A17 - F86
77th ANNIVERSARY
EDITION
Five unique and collectible watches
in celebration of two American military icons
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77th ANNIVERSARY - OCTOBER 1st 2024
The Watham A17 and the North American F-86 Sabre were literally made for each other . The A17 was specified for the Korean war F-86 pilots who outperformed the MIG 15 in high-speed dogfights due to the superior capabilities of the F-86 Sabre. The A17 and the F86 were two superior pieces of American aviation and military equiplment.
Waltham celebrates the 77th anniversary of these outstanding American products with five watches featuring a commemorative case-back engraving. These five Waltham watches will be the only ones carrying this engraving making each of them a true collectible item.
Celebrating American ingenuity and technology
THE ANNIVERSARY ENGRAVING
Since the very beginning the A17 case-back features the US Army military procuerement data on the case back. A very appreciated singularity by watch enthusiasts all over the world.
For this 77th Anniversary edition the mention "77 Years F86-A16" has been specially engraved.
Only the five Waltham A17 watches of this anniversary edition will ever carry this engraving.
SPECIFIED BY THE USAAF
The A17 has been specified by the United States Air Force in 1948 according to MIL-W-6433. Initially, it had the vocation to equip the long range bomber crews based in Europe. In 1951 it entered into service with the F-86 Sabre pilots watch during the Korean war. Afterwards, it went on to equip the crews of the B-47 Stratojet and the F-104 Starfighter.
The American pilot watch.
PILOTS ORDNANCE WATCH
The A17 has served for more than 15 years as the official USAF Pilot's ordnance watch. Waltham won the tender to supply the USAF in 1949 and delivered the first watches in 1950. It rightfully takes its place in watchmaking history as the first American pilot watch.
Aviation legends
The A-17 has been worn by many pilots who made the history of modern aviation, and in some cases made the ultimate sacrifice in the pursuit of aviation advancement. Amongst them,
Captain Milburn “Mel” Apt of the United States Air Force which we remember and honor. On September 27, 1956 Captain Milburn Apt became the very first man to fly at over 3 times the speed of sound by flying the UASF Bell X-2 Starbuster to the incredible speed of Mach 3.196 which is 3,377 km or 2,098 miles per hour.
F-86 Sabre Pilots
When the Waltham Type A17 Pilot’s Watch Mil Spec MIL-W-6433 was approved by the United States Air Force in March of 1951 it quickly found it’s way to the wrists of American pilots in the Korean War theater.
THE USAF TENDER
On December 31, 1948 United States Air Force Colonel J.C. Harvell, Chief of the Equipment Laboratory Engineering Division, sent out a letter to the Waltham Watch Company asking for their comments on Specification N° 21277 (later be known as MIL-W-6433).
This letter was sent out also to the Elgin National Watch Company, the Hamilton Watch Company, the Bulova Watch Company, the Gruen Watch Company and, surprisingly, the Longines-Wittnauer Watch Company.
But, in the end the USAF chose to exclusively use the Waltham Watch Company for their new Type A-17 pilot’s wrist watch.