Hello folks, Happy Veterans Day,
This is the stop watch that was issued to me when I was a student in US Air Force Navigator School at Mather AFB, California, in 1985. It is a Heuer stop watch, 7 jewels, with 1/5 seconds gadations. I flew KC-135 tankers until 1997, more than 3,100 hours, and I think I never once used this stop watch. I might have brought it along on a few missions, though. By 1985, navigators were issued regular digital wrist watches (I don't remember the make); these I used regularly, and I went through a few of them. On the KC-135 navigator's panel we had a aircraft clock that we rarely used, too (I don't remember the type, but I think it was an 8-day?). The digital wrist watch provided us with an easy hacking watch and accurate enough timekeeping for celestial navigation.

Back to the stop watch: The back of the fiberglass case reads, in white lettering:
Stop watch
mil - s - 12 823
6645-00-126-0286
(Heuer emblem embossed here)
758.901
dla400-83-c-1770
dgsc 832665

The movement is marked:
HLSA
SPORTEX
SWISS MADE
SEVEN 7 JEWELS
UNADJUSTED

Sorry for the blurry photos!
Pete Belmonte

Hi Pete,

Thanks for the image of your navigation stop watch and the info regarding the timepieces in use during your time in the U.S. Air Force.

Until your post, the newest USAF navigation stop watch I had seen was dated 1967. It has a chrome plated case. I'll see if I can get it out and post an image.

Best regards,
Greg

Thanks Greg, I'd like to see the stop watch you mentioned.
In the KC-135, there was, mounted upon the navigator's instrument panel, a rubber "form" to hold the stop watch (I guess any stop watch of this type/size would fit). These were obviously a holdover from earlier days, as were the aircraft clocks, I suppose. I tried to post a picture of the movement (it is nothing out of the ordinary, though), but it comes through too blurry and too big, so I deleted it. Thanks again,
Pete