Single pusher chronographs were issued to British military personnel from the mid 1940′s until the mid 1970′s.
Two versions of the round cased model, known as Series 1 and 2, were issued from the mid 1940′s before being
superceded by the Series 3 which is easily recognised by its asymmetric case.
As with all military timepieces, turning the watch over you will find the issue markings engraved into the caseback.
A few things to notice about the markings on this watch; The letters “H.S” stand for “Hydrographic Service”
which shows that the watch was issued for Naval use, the Broad Arrow symbol follows, and then the number 9
denotes that it is a chronograph wristwatch. Below that is the serial number for this particular watch.
You will also see that the original designation number has been crossed out and a new number engraved above it.
When Britain joined NATO in 1949, all equipment had to be reclassified in accordance with NATO’s
National Stock Number (NSN) system, and that is what you can see above the original markings,
0552 denotes Naval use, and the 924-3305 identifies this particular type of watch.
The calibre inside is a Lemania cal. 15 CHT which was derived from a pocket watch movement,
and serves as the base calibre for the Lemania cal. 2220 used in the later Series 3 chronograph.
This watch was also made with a black dial.
