{"product_id":"the-military-edition-eighth-edition","title":"The Military Edition - Eighth Edition","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eEvery bomber crew in World War II had a navigator, and every navigator had one job that couldn’t go wrong: knowing exactly where the plane was. Before GPS, that came down to stars, math and time. A few seconds off meant miles off course.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThat’s why every navigator had a pocket watch at his desk: the Hamilton 4992B, known as the Master Navigational Watch. Hamilton built it in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, as a military version of its famous railroad pocket watch, with 22 jewels, hacking seconds so crews could sync to the second, and a true 24-hour dial marked G.C.T. (Greenwich Civil Time). It rode in a shock-mounted case to protect it from the vibration of the plane.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSince 2019, we’ve taken these original pocket watches and rebuilt them as wristwatches, to honor the people who carried them and to support the veterans of today. Our first seven editions were 50 pieces each. This year, we could only find 40. They come from estates and auctions, and every year they get harder to find.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePieces 01–10 contain the rarest movements, from Hamilton’s first wartime run in 1941–42, each stamped “U.S. GOVT.” These are $11,500 and include a few surprises in the box. Pieces 11–40 contain movements made from 1942 to 1945 for the same navigators. These are $11,000.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSince 2019, $500 from every Military Edition sold has gone to the \u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan draggable=\"true\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.veteranswatchmakerinitiative.org\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eVeterans Watchmaker Initiative\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e to train U.S. veterans as certified watchmakers. With this eighth edition, our donations will surpass $200,000. Watch the \u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan draggable=\"true\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/video.foxnews.com\/v\/6102391489001\/#sp=show-clips\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"\u003enational news story\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e to learn more.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe 49mm Grade 5 titanium case has a hand-distressed black DLC finish, so no two look alike. It measures 59mm lug to lug with 24mm lugs and weighs about 146g on the strap. It’s 17.5mm thick, but 2.5mm of that is the domed sapphire crystal, so it wears closer to 15mm. The titanium crown sits at 12 o’clock, right where it was on the original pocket watch, and a sapphire exhibition caseback shows off the movement. Rated to 5 ATM and built in Fort Collins, Colorado.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEach watch comes with two handmade straps from Greg Stevens Design in Utah, one green distressed canvas and one black distressed leather, plus a screwdriver for changing them.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEvery movement, dial and set of hands is original, more than 80 years old and restored by hand on our bench in Colorado, so slight variations will occur. Each watch completes final testing before shipment, and we’ll send fulfillment updates after purchase.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLearn more on our \u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan draggable=\"true\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/vorticwatches.com\/pages\/military-edition-info\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eMilitary Edition Information\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e page, including every edition since 2019.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Vortic Watch Company","offers":[{"title":"Rare \"U.S.GOVT\" Movement (#01 - #10)","offer_id":68263578403117,"sku":null,"price":11500.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Standard Antique Movement (#11 - #40)","offer_id":68263578435885,"sku":null,"price":11000.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1710\/0345\/files\/1_8f0b726a-1178-4a75-8acb-4654e8adc99d.png?v=1794252808","url":"https:\/\/vorticwatches.com\/products\/the-military-edition-eighth-edition","provider":"Vortic","version":"1.0","type":"link"}