Elgin A-11 Hack wristwatch

[iceman#1]

Hey folks,

 

i'm looking for an "Elgin" type "A-11" wristwatch. The "Hack"-function is for fast syncing the watch with others.

It was issued to some paratroopers among other enlisted in the Second World War.

 

this is an example:

[Bob Hudson]

Keep an eye on ebay: I sold one not too long ago on ebay for $89 and there's always a bunch for sale there. The sellers often don't know about the hack function or mention it only in the description but not the title so it helps to ask (although I wondered if all A-11's do that?).

[Jonesy]

How much are you looking to spend? I know a guy who vends these, but they aren't cheap.

 

 

89 dollars in ebay, is actually a pretty good deal. Most of the time there's a 1 in front of that 89.

[Bob Hudson]

89 dollars in ebay, is actually a pretty good deal. Most of the time there's a 1 in front of that 89.

 

I checked the completed sales this morning and they go as low as $59 and if you buy one without a band it should be fairly easy to find one under $100.

[Jonesy]

I've honestly never seen one under 100 dollars, maybe I need to start looking a little harder. Who would think an original band would up the price that much? I've got three sitting next to me I got for nothing...

[Allan H.]

Hey folks,

 

i'm looking for an "Elgin" type "A-11" wristwatch. The "Hack"-function is for fast syncing the watch with others.

It was issued to some paratroopers among other enlisted in the Second World War.

 

The A-11 watches were actually an AAF item issued to pilots and navigators and were worn to give the crewman an approximate timeframe for navigation, assembly times, etc. Elgin was just one manufacturer of these watches which normally have 18 jewel movements. The main timepiece used on the plane would be the navigator's pocketwatch, which was usually a 22 or 23 jeweled movement like the Hamilton 992B, a movement also favored by railroad companies.

 

The "hack" nickname for the A-11 coms from the fact that when the winding stem is pulled out, the sweep second hand stops moving. It will start moving again when the stem is pushed back in against the case.

 

Army officers and NCO's were issued wristwatches procured by the Ordnance Department. If a paratrooper officer or NCO had an A-11, they would have gotten it by trading for one or by some other means. A-11's were not widely available and were closely controlled in the AAF supply sytem.

 

Allan

[outfitter]

the A-11 second setting (hack) watch were primarily used as an auxiliary to Master Navigation Watches by the Air Corps and Navy aviators but many were issued to ground troops and other navy personnel. The were manufactured by Elgin, Waltham, and Bulova. Hamilton made hack watches the Marine Corps among others and that movement was put in dive watches for Navy UDT (the first of those canteen cases).

[Jonesy]

the A-11 second setting (hack) watch were primarily used as an auxiliary to Master Navigation Watches by the Air Corps and Navy aviators but many were issued to ground troops and other navy personnel. The were manufactured by Elgin, Waltham, and Bulova. Hamilton made hack watches the Marine Corps among others and that movement was put in dive watches for Navy UDT (the first of those canteen cases).

 

 

Good information, but you forgot Benrus. Those were the five wristwatch makers to really stay afloat during the war.

 

 

Waltham, Benrus, Hamilton, Bulova, and Eglin.