Restoration of a World War II era Waltham 1942 A11 military spec wrist watch. These watches were produced in the 40s for pilots and navigators in the US Army Air Force USAAF (as well as the Navy and Marine Corps) and the A11 is one of the most iconic World War II military issue watches every produced. Many were manufactured during the war for allied soldiers and features a black dial with white indices, a sweep seconds hand (which was relatively new for military watches) and outer minute track.

This particular A11 was made by the Waltham Watch Company in Massachusetts in 1943, according to factory records. Waltham was not the only company to produce watches to the A11 specification. Other manufacturers such as Elgin, Hamilton and Bulova were all contracted by the US government to produce these timepieces.

The watch contains a feature known as the "hack", or balance braking. Hacking was a common way to synchronize time prior to the advent of GPS. This is achieved by mechanically stopping the balance wheel from swinging so time can be set without time progressing.

Restoration included full service of the movement, including replacement of the broken balance staff and static poising of the balance wheel. I also stripped and replated the case with nickel.

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I am an amateur who enjoys restoring vintage watches to working order. Constructive critiques of the process are welcome. I am always learning.

Contact info: [email protected]


Many of my tools I use are affordable. If you're interested in getting started with watch repair and would like to use what I use, I've included some links below. I earn a small commission from Amazon if purchases are made using these links.

Useful Texts:
Watch Repairer's Manual: https://amzn.to/3knrwdG
Watchmaker's Lathe: https://amzn.to/3D02WGb

Tools:
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Cleaning:
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Lubrication:
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Buffing and Polishing:
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Chapters:
0:00 Intro and Disassembly
5:15 Balance Staff Replacement
10:20 Cleaning and Reassembly
19:55 Case Replating
21:30 Final Steps