Wristwatches · Wristwatch
Hamilton 6BB RAF Issued, 1975
- Maker / attribution
- Hamilton (maker)
- Date
- 1975
- Historical period
- Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)
- Country of origin
- Switzerland
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Stock no.
- vws2560
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, Vintage Watch Specialist (vws2560)
- Catalogue title (original)
- Hamilton 6BB RAF Issued - 1975 (English)
View the source record (dealer listing) ↗ (opens another website in a new tab)Suggest a correction
Record summary
Catalogued by Vintage Watch Specialist (dealer), United Kingdom (stock number vws2560), this is a wristwatch by Hamilton, made in Switzerland, dated 1975. The Atlas places it in the Quartz Revolution period (1969 – 1990) of its Wristwatches collection. 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
A Very Well Preserved RAF Issued Hamilton 6BB with Original Tritium Dial and Nicely Aged Lume, 1975 Hamilton produced watches for the RAF under the 6BB mark between 1973 and 1976. The watch succeeded the earlier Smiths production piece and preceded the CWC production pieces. The ‘T’ marking on the dial stands for tritium, the original 1960s and 1970s material used to make dials luminescent, a mark that guarantees the originality of the dial. What’s On Offer An extraordinarily well-preserved military tool watch, originally issued to the Royal Navy in 1975 and boasting its original military markings on the case back which read: 6BB-6645-99 /|\ 8463/75. The dial features a ‘Circle T’ to comply with British military stipulations of the time. The original tritium lume is still present on the hour plots and in the original sword hands and has aged to a really nice pale vanilla colour which gives the dial a nice warmth. The one-piece steel front access case is in good condition all around with no pitting or corrosion to speak of and the fixed lug bars are in good shape. We have paired this watch with a Swedish NATO-style brown leather strap which really pulls out the colour of the lume. A really fantastic watch with military significance as the last mechanical watch supplied to the armed forces.
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
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.
Related records
Pocket Watches · c. 1943
Hamilton 4992B, GCT Navigation U.S Air Force, c. 1943
Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva
Wristwatches · c. 1940s
Hamilton Bomb Timer, c. 1940s
Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva
Wristwatches · originally sold in February 2025 (per the lot record)
Hamilton wristwatch, ref. H51606640, American Classic Chrono-Matic 50 Limited Edition, originally sold in February 2025 (per the lot record)
Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva
Wristwatches · c. 1940s
Hamilton wristwatch, Bomb Timer Watch, circa 1940's
Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva
Wristwatches · 1970
Wristwatch by Heno, Switzerland, 1970
Museum Rotterdam
Wristwatches · 1960–1986
'Tri-Compax' calendar chronograph wristwatch in gold case, by Universal, Geneva, Switzerland, 1960–1986.
Science Museum Group, London
Wristwatches · 1969–1970
Beta 21 Quartz wristwatch movement, made in Switzerland, 1970.
Science Museum Group, London
Wristwatches · c. 1969
Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch, ref. 145022-69st, c. 1969
Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva