royal Navy Chronograph.
The Lemania Two-Pusher Royal Navy Chronograph.
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication

The double-pusher Lemania Royal Navy ref. 818 is a military pilot’s chronograph that retains the purity of the English design ethos. The case is a study in simplicity: it is made from high quality stainless steel and is asymmetrical in order to protect the pushers, while the disproportionately large crown makes winding a breeze. The screw-down caseback is engraved with NSN markings and the pheon (arrow) that denotes property of the Crown. The legible and uncluttered dial is inscribed with a circled T (indicating the use of tritium) and another pheon. The 12 and 6 indices are luminous as are the dots that run around the outer edge of the dial. Caliber 1872 runs at 21,600 vib/h, measures 27.5 mm in diameter and 5.7 mm high, has 18 jewels and a 48-hour power reserve. This cam-switching chronograph has a central seconds hand and two subdials: 30-minute chronograph counter at 3:00 and small seconds at 9:00.

It sits at the peak of the English school of military/pilot's chronographs and is, without doubt, one of the greatest aviation designs.

This particular chronograph, for me, represents the English school of military/pilot’s chronographs at its best, and with allegedly only 500 pieces issued (250 per year) is extremely rare. Its beauty lies in its simplicity. Highly legible, utilitarian and functional, it screams military chronograph from a distance; it also conforms with Leonardo da Vinci’s belief that “simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Here, minimalism is subtraction for the sake of focus.

If you are looking to add one to your collection, be prepared to do a lot of searching for a nice, clean example. The ones that do turn up might have replacement hands, sadly some are highly polished, and dials can be in a poor state. If you’re a fan of this undoubtedly classic design, and want to steer towards something more modern, you might want to consider alternatives from Bell&Ross, with the Vintage BR chronograph collection, Hamilton’s Pilot Pioneer Auto Chrono or, last but not least, the most authentic contemporary variant from Cabot Watch Company and its 1970s Pilot chronograph reissue.

The Lemania Two-Pusher Royal Navy Chronograph.
The Lemania Two-Pusher Royal Navy Chronograph.

This Royal Navy double-pusher Lemania comes from one of the greatest Swiss watch companies, which sadly no longer exists. It sits at the peak of the English school of military/pilot’s chronographs and is, without doubt, one of the greatest aviation designs, on a par with the Heuer BUND and the Breguet Type XX. It could, perhaps even should, serve as a valuable lesson to the industry today, since alongside its historical significance and rarity, it corresponds exactly to Dieter Rams’ ten principles for good design. It is a high-quality chronograph wristwatch, minimal, unobtrusive, honest and long-lasting. Put simply, we need more modern watches like this!

Back to Top