[David Dunlop]

For me, the pocket watch, and its use with the 52-Set, is another impressive example of how complete the research was that CMC undertook in designing the set. They seem to have paid a lot of attention to details when they checked with the existing Canadian Army operators of the No. 9 and No. 9 Mk I sets to find out what they liked and wanted improved with each product, as well as what the Canadian Army HQ wanted. While puttering about putting together all the things I will need to restore the Supply Unit in my 52-Set, I have taken time to restudy the WW2 Canadian and British Military Pocket Watch.

The standard GSTP Pocket Watch used by the Canadian and British Armies during the war had specifications that all the watch makers complied with to the best of their ability during the war. Just like other war production, however, what was available to wartime watch makers varied enough that the size standards in particular were often not met exactly. Adding to the problem, for security reasons, all G.S.T.P. pocket watches bore no maker names on the watch face, and to really mix things up, it was very common practice for the watch parts makers to be supplying more than one watch manufacturer. You cannot rely on the look of the face, hands, crystal or other bits to accurately identify what company made the completed watch. All that information is stamped in code on the chassis of the movement inside the back cover of the pocket watch. That coded information will tell you who made the movement, who made the watch, the model number of the watch, the serial number of the watch and often the month/year, or year, of manufacture.

I have four, all British and all different makers. All have the standard Ball winder on the top of the stem, and a ring fitted to the stem for adding a watch chain or lanyard. All are stamped on the back of the case G.S.T.P. with a serial number and broad Arrow. Interestingly, only one fits like a glove in any of my pocket watch holders and it is also the only one fully working still. It is currently mounted on the front of the RCA Speaker Assembly on my AR88LF. Another watch is mounted on my 19-Set Mk III and fits nicely (ever so slightly loose). A third one is quite loose and is mounted on my 19-Set Mk II. If the set was in a moving vehicle, it would rattle around a bit in the holder.

The last Pocket Watch I have has an original leather lanyard and sits on my radio bench. If I try and insert it in any of my Pocket Watch Holders, the ring is positioned slightly lower on the stem than the other three watches so it prevents the watch from dropping low enough into the holder for the bottom part of the watch to be secured. The crystal would probably get broken on this watch if it was in a holder on a wireless set that was in a wireless vehicle going across country. Or the Bakelite holder would get shattered.

When a watch is mounted in a holder on a 19-Set, or the AR88 Series of receivers, the operator has full access to the winding ball on top of the stem, even with the guards in place on the 19-Sets. It gets very interesting, very quickly, however, if you install one of these round ball GSTP Pocket Watches in the holders on the 52-Set Receivers.

From the top of the watch case to the top of the winding ball on the watch is 9/16-inch. The space between the top of the Pocket Watch Holder on the 52-Set Receiver and the inside face of the receiver case is exactly 1/2-inch. On the Remote Receiver, you can get the watch to just fit, if you curve the top part of the case slightly. This is not possible, however, with the Carriers for the main set because of that upward fold on the sheet metal to stiffen it. Also, to get the Pocket Watch to fit, the ring must be folded forward, away from the front panel of the receiver and the case for the receiver. This puts it in the way of the operator trying to wind the ball of the watch. If you try flipping the ring to the back, it will jamb in the corner between the receiver front plate and receiver case and force the top of the watch forward enough you cannot fasten the front cover of the holder. Adding insult to injury, to adjust the time on the pocket watch, the ball on the top of the stem must be pulled up to disengage the winder and engage the hands. This raises the ball another 1/32-inch, which cannot be done with the pocket watch in place.

When I first saw the illustration of the pocket watch Canadian Marconi was using with the 52-Set, I thought it odd the watch used the flat style of winder on top of the stem, and that there was no ring. None of this made sense to me until I tried fitting the standard GSTP Pocket Watch into the two holders on my 52-Set and could not get any of mine to fit properly or be accessible to wind and change time. It was then that I realized how smart the designers and engineers were at CMC. They anticipated the problem and solved it with a custom pocket watch for the 52-Set. The flat top winder is only half as high as the ball winder and without the ring, the operator can easily wind and change the time on either pocket watch when it is in place.

Another feature utilized by CMC was to ensure the pocket watch they needed for the 52-Set was none magnetic. This additional step would ensure these watches would keep running accurately for wireless use in such close quarters to high RF voltages. There was no risk of the movement parts all becoming mini-magnets attracting and repelling each other to a complete halt.


David