Product Details

SKU Code: A-11/100-OM

This recreation closely follows the original 1943 World War II design but with modern enhancements, including a high-performance self-winding 24-jewel mechanical movement, sapphire crystal, screw-down caseback, and 100m water resistance. During WWII, watches were produced in various styles by Elgin, Bulova, and Waltham, based on a US government specification. This watch is most similar to the Elgin 539, which featured a 15 or 16-jewel movement and was made for the USAAF between 1940 and 1945. Unlike the original, which was made from plated base metal to conserve steel, this modern recreation uses solid stainless steel for greater durability.

Origin and Development

In January 2009, a US veterans association approached us to recreate a watch identical in appearance to those made by Hamilton, Bulova, and Benrus during the Vietnam War. After examining sample watches and original specification sheets, we produced a watch that closely resembled the original, using a high-grade fully jewelled handwound movement. This resulted in the GG-W-113, which we still manufacture. Following this success, we were asked to recreate an even earlier model, which led to the development of this A-11/100-OM model in 2019. It retains the appearance of the original watches but with significant upgrades, including a screw-down crown, shatter and scratch-resistant sapphire crystal, 100m water resistance, and a screw-down caseback.

Specification

• Width Including Crown: 40 mm
• Width Excluding Crown: 38 mm
• Crystal: Sapphire*
• Thickness: 11.5 mm
• Weight: 61g
• Lug Size: 20 mm
• Lug to Lug: 45 mm
• Water Resistance: 100 m
• Caseback and Crown: Screw-down
• Movement: 24-jewel, mechanical self-winding automatic with "Hacking"
• Strap: 20 mm Canvas

Benefits of Sapphire Crystal

Many people ask about the benefits of sapphire crystal over standard mineral crystal. Synthetic sapphire is the superior material for watch crystals due to its strength and resistance to shattering and scratching, making it ideal for military personnel, police officers, and active outdoor enthusiasts—groups that make up over 70% of our customers. When watches with mineral glass crystals sustain cracks, over 90% of the incidents involve mineral glass, even though we use hardened mineral crystals. Sapphire crystal undergoes heat treatment to remove internal stresses, increasing its durability. Additionally, two layers of anti-reflective coating are applied. Although sapphire crystal is more expensive and typically found on higher-end watches, its robustness makes it a worthwhile investment. Interestingly, sapphire crystal is now used on the latest iPhones.

In summary, this model not only honors the design of the original WWII watches but also incorporates modern features that enhance its functionality and durability, making it a perfect blend of vintage charm and contemporary technology.

• 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.