Wristwatches · Wristwatch
Bulova A-11, USA Military Issued Wrist Watch, circa 1940s
- Maker / attribution
- Bulova (maker)
- Date
- c. 1940s
- Historical period
- Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking (1900 – 1945)
- Country of origin
- United States
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Dimensions
- Case 32 mm
- Stock no.
- vws4262cs
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, Vintage Watch Specialist (vws4262cs)
- Catalogue title (original)
- Bulova A-11 - USA Military Issued Wrist Watch - c.1940s (English)
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Record summary
Catalogued by Vintage Watch Specialist (dealer), United Kingdom (stock number vws4262cs), this is a wristwatch by Bulova, made in United States, dated c. 1940s. The Atlas places it in the Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking period (1900 – 1945) of its Wristwatches collection. Recorded dimensions: Case 32 mm. The record is illustrated with 6 photographs.
Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.
Catalogue description
Dealer description — Vintage Watch Specialist
Nicknamed "The Watch That Won the War," the A-11 is one of the most significant military wristwatches ever produced. Developed to a strict US military specification during the Second World War, it was supplied by just a handful of manufacturers including Bulova, Elgin and Waltham. Unlike many military watches, the A-11 was issued not only to the US Army but also to the US Army Air Forces and Allied personnel, becoming the standard navigation watch for pilots and navigators. Its highly legible black dial, hacking seconds and dependable movement made it an essential instrument during wartime, and today it is regarded as one of the cornerstones of any serious military watch collection. What's on Offer This original 1940s Bulova A-11 military wristwatch is a superb example of one of the most iconic American service watches ever produced. Housed in a chrome-plated case measuring 32mm, it features the classic matte black military dial with bold Arabic numerals, chemin de fer minute track and distinctive syringe hands, all designed for maximum legibility in demanding conditions. Beneath the dial beats Bulova's reliable 17-jewel Calibre 10AK manual-wind movement, offering approximately 42 hours of power reserve. The military issue caseback retains its original specification engravings, including the A-11 designation and military contract markings, confirming its wartime heritage. Fitted to a green NATO-style strap, this is a genuine piece of military history that remains as wearable today as it was over 80 years ago.
Historical context
Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking (1900 – 1945)
The wristwatch displaces the pocket watch; waterproof cases, self-winding and grand complications.
The wristwatch overtook the pocket watch. Military use in the First World War, aviation, water-resistant cases (1926), automatic winding (1923–31), rectangular Art Deco designs and early chronographs and calendars defined the period.
Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Industrial Revolution
Atlas type guide
Military, pilot and travel watches
The wristwatch owes much of its adoption by men to warfare and aviation. Wristlets — small pocket watches soldered with lugs and worn on a strap — were used in colonial campaigns and became standard equipment in the First World War, with protective grilles over the crystal ('shrapnel guards'). Louis Cartier's Santos (1904), designed for the aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont, is often cited as an early purpose-made pilot's watch.
In the Second World War governments specified watches in detail: the German B-Uhr observation watches, the American A-11, and the British 'W.W.W.' (the 'Dirty Dozen' set of 1945). After the war, jet travel brought GMT and world-time watches, which show two or more time zones at once — Louis Cottier's world-time mechanism and the Rolex GMT-Master (1955) are examples.
What to look for
- Military markings on the case back: broad arrow, issue numbers, 'W.W.W.', 'A.T.P.'
- High-legibility black dials with luminous Arabic numerals; oversized crowns for gloved hands.
- 24-hour hands and rotating 24-hour bezels or city rings on GMT/world-time watches.
- Wire lugs on early wristlets converted from pocket watches.
Dating clues
- Wire-lug wristlets: c. 1900–1925.
- Military specifications of the Second World War: 1939–1945.
- GMT and world-time wristwatches: mainly after 1950.
General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.
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