Hello All, I was offered a Black Bakelite dash-board clock, it is running. Black face what was once luminous hands and spots around the dial.Several digits on face and/41 which I assume is the date/year. With a loupe further markings can be seen ,Looks like MK11 and another several digits. The Bezel screws off, the thread being cut in the Bakelite, There is a sweep second hand. The fixing flange has 3 screw holes and the bottom RH of the flange is rounded and the large winder sticks out at 45deg in this area. There is a small area on the rear where someone has ground off some exGov't markings maybe when it was sold off or de-commissioned. Now the Rub, the guy asked for £80 which I thought was a bit high,so I didn't get it. I suppose you already know but I should add its around 2in across the face. Comments Please. Ged.

Hi Ged. The clock you describe is a British Mark II (note the Roman numeral for two, not the number 11) aircraft clock. You are correct that the XXXXX/41 indicates that the contract and specifications to buy these was issued in 1941. There are a number of varieties of these and trying to get one of each might make a nice little collection. They are not rare as they come up on Ebay constantly. The price you mention is neither a bargain nor a completely outrageous one - though had it been offered to me at that price I would have declined. It is a retail price for one in good condition, and the one you were offered has a serious defect in the form of the miliary markings on the back having been defaced. This is not typical and such defacing of an important part of a military clock being military is serious in my personal opinion. The marking on the back should be the letters A.M standing for Air Ministry, and there should also be a King's crown.

If you watch the Ebay auctions of these for a while you will get a sense of the range they go for.

Hi,
Ben Roberts collects british, ww 2 aircraft clocks, he might be interested in it Ged if you are not.

Ben (a former RAF man) does have a great collection. But the lack of markings would make the above example fit for parts, in my estimation.

Best regards,
Greg

Thanks for interest, I thought it was much to expensive, and being defaced put me off also. I still like looking though. Regards, Ged.

Ged
There are 5 different models in the MkII range with 3 dial marking types with in each. There are thus 15 different refenrence numbers for these clocks.

The following is the major differences between the models:

MkII 8 Day Dummy hands Bezel wound
MkIIA 36 hour Dummy hands Bezel wound
MkIIB 8 Day Dummy hands Knob wound
MkIIC 8 Day No dummy hands Knob wound
MkIID 8 Day Dummy hands Knob wound

There are differences in which way you wind the clock and set hands etc.
With the passage of time some examples that had dummy hands may have been refitted with plain glass so it not a good way of identitying a MkIIC. The reference number is generally printed in blue on the dial face or stamped in small letters on the dial face.

Hi Ged
Sorry to be so late with this, but I have been away, and so off the air so to speak.
The Clock you were offered was a RAF Mk IID Aircraft clock. Made by good old S.Smith and Co of course. The manufacture date would be 1941 as you assumed. Other markings would be Ref: 6A/1150 which was the RAF reference number for the MK IID.
The Mk IID clock is identical to the MkIIB,in all respects, except that the latter does not have a sweep second hand.
They appear to be fetching anything from £60 to £100 on ebay these days - depending on condition (Very hard to determine on ebay of course, as they are not a particularly good movement, and can be a little clunky.) So if the one you were offered was OK in all respects, £80 would not be a bad buy if you wanted one.
Hope this is of interest even if a little late.
Ben Roberts
Ottawa
Ontario

Ben and Others, Thanks for replies. I am not into Aircraft Clocks, but as I stated, I just like looking at clocks in general, also many other old items. Being on a modest Private pension + the State pension, I have to watch my pennies. Regards, Ged. PS, I have a few entries in an Auction on the 1st/2nd NOV. They promised to send me a catalogue, If they do, I'll see if I can let you all see some or all of it.