I have a 16s, 21j, B. W. Raymond (hacking) with the "Army Air Corps" stamped movement and black GCT dial. I believe it dates from 1942 (don`t have it in hand right now). Since I know next to nothing about how they were issued, etc. I thought I would pose a few questions for you experts.
Were they government property? And if so how did they get into the public arena?
Is there any way to trace their geographical area of service from their serial number?
It would be great to know just where it was during those WWII years. Maybe never left the states but who knows?
Any answers or discussion is appreciated.

These watches were used for navigation. The numbers will not tell us much about which area of the world it was used in, only the branch of service.

After WWII, watches were sold off as surplus in large numbers.

Best regards,

Greg

Greg,
Thanks for the info. The history of these watches is sorta "up in the air" then!