Hi folks from the UK.
I have recently purchased a 1941 4992B and unfortunately, it seems some previous owner has sanded out the original letters / serial numbers on the back cover.
The watch has been serviced by our great chap Roger Nolfe and is superb.
Would any member have another back cover to sell or, what do people think about having it re-engraved with as near a serial number etc to correspond with the date serial numbers?.....
A great club.......Steve.

The back cover.

I would just cut the back out. Put a glass in it.

Great idea Eugene.

Is it difficult to cut the back out and put a glass in it?.

Re-engraving the back with the appropriate data would be a bad idea in that it could never be done properly such as the exact size and spacing of every number and letter. And even if you could get someone to get it close, you would not have the correct data for the serial numbers. In either case, a knowledgeable collector may balk at buying it as either a faked case or a marriage should you ever wish to sell it in future. You could leave it as it is, or try to find a donor watch with a trashed movement but decent case, or even a case that has lost its movement at some point. That may not be easy and it would not be the right case for your specific movement since the numbers would not match, but it would at least look more correct to a casual glance than the one you have. By the way, sometimes the military markings on these were removed deliberately by someone who either 'nicked' the watch from the Army Air Force or who came by it legitimately as surplus but who did not want any questions asked about how they came to own a piece of government property. If it were mine and I wanted to have a proper example of this nice watch I would leave it as it and sell it for what I could get for it then buy a completely correct example to have in my collection.

Thank you so much Jim and Lindell for your valuable comments. I will search the long search for a replacement back.
The previous owner was a Mr Oswald Barkess who served in the British Army in the early 1940s. He achieved the rank of Warrant Officer Class 1 and sadly died of throat cancer 20 years ago. (please see attached picture).
This site is brilliant and thanks to everyone as usual..............Steve.

I just saw this.

I have a back cover, but don't know if it is correct for that movement.

Another picture

Yes please Larry!....I can pay by Paypal with no fees at your end. Postage to England, UK.
Kind regards, Steve.

Steve, Send me an email to - larrylamphier@aol.com - with your correct address and I'll get it right out to you.

Thanks.

Regards,
Larry

That's not the correct back for the Hamilton 4992B, just so y'all know.

https://ihc185.infopop.cc/eve/f...913939087#2913939087

regards,
bb

I will be delighted to receive it as it is a vast improvement on what is on there. Thank you Buster for highlighting it anyway.
Steve.

Buster is correct. That is not a correct case back for a 4992B. Here is another thread with some good photos of 4992B's with some correct case backs.

https://ihc185.infopop.cc/eve/f.../p/2/xsl/print_topic

The case back being offered is a very nice military case back but it is for an entirely different kind of timepiece - one that would have been used by the U.S. Army. Here are the U.S. Army Ordinance Department codes for Army watches from that time period. You can see the OE code here and that it should go on a U.S. Army 21 jewel railroad grade pocket watch.

OA - 7 to 9 jewel pocket watches
OB - 15 to 17 jewel pocket watches
OC - 7 to 9 jewel wristwatches
OD - 15 to 17 jewel wristwatches
OE - 21 jewel railroad grade pocket watches
OF - 15 to 17 jewel wristwatches with waterproof case
OFA - 15 to 17 jewel wristwatches with waterproof case, Air Corps (Navigation, Type A-11, substitute standard)
OG - 7 to 9 jewel wristwatches (waterproof cases)
OS - stopwatch
OW - 7 to 9 jewel pocket watches made before Nov. 12, 1940 and remarked later
OX - 15 to 17 jewel pocket watches made before Nov. 12, 1940 and remarked later
OY - 7 to 9 jewel wristwatches made before Nov. 12, 1940 and remarked later
OZ - 15 to 17 jewel wristwatches made before Nov. 12, 1940 and remarked later

Thank you all very much for your invaluable advice.