Wireless of the Week - week 51

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

Seen on the face of most larger wireless sets were often pocket watch sized chronometers in plastic or, on earlier sets, metal cases to enable signalers to accurately time their transmissions, shifts or silences. It was of vital importance that time keeping was consistent and correct throughout a communication network so it could operate at maximum efficiency.

The watches used for this purpose were Swiss made, jeweled, wind-up timepieces made by various manufacturers. The face included large numbers for the 12 hour positions, typical minute and hour hands and a small secondary face with a sixty second sweep hand. Many of these watches had the numbers or the hands painted with radium so they would glow in the dark. The watches were 2” in diameter and the top post had a notch for holding it suspended in a slot on the top of its case. The cases themselves were secured to the radio or supply unit face with three countersunk head screws. They had a serial number and prominent Broad Arrow or Canadian “C” Broad Arrow government ownership mark on the back in a futile attempt to prevent them from being stolen. On the other hand, Signal Sergeants made Signalers lives miserable by having them account for the precise location of the chronometer assigned to them every moment of his precisely timed 24 hour day.

The three examples presented here include two British ones, one with a black face marked “G.S. Mk.II” and both with radium paint, and a ‘clean’ Canadian one.

Also shown is the early nickel plated brass case and the more common plastic one. These cases were incredibly delicate with very fine threads prone to cross threading when screwing the cap back onto the body.