Description
This is one of the very first year 1984 RAF issued Seiko chronographs (Generation 1) that were procured from Seiko UK by the RAF and issued initially to Royal Air Force pilots and navigators but later also issued to Royal Navy Helicopter Pilots. According to Konrad Knirims seminal book “British Military Timepieces” (page 624) there were only 11,307 pieces of this Generation 1. military model issued by the RAF from October 1984 until November 1990 and therefore this is one of the very first ones issued and rare. This model features a stainless steel case and is powered by the highly-regarded, 15-jewel, quartz 7A28 Seiko movement. RAF-issued Seiko military Generation 1 watches have three pushers and has all the usual chronograph functions including split timings and 1/10 sec timing as well as second and minute indicators up to 30 minutes. The sub-dial measures tenths of a second actively until 10 minutes have passed. Once the chronograph is stopped the hand will move to the correct position indicating the tenths of a second that have elapsed. As a result of the application of Promethium 147 (a mildly radioactive emitter), the dial has luminous markers. The case excluding the crown and pushers measures 37mm across and has an inter-lug width of 20mm. As it is required by the MoD, all Seiko military models fit fixed strap bars. The crystal on this watch is mineral glass and has some light scratches at the top but please remember this is an active service watch from the military. This RAF-issued Seiko military generation 1 watch is considered to be one of the most sought among military watches and this is not surprising as the model is relatively scarcity as well as of a higher grade movement and build quality. Many more high resolution photographs of this watch are available upon request.
