I've seen two of these recently on Instagram. The engravings supposedly commemorate the first Trans Asian Express flight in November 1967 and, in particular, the fact that it stopped over in Tashkent.

Has anyone seen any others? Anyone have any reason to think that these are genuine engravings that were done at the time?

I'm not convinced. I'm not sure why the watches would be engraved to mark a stopover on the flight and the engraving looks very fresh (particularly on the later model, the first pictured below).

 

I see that the first watch pictured above sold on eBay this evening

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/UNIVERSA...-CAL-69-28j-VINTAGE-GENTS-WATCH-/273188709223Purchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network

 

Some background from the SAS website:
"In November, 1967, SAS inaugurated the Trans-Asian Express, a new East-West shortcut linking Copenhagen with Bangkok and Singapore, with a ground stop in Tashkent. This “straight line” route slashed travel time between Scandinavia and Southeast Asia by a third. The ultra-long-range DC-8-62 on this route flew high above the ancient trade routes of Asia, a region that had seen explorers and conquerors like Genghis Khan, Tamerlane, Alexander the Great and Marco Polo. The Silk and Gold Roads, and the historic cities of Uzbekistan, Tashkent and Samarkand formed part of this pioneering Great Circle route. Passengers were afforded magnificent aerial views of Mount Everest, the Caspian Sea and other natural wonders.

The inaugural guests included American novelist James A. Michener who later described the Uzbekistan orchestra that greeted them at the stop in Tashkent as an astonishing sight featuring “three of the craziest horns I had ever seen in my life”. Cabin crew on the Trans-Asian Express wore the new air hostess uniforms designed by Pierre Carven of Paris."
(thanks)

 

Of note: the item location was Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

 

The inside of the caseback certainly looks original. The engraving itself appears to match the second watch including where the letters are positioned relative to the caseback facets (although that alone doesn’t rule out an aftermarket engraving).

 

Why 4 XI 67 ?

 

But who mixes Romans with Arabics?

 

It just doesn't seem to make sense to me.

Is a stopover in Tashkent a sufficiently significant event to commemorate?
Who was awarded these? Perhaps SAS or airport staff at Tashkent?
But why two different models with different production dates?

 

Maybe that was all they had on hand at the local UG Tashkent shop.

 

Might have been in the 60s ... having done some traveling in that part of the world ... can only imagine how primitive that airport must have been in the 60s

 

an amateur ...

 

I have already made up my mind on this one. Apart from the fact that you would probably have struggled to land with a Cessna caravan, it would hardly be something to commemorate !