Realize this is a better question for the Military Watch forum, but their mods are taking forever (it's been days) to confirm my membership, and since folks here were so helpful with advising re: my Omega purchase (I went with a 135.011 which should arrive Thu or Fri!) and seem generally knowledgeable about watches, I figured it can't hurt to post. This is my Waltham FSSC-88-W-800, the Navy version of the Army's A-11. I know basically nothing about the provenance of this specific watch, nor whether it's all original and/or service-worn or a cobbled-together Frankenwatch of parts bought separately; the latter, in particular, is what I'm hoping to get more insight on. Does this look legit or like something that's been rebuilt, painted, etc? I'm pretty sure the hands have been re-lumed, but that doesn't seem to be a huge turnoff to some collectors. Ultimately I'm looking to sell this and I'd like to be knowledgeable and entirely honest about what I'm selling. I have no eye for this sort of thing whatsoever. Thanks in any event!
Seems worth adding that the blemishes (on the side of the case to the left of the crown and the swirl-marks on the case-back) look WAY worse in the pictures than they do the naked eye, where they're virtually indiscernible. So bizarre how that happens! Watch photography is a tricky business.
Thanks! It’s there—just didn’t make it into the photo. Watch sold just today, actually. This vote of confidence gives me a clear conscience. I was fairly confident in the watch but it’s good to have some validation.
Looks a lot like one for sale here. https://omegaforums.net/threads/wal...new-old-stock-military-strap-serviced.106244/
Here is a shot of my AF version. My dad was a flight engineer and ball turret gunner on avenger torpedo aircraft in WW2 said he was issued a Waltham A-11 and lost his. So I got this one for him. I got it back after he passed away not the way I wanted it back. But the case dial and hands are the same. My second hand missing the back tip broke off I guess was that way when I got it. The crowns on mine and yours look original to both watches and both look the same.
Not sure I have a Elgin A-11 when you move it with the right light you see Elgin engraved on the dial but the whole dial is black hard to see. They had repair kits maybe the kits had replacement dials with Waltham on the dials. In the old days of Ebay remember a WW2 Hamilton repair kit was in a cool wooden box with hands, dials, straps, case parts and movement parts probably for a watchmaker in the field. Kind of wished I bought it. The watch straps were cool.