When my mother went to France about 15 years ago she brought this Zenith back for me:

The dial:

At an antique shop a number of years ago I found this one with a display of German WWII war memorobilia:

One unusual thing about it was that the numerals 13-24 were stuck on with a kind-of decal as an adaptation for military requirements, I assume.

Steve,

She was very nice to you .... I am not 100_% sure of its military nature about the first , pls post the back, but the second seems an early Japanese military one...!!!!
Congrats to you and better to Her for her choice!!!
rgds

Enzo

Well, the Zenith didn't have any specific military markings. It does have someone's initials. I just assumed it was a military watch because of the 24 hour dial and the apparent vintage (WWI?).
Thanks for the information about the wristwatch. That is a surprise!

The wristwatch appears to be mounted on a Japanese military style band. Japanese men used small wirelug wristwatches prior to and during WWII.

The wristwatch case might have been made in Japan. Does it have a logo inside?

Best regards,
Greg

Thanks Greg. Here is the inside of the case back.

Oops, forgot to download it. Here:

And...

Here is a more complete picture of the band:

It has a fairly large buckle.

They look like very nice watches but I don't see anything military about either of them. 24 hour dials were not only used on militiary watches but they were also common on civilian watches in Europe and many other countries around the world. They are not entirely uncommon even today since 24 hour time is used quite often by civilians in many countries around the world. For example every time I go to Paris people use 12 hour and 24 hour times interchangeably. Also, the second hand in a separate orbit either by the 12 or the 6 was the standard layout for the majority of watches for a long time.

I always thought this type of watch was characteristic of WWI watches because of this:

my grandfather's watch that he wore in WWI. I suppose the fact that I know this is the only thing that tells me that this is a military watch, and... are those doughboys in this illustration, or boy scouts?

Those are boy scouts in the advertisement. You can tell by their neckerchiefs and knee socks -those were their uniforms around during the teens and twenties.

Most men in WW I did not wear military watches since there were so few procured by the militaries. Unlike in WW II, at that point in history watches were not considered a standard item to issue to ordinary troops. Timepieces in WW I were only issued to a small number of men who were considered as needing them - noramlly just a few types of specialists in the Signal Corps. Most men brought along their own civilian watch to use or they bought a civilian watch from a local store after they were in the service. They also brought along other personal items such as religious medals, lucky pieces and other such extras. Personal civilian timepieces that may have been carried by a soldier during the war are not military watches in the way that most collectors define military timepieces though they are collected by some and I think they are interesting.

It is good to know the finer points of definition. Did the military actually purchase specific watches for service in WWI like they did later in WWII, or was this a new procedure in the '40s? Did the Navy contract purchase chronometers for the ships in WWI? It sounds like there was a certain time between wars when more precise specifics were demanded for service. Is that right?

Yes, the various militaries did procure watches and clocks during WW I and issued them to selected men who needed them for specific uses. They are not as common as WW II or other era watches and clocks but they are not impossible to come by either. Below is a direct link to another thread here on this forum that shows a complete(?) collection of U.S. WW I military wristwatches. Notice that they are all marked 'Signal Corps' and most of them are marked U.S.A. which stands for United States Army (not United States of America). There are also some other official military timepieces from WW I that are pocket watches or clocks (from ships or aircraft or such).

Personal objects such as a civilian watch, a pocket knife, a rabbit's foot, a small bible from home, are found among soldier's possessions in every war and there are people who collect these because of the personal and human interest in them, but most collectors see such things as a man's personal kit rather than his officially issued military kit.

WW I Signal Corps wristwatches

Japanese wristwatches

Nice images. Thank you for uploading them.

In a thread on Japanese wristwatch protectors there are images of watch bands like yours in use during WWII by Japanese troops. The band you have was not made for a compas but it is otherwise like the others and is clearly of WWII style. I suspect the light cast aluminum buckles are from the last years of the war. The band is in great condition and does not appear to have been used as much as the watch.

Your watch case does not appear to be of Invicta construction. It might be Japanese but I don't know at this point.


Best regards,
Greg

In addition to the Swiss wristwatches purchased by the AEF in Europe, the Army also bought some American made wristwatches. The American made Army contract watches are something of a mystery. Now and then a 1918 vintage Elgin will be found with post WWI markings, suggesting the watches were not delivered in time for WWI but may have been held in reserve and used in the pre-WWII era.

Thanks again. Are there Hamilton or U.S. military serial number records that tell about which chronometer was used by which ship in WWII? Did they or the military have any records as to who was issued which 4992B?

No records have been found to indicate individual issue of timepieces by U.S. forces.