Yesterday, "Al", (a new watch person) showed me his inherited Watch/Chronometer fitted with a full register for accurate (1/5th) seconds accumulated up to 30 Minutes.

The movement seems to be all there and while needing service all seems to work OK.

The all black gun-metal case remains in very good condition . . .

Al explain that this came from his greandfather who received it from HIS father who had served in the German Military during WWI.

Al explained further that his Great Grandfather had in fact carried this watch all his life mostly in the leather case that is still it's "home" . . .

The watch is on its way to Chris Abell for service, and Al is bringing over his Great Grandfather's WWI German "dog tags" later this week.

My question, as you can see, there is a winged propellor embossed or engraved on the back of the case with the letters F Z L below that.

Mixing my imagination with my bad German, I can see "Flug . . . Zepplin . . . Luft . . ." for the initials, and most certainly this Chronometer would have served well in the Navigation of same.

Konrad Knirim
IHC Member 478
Posted March 03, 2007 10:16
Hallo friends,
the Germans did use these aviators chronographs with LePhare movement too, I have two in my collection.
The picture shows page 93 of my book, here is the caption to these watches:
- Two rare items: pocket chrongraphs of the Prussian Air Troops: nice gold finished movement Le Phare, Cal. 114 VCC, 19“’, iron case with golden equipment, producer: F. W. Kreis Berlin W. The back of the upper item has the typical marking ‘FLZ’ with winged propeller, the lower has an additional 24-h-indication in red on the dial.

. Gruesse/Regards/Salute Konrad Knirim
. konrad.knirim@t-online.de
. http://www.knirim.de

https://ihc185.infopop.cc/eve/f...0103944/m/6251020622

David:

Wow...........thanks for posting that. It's the first horological item that I have seen in many, many moons that has really moved me and dropped my jaw.

What a magnificent piece of history.

Marty

agreed Martin , an absolutely splendid piece of Avation history

Found this;

seems that book says Zeppelin ,Tom ,not Prussian Air Forces as Konrad says. Either way a beauty even with the dial chip ,it screams out to me "ADOPT ME PLEASE" , to which I reply "fear not little one.if I get the chance I'll try !!!!"

quote:

Found this;

01

It´s a nice watch, but the book which quoted Zeppelin airship code is just quoting a mistake that has been around for a log time. Konrad Knirim
is quoted to saying that FLZ is the abbreviation for "Flugzeugmeisterei" literally translating to aircraft workshops.
To be truthful, nobody knows for sure what FLZ stands for, as no written documentation has ever been found!
Watches that were specifically issued to airships were marked as such, with the number of the airship on the caseback.




The pictures are from Konrad Knirim´s book; Military Timepieces, 150 years watches and clocks of German forces, pages 79 and 82
The picture of the military markings on watches and clocks are out of Steffen Röhner´s book; Militär Taschenuhren (military pocket watches)pages 48-49
He wrote "Fliegertruppen des Deutschen Kaiserreichs bis 1918" literally translating to "Flying Corps of the German Empire until 1918"

Now we go to the next step. The Bearer of this watch, Herr Willi Steinau kept his Dog Tag shown below . . .

A more careful reconstruction of Herr Steinau's Tag shows;

Home Town: Konigsburg, Pr. Lang Reihe. 7
Birthdate: 9. 5. 94. - September 05, 1894
First assignment (scratched out);
Ers.Batt.1.G.AF.R3Batt.N799Then Below That;
1GFS.AR. 2 Batt x. .457.

So . . . How did Herr Steinau end up with a WWI German Airforce watch?

Probably the same way you have wound up with it - likely he bought it from someone at some point in his life - either during the war or in the decades afterwards, though the decades afterwards is more likely in my mind. A great many war surplus items are sold in every country after wars end and the militaries had little need for them anymore. Surplus military watches were popular items to buy since they can actually be used.

By the way, I am not an expert in reading Great War dog tags, but I believe this one may be saying Reserve Batallion with Ers. Batt. standing for Ersatz Bataillon.

An interesting watch.

All of the German issued examples I know of had stemb set movements. This is the first nail set Fleigerchronograph I have seen. The examples in Konrad's book and in various collections have dials marked "EIGENTUM DER FLEIKGERTRUPPEN" as well as the importer's name; most often F.W. Kreis of Berlin. This dial has no such markings.

The case is marked with the FLZ stamp,which Germany used to mark such watches. However, the case also looks like it has been recently refinished.

The story which came with the watch is nice and i like the German dogtag, but I would use caution in buying such a watch.

Hallo friends,
FLZ does not refer to Zeppelins! The German airships in WWI were mainly a branch of the navy Kaiserliche Marine.
FLZ means Flugzeugmeisterei, a support department of the Fliegertruppen (Air Troops).

FLZ meaning :In the early, German airforce was just an army branch.
The MAIN connection evidence is that the P.u.W. (found in some other pocket watches from this period, instead FLZ) was a department of the "Flugzeugmeisterei" .
Subordinate to the Flugzeugmeisterei (FLZ) were 6 departments:
1.Abteilung für Konstruktions Neuheiten, (Konab) Inventions Department. Adlershof.
2.Prüfanstalt und Werft. (P.u.W.) Testing Section and Workshops. They did all the flight and destructive test on everything, Airplanes, engines, bombs, sights, etc*and were responsible for technical schools. Adlershof.
3.Zentral-Abnahme-Kommission, (Z.A.K.) Cental acceptance Commission. Johannisthal. The examination of materials and aircraft and on completion at the factory.
4.Licht und Bildabteilung, (Lubia) Photographic Department.
Karlshorst.
5.Waffen und Munitions-Beschaffungsamt, (Wumba) Supplies Department, and a subordinate department, Rohstoff Amt, Raw Material Office, *these two were important, they were responsible for the maintenance of materials and supplies to the aircraft and engine manufactures.
6.Fabrikaufsicht. and Motoren Abteilung, (Moba) were the on sight Military Inspectors at the aircraft and engine factories. Adlershof.
(source: Mr. Dan San Abbott - Aerodrome Forum )

another Prussian Airtroops Watch
more of these for French, US and German air troops in WWI

. Gruesse/Regards/Salute Konrad Knirim
PS: Have a look at my books on Military Timepieces:
. http://www.knirim.de

This is a Zeppelin watch, as you can see by the engravings on the back, a subsiduary of the Kaiserliche Marine (as konrad and I have previously said).

pretty darn nice !!!!