
Wristwatches · Wristwatch
Gallet Adanac Military Diver/Navigator, 1988
- Maker / attribution
- Gallet (maker)
- Date
- 1988
- Historical period
- Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)
- Country of origin
- Switzerland
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Dimensions
- Case 40 mm
- Stock no.
- ADANACMSUB88
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, Craft & Tailored (ADANACMSUB88)
- Catalogue title (original)
- 1988 Gallet Adanac Military Diver/Navigator (English)
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Record summary
Catalogued by Craft & Tailored (dealer), Los Angeles (stock number ADANACMSUB88), this is a wristwatch by Gallet, made in Switzerland, dated 1988. The Atlas places it in the Quartz Revolution period (1969 – 1990) of its Wristwatches collection. Recorded dimensions: Case 40 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 — Craft & Tailored
In the late eighties, both the USAF and Canadian Armed Force issued these tough-looking Adanac watches to their service members. Adanac is (Canada spelled backward) and was produced in the joint contract between Gallet and Marathon. The watch has an unusual 0-11 marked bidirectional bezel, which makes it look like a hybrid of diver's and pilot's watches. Both the United State air force and the Canadian Armed Forces issued the Adanac watches in the late 1980s. The Adanac possesses an asymmetrical case that possesses a screw-down crown, has fixed bars, and is water-resistant to 660 feet, which qualifies this watch as a military diver's watch although it seems to have been issued more commonly to aircrews. The dial maintains 24-hour markings commonly found on many military watches. The hour and minute hands have applied tritium luminous material as do the hour indexes on the dial and the zero position on the bezel is also tritium coated. The Adanac uses a Swiss-made quartz movement and there is a separate latch (which you can open with a coin) for replacing batteries. These Adanac military watches are uniquely cool and possess all the key elements of a military watch that we swoon over here at Craft & Tailored! SPECS Stock # ADANACMSUB86 Brand Gallet Style Diver Model Adanac Serial N/A Size Men's Material SS Dial Matte Black Millimeters 40mm Bracelet Black NATO Strap CASE & BRACELET The asymmetrical case is in wonderful unpolished condition showing the original factory bead blasted finishing and sharp case lines. The bezel is in excellent vintage condition displaying light patina from use and retains its original tritium pearl which matches the dial perfectly. The original crystal exhibits some light wear marks from use. The caseback shows all the correct Govt. serial numbers and contract numbers DIAL & HANDS The dial is in remarkable condition showing no marks or blemishes. The tritium lume dots at the end of each hour marker have achieved a creamy yellow coloration, under U.V light inspection, the lume plots show no degradation. The original tritium hands match the dial perfectly and exhibit no degradation under U.V. light inspection. ACCESSORIES None. The watch is functioning and keeping time perfectly.
Historical context
Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)
Seiko's Astron begins mass quartz timekeeping; traditional industries contract sharply.
Quartz and digital watches transformed the market after 1969. Swiss employment collapsed, Japanese and Hong Kong production soared, and the Swatch (1983) helped the Swiss industry recover; mechanical watches survived as luxury goods.
Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Modern Mechanical Horology
Atlas type guide
Dive and water-resistant watches
Keeping water and dust out of a wristwatch was a long-standing challenge. Rolex's screw-down Oyster case (1926) and Omega's Marine (1932) were landmarks; in the early 1950s Blancpain's Fifty Fathoms and Rolex's Submariner defined the professional dive watch with rotating bezels for timing dives, luminous dials and high water resistance. The ISO 6425 standard (1982) later codified what a 'diver's watch' must do.
Dive watches became icons of post-war design and exploration, and their evolution — helium escape valves, ceramic bezels, saturation-diving depth ratings — records the history of underwater work.
What to look for
- Unidirectional or bidirectional rotating bezel with minute markings.
- Screw-down crown and case back; depth rating printed on the dial.
- Luminous hands and markers (radium before c. 1960, tritium c. 1960–1998, then Super-LumiNova).
- Reference numbers on the case between the lugs or inside the back.
Dating clues
- Screw-down Oyster cases: from 1926.
- Professional dive watches: from 1953.
- Tritium 'T' marks on dials: c. 1960–1998.
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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