Product Details

SKU: ABACH/RLMPW

Military pocket watches, along with their civilian equivalents, are seeing a huge increase in popularity. Historically, they were often employed for land-based, airborne, and naval applications. During WW2, they were frequently used by both the German Forces (Wehrmacht, Kriegsmarine, and Luftwaffe) as well as British and American forces. The primary reason pocket watches were so popular was that wristwatches at the time were usually very small and hard to read, with an average diameter of just 32mm. Hence, the pocket watch's large size of close to 50mm meant that the time could be seen much more easily.

This classic WW2 pattern Aeschbach* military watch with a small subsidiary dial second hand is based on the typical designs used by the German Luftwaffe and issued by the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM / German Air Ministry). These watches did not remain in the possession of the Luftwaffe pilots and were issued to them on a mission-by-mission basis, to be returned to the quartermaster upon arrival back at the base. This watch is closely based on one of Aeschbach's WW2 designs. Although the original watches are now quite rare and tend to fetch high prices, this watch is outwardly almost indistinguishable from the factory’s WW2 models. It has a traditional 17-jewel hand-wound movement and has been upgraded to a glass crystal, which is superior to the acrylic/plastic crystals used in World War Two that were very easily scratched or damaged.

The original WW2 watches made for the Wehrmacht, Kriegsmarine, and Luftwaffe were produced by a large number of Swiss and German manufacturers, including Aeschbach, which was originally founded in 1923 and continues to exist to this day.

A group of military watch enthusiasts have compiled a list of the manufacturers of timepieces, which appears on their website at this link: WW2 German Watches. The list seems to be almost complete; no doubt they would appreciate it if anyone could fill in the few remaining gaps.

This particular pocket watch has a solid stainless steel case made from military-grade 316L stainless steel with a subsidiary dial second hand.

SPECIFICATIONS:

• Diameter: 47.5mm
• Length with crown: 58mm
• Thickness: 14mm
• Crystal Width: 40mm
• Crystal Type: Domed Glass
• Case Material: Stainless Steel
• Caseback: Stainless Steel
• Luminosity: Luminova
• Movement: 17 Jewel Handwound Mechanical Movement
• Complete with chain
• The watch is delivered in its original box and has a 2-year factory guarantee.

The History of Aeschbach Watches

The original WW2 watches made for the Wehrmacht, Kriegsmarine, and Luftwaffe were produced by a large number of Swiss and German manufacturers, including Aeschbach, originally founded in 1923 and continuing to exist to this day.

Aeschbach watches was a leading WWII manufacturer but faced significant misfortune during the war because they were located in Pforzheim, a town in southwestern Germany that was heavily bombed. The largest and most devastating raid was conducted by the Royal Air Force (RAF) on the evening of February 23, 1945. This attack resulted in the deaths of approximately 17,600 people, or 31.4% of the town's population, and destroyed about 83% of Pforzheim's buildings. The raid devastated two-thirds of the town and between 80% and 100% of the inner city. The Aeschbach workshops were completely destroyed, meaning that the watches could no longer be manufactured.

However, the company saw a revival some years back when a family member, while sorting through an elderly deceased relative's belongings, discovered that many of the original technical drawings and a quantity of watches had survived. This find enabled him to devise a plan to restart the company, marking the return of Aeschbach watches.

MWC are factory authorized distributors for Aeschbach watches.

ESSENTIAL WINDING INSTRUCTIONS AND GUIDELINES

To wind the watch from an empty state to full, you'll need approximately 30 turns of the crown (most other handwound watches will need 40 or more turns, so this movement needs somewhat less). Once fully wound, the watch boasts an average power reserve of around 36 hours. It's crucial to exercise caution during the winding process.

For those who use the watch on a daily basis and wind it consistently, say, every morning, a slight variation in the number of turns will not significantly impact the overall power reserve because it will be well below the maximum of around 36 hours.

Some users have reported that 25 turns are sufficient when winding every 24 hours. This seems logical because the watch would not need a full wind after 24 hours. Nevertheless, individual preferences may vary, and most owners tend to develop a sense of the optimal winding routine within the first few days of ownership.

Above all, it's crucial to emphasize the importance of not overwinding the watch, which could lead to locking-up issues or, worse, damage or breakage of the mainspring. Adhering to the recommended winding procedures ensures the longevity and proper functioning of the timepiece.

To clarify, overwinding occurs when a mechanism is wound beyond its designated stopping point, posing the risk of damage or even destruction to the winding mechanism. It's important to note that overwinding is a concern primarily for manually-wound watches, not for their automatic counterparts which normally cannot be overwound.

• Delivery

  • Delivery charges are as follows:

    USA/CANADA	EUROPE	UK	REST OF THE WORLD
    Tracked Mail US$11.50	Tracked Mail €11.75 / £10.25 / US$11.50	Tracked Mail  £9.95	Tracked Mail US$11.50 / €11.75 / £10.25
    Express Courier UPS or FedEx  US$25.00	Express Courier UPS or FedEx  €27.50 / £24.00 / US$27.00	Express Courier  UPS £12.95	Express Courier UPS or FedEx  US$41.50 / €42.50 / £36.50

    You will generally receive two emails after placing an order, the first will be a confirmation of receipt of the order and payment, this will be followed by a notification of shipment  once the goods are dispatched. When an order and payment has been processed, goods will be shipped by the Post Office or Courier within 48 hours. Please note that our shipping centers are closed on Saturdays and Sundays therefore orders placed during this time may take up to 72 hours to be dispatched, this includes orders after 13:00 European time on Fridays.

    The estimated delivery times in working days are set out below: *

    • USA Registered Mail: 4 to 12 days
    • USA UPS: 2 to 3 days
    • Europe UPS: 2 to 5 days
    • Europe Registered Mail: 7 to 14 days
    • UK DPD or UPS: 12 to 48 hours
    • UK Royal Mail: 1 to 3 days
    • Rest of World UPS: 3 to 10 days
    • Rest of World Registered Mail: 7 to 21 days

    All shipping estimates exclude Saturdays and Sundays when our packing and shipping centres are closed and also some countries postal services do not operate at the weekend.
    

    * Some countries are prone to be notoriously slow to process goods on arrival, among these countries are Israel, Hong Kong, Macau, Mexico, South Africa and some South American countries. We also tend to experience significant delays with many countries in Africa in addition to South Africa, you can always contact us for advice although we do not know with certainty exactly which countries will be slow, and which will be fast but the above estimates are a pretty good guide for most countries, keen in mind remote territories or those with slow customs processing can also tend to be problematic. Regardless of the processing speed, all of our shipments are fully insured against Loss.

    Please Note: We recommend using UPS, DHL or Fedex, which we offer as an option, if the delivery is very time sensitive and you are aware that your local Postal Service he's not particularly reliable.

    Whilst we make every effort to deliver your order within the above timeframes this is a guide and delivery cannot be guaranteed. We will not accept responsibility for delays caused by our Couriers or any National postal service. If the goods are not delivered within the time we have estimated, please feel free to contact us or email admin@mwc.watch, and we will do everything possible to resolve the issue promptly. We will not be liable for any loss caused to you by late delivery.

    Our delivery charges covers the cost of shipping the goods to you. However, this does not include import charges and administration fees to clear the goods when entering your country. Some countries are hassle free such as here in the US where up to $800 worth of goods can be imported free of duty/taxes, Australia is similar but some countries will try and collect every cent they can.

    It is the responsibility of the purchaser to understand that charges may apply and pay all subsequent import tax and duty on goods shipped to their respective Country. In the instance that items are returned to MWC as a result of a rejected payment, subsequent charges incurred such as Import Duty and processing costs will be deducted from any refund issued. For further information on this please contact accounts@mwc-distribution.com 

    We do not accept any liability for goods that have been lost after delivery to a PO Box. We reserve the right to cancel orders where the delivery address is a PO Box. Furthermore, we also do not accept any liability for goods that have been lost after they are confirmed as delivered to APO or BFPO locations. 

    It is the Customer's responsibility to notify us if the goods have not been received within 21 days of the estimated delivery date or time of ordering. If no notification is made within this time period the buyer shall be deemed to have received the goods.

    Failed delivery of an item ordered due to non-acceptance of the delivery

    Please note that if you order an item and the delivery company inform us that the item was refused it would be returned back to us, in many cases especially with FedEx, UPS etc they will also charge a return fee to send it back. Because in these circumstances we have done everything that is required to get the item to you we would refund less both the outbound and Inbound shipping charges once the item was received back at our packing and shipping centre. Unfortunately sometimes if you are having the order delivered to a business location the people receiving inbound parcels are prone to refuse an item without checking with the individual concerned we would strongly recommend being very cautious in this situation and notifying the people who handle the incoming parcels that you are expecting a delivery to avoid this problem occurring. Usually, we would be notified there is a delivery issue and would email you for your instructions, normally these sorts of problems can be avoided if you contact the carrier and tell them there is an error but it's very important to act quickly to avoid the return and associated costs.