One is a Waltham 8 Day AC US Army, Type 5 and the other is a Elgin Avigo 8 Day clock, no other markings. Any ideas which aircraft they came out of?

Elgin

Hi Ernest.

The Type V Waltham is an Army timepiece from the 1930s, give or take. You should be able to determine the specific year by opening it up and running the serial number on the movement through one of the various on line Waltham serial number listings. There is no way to say what kind of aircraft it came from. These were one size fits all instruments that were used in everything from trainers, to transports, to liaison aircraft (messengers), to fighters, to bombers to reconnaisance aircraft. They were kept in service when they broke by Army watchmakers and it is not uncommon for one to have found its way into being used on several aircraft during its life as they were swapped out by the ground crews who made sure aircraft had working instruments.

I do not believe that the second clock, the AVIGO Elgin, is a military timepiece. I understand these are civilian timepieces made by Elgin. I expect that it would have been purchased for use in either a civilian aircraft instrument panel or in a car instrument panel. Elgin also made an AVIGO model wrist watch for the civilian market with the same dial and logo. From the 1910s to the 1940s aviation was quite the thing and many aviators were rock-stars of their era. There was a market for things that reminded people of aviators and companies made things with aviation themes, like timepieces, and sold them to the public who wanted to celebrate their heros. They even made a brand of auto, the Rickenbacker, that prominently featured the famous hat in the ring logo that Eddie Rickenbacker had painted on the side of his WW I biplane during the first world war.