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  1. jetkins Nov 20, 2015

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    My father was a navigator in the Royal Air Force after WWII, and when he resigned in 1965, he kept his MOD-issued watch. He later gave to me in my teens, and I kept it for several years, but eventually it stopped working, and with the innocence of youth, I foolishly tossed it out.

    I say foolishly, because thinking back on it now, I believe it may have been an early Speedmaster. I recall it had the exact same dial layout and stopwatch buttons as a Speedy, but I don't recall it having a Tachmetre ring. I also can't say whether it actually bore the Omega name; I do recall that it bore the MOD arrow insignia, but I don't remember whether that was on the face or stamped into the back. I remember the strap pins were not removable, and it had what I now recognize as a NATO fabric strap.

    I seem to recall reading somewhere that some Speedies were issued to the British armed forces in the '60s, but I can't find where I read that and my googling for RAF Omega Watch has only turned up the 1953 pilots' watch, which it most certainly was not.

    Can anyone cast any light on this? Like so many things from my youth, I'm kicking myself for not hanging on to it - not because it might have actually been worth something, but for sentimental value.

    Thanks!
     
  2. jetkins Nov 20, 2015

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    And... I just realized I posted this in the wrong place. Could a Mod please move it to the Vintage forum? Thanks!
     
  3. jetkins Nov 20, 2015

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    One other thing that just came to mind: I'm pretty sure it had black hands on a white or off-white face, though that could be my mind playing tricks on me.
     
  4. STANDY schizophrenic pizza orderer and watch collector Nov 20, 2015

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    Edited Nov 20, 2015
  5. jetkins Nov 20, 2015

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    Well, I think I may have found it, and it's a case of my memory not being what it once was. I'm pretty sure it must have been a Lemania, as primarily issued to the naval Fleet Air Arm, which would make sense as although he was in the RAF not the Navy, he was in Coastal Command and spent most of his time in Sunderlands and Shackletons patrolling the North Sea.

    I could have sworn it had two buttons, but the more I think about it, the more I'm convincing myself that it did only have the one. Here's an example that seems pretty damned close to what I (now) remember: http://www.yorktime.com/shop/lemania-single-button-chronograph-white-dial-royal-air-force-watch/

    Still wish I'd kept it, though! :(
     
    Edited Nov 20, 2015
  6. jaymyms Nov 21, 2015

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    The things we do when we're young! Damn!