Gallet USA's Facebook page touts the military connection of their famous Flying Officer model.
This is a thing that shows up in every
discussion of Gallet, but never with any evidence.
I asked Gallet directly via Facebook if any military had issued Gallet watches to its personnel previous to the 1990s. I don't know what else they could mean by saying "these watches were produced exclusively for the British military." Interestingly, old advertising for FO models doesn't mention military use at all.
The people running Gallet USA all "liked" my question without answering it.
Armchair logic would indicate that if Gallet had proof that WWII USAAF airmen were issued Gallet chronographs, they would provide it, since they seem anxious to assert a military pedigree for their brand, and the only reason they haven't done so is because none exists. Given the number of extant Gallet watches from that era, it is hard to believe that the only one with "military" markings happens to be the pristine one that Gallet themselves sold on eBay in 2016 for $6250.
I would welcome any proof of the military provenance of any Gallet chronograph that predates the 1990s, but it seems increasingly likely all this "issued to officers" stuff is purely marketing blather.
