I thought I'd share two beauties I acquired last weekend.

The first is an Elgin BW Raymond, 23J, Wind Indicator, S/N 34900757. The movement, dial and case back are all marked Bu. Aero U.S. Navy. The dial is also marked G.C.T..

The second is a Waltham Vanguard, 23J, Wind Indicator, S/N 27443969. The movement and case back are marked U.S. Army A.C.. The dial is marked simply G.C.T..

Does anyone know the relative rarity of these military wind indicator watches?

What is the Bu. Aero U.S. Navy or the U.S. Army A.C.. I am assuming these were precursors to the Air Force as we know it, but would be interested to find out more.

Also, what does G.C.T. stand for? I feel like I should know, but I can't figure it out.

See pics below.

Elgin Movement, S/N 34900757

Elgin Dial

Elgin Case Back

Waltham Movement, S/N 27443969

Waltham Dial

Waltham Case Back

Curious what "Avigation Master Watch" means...

John,

Thanks for posting these pictures. I collect Elgin BW Raymonds and had not seen a picture of a military wind indicator.

GCT stands for Greenwich Civil Time.

-Steve

Hello John.

These fine watches are pre-WWII issue and rather hard to find. It’s a rare pleasure to see several of them at one time.

The Army Air Corps eventually evolved into the U.S. Air Force, however, the U.S. Navy still has a separate air arm. Maybe someone with greater knowledge of U.S.N. Aviation could add a little more history.

The G.C.T. marking stands for Greenwitch Civil Time, if memory serves.

“Avigation” is a contraction derived from the words Aviation and Navigation. Watches like yours were used by the navigator on long range aircraft. As WWII approached, refinements like an up-down indicator became increasingly uncommon.

A first class collection.

Best regards,

Greg

From 1926 to mid 1942 the U.S. aviation service was part of the Army and was called the Army Air Corps. From mid 1942 to mid 1947 it was still part of the Army but at that point it was called the Army Air Force. After mid 1947 they made it into its own independent branch of the U.S. military and changed the name to the U.S. Air Force. I don't have the dates for the Navy's Bureau of Aeronautics, but it was around for a very long time.

There was a recent auction where some of these were sold, including some with up/down indicators. You may want to contact the auction house to get the prices realized to see what some recently sold for where there were knowledgable collectors bidding. Here is a link.

auction with multiple GCTs