A-17 U.S 1950s Korean War Pattern Military Watch with Shatter and Scratch Resistant Box Sapphire Crystal (Automatic)

Product Details

SKU Code: A-17

This automatic self-winding A-17 pattern watch is a classic design based on typical designs used in the Korean War between Jun 25, 1950 and Jul 27, 1953, this modern re-creation whilst visually virtually identical re-creation to the original has the advantage that it is now equipped with a modern self-winding 24 jewel mechanical movement and has also been upgraded to a box sapphire crystal, the big advantage of the sapphire crystal is that it is both shatter and scratch resistant as well as enhancing water, resistance, and although outwardly identical in appearance to the original plexiglass crystal which would have been used on the original watches, whilst the mechanical movement is automatic it still retains the option to hand-wind if desired. The other watches in this family of watches are the A-11 based on the WW2 USAAF pilots watch and the GG-W-113 based on the later 1960/1970s Vietnam War issue model. 

This watch has a heavy stainless steel satin finish case made from Military Grade 316L stainless steel, sweep second hand, hacking function, black dial, and Luminova on the markings and hands for first-rate night-time performance.

The entire range of A-11, A-17, and GG-W-113 watches came into being because in January 2009 MWC was approached by a US veterans association who were keen to examine the viability of making a GG-W-113 watch which was identical in appearance to the original watches which were made by Hamilton, Bulova and Benrus during the Vietnam war. After receiving samples of watches to examine and also the original specification sheets the resulting watch was very close to the original and used a high grade fully jeweled hand-wound movement. As a result of making that watch another order was placed with a view to recreating the A-11 which is an even earlier model it was a logical progression that the veterans came back to us again, asking if we could complete the lineup of the three watches, which comprise this family by making the 1950s pattern A-17 watch which sits between the 1940s A-11 and the 1960s GG-W-113.

DIMENSIONS

• Width Inc Crown: 38mm
  
• Width Exc Crown: 36mm
  
• Thickness: 12.9mm
  
• Lug Size: 18mm
  
• Lug to lug is 43mm
  
• Lug Type: Spring
  
• Dial Colour: Black 

  
• Case Material: 316L stainless steel
  
• Caseback: Screw-down 316L stainless steel

  
• Crown: 316L stainless steel

  
• Water Resistance: 5 atm (50m/165ft)*
  
• Movement: 24 Jewel Automatic 

  
• Crystal: Shatter and Scratch Resistant Box Sapphire*
  
• Luminous Material: Luminova
  
• Serial number on caseback
  
• Strap: 18mm
  
• Supplied in a gift box
  
• 24 Months Guarantee
  

* A lot of people ask us what are the benefits of sapphire crystal over a standard mineral crystal? The answer is that synthetic sapphire is by far the best material for watch crystals because it is very strong and also shatter and scratch-resistant, these characteristics make it very appealing to military and security personnel, police officers and people who lead active outdoor lifestyles, these groups account for over 70% of our customers. To get things into perspective we find that when clients have accidents with watches resulting in a cracked crystal over 90% usually watches with mineral glass crystals, even factoring in that we use hardened mineral crystals they still do not come close to sapphire for durability under adverse conditions. The reason that sapphire crystals are so strong is that after the sapphire glass is manufactured it is also heat-treated to remove its internal stresses—which can cause weakness—it is then made into the watch crystals and two layers of anti-reflective coating are applied, interestingly sapphire crystal is now used on the latest iPhone. Of course, sapphire crystal comes at a price hence you find that it's normally only fitted to higher-end watches. 

• Delivery

  • Europe	UK	Rest of World
    Tracked Mail €11.50 / £9.99 / US$12.75	Tracked Mail  £9.99	Tracked Mail US$22.25 / €20.00 / £17.50
    N/A	Small Item e.g 1 or 2 straps £5.99	N/A
    Express Courier UPS or FedEx  €23.00 / £19.99 / US$25.50	Express Courier  UPS/DPD  £12.95	Express Courier UPS or FedEx  US$44.50 / €40.00 / £34.95

    PLEASE NOTE: The exact shipping cost will vary slightly depending on the weight and dimensions but it will only differ by a very small amount and will be shown at checkout. The above is a very good guide and 85% of parcels will be exactly as shown above.

    You will generally receive two emails after placing an order, the first will be a confirmation of receipt of the order and payment, this will be followed by a notification of shipment  once the goods are dispatched. When an order and payment has been processed, goods will be shipped by the Post Office or Courier within 48 hours. Please note that our shipping centers are closed on Saturdays and Sundays therefore orders placed during this time may take up to 72 hours to be dispatched, this includes orders placed after 14:00 (CET)  European time on Fridays.

    The estimated delivery times in working day are as set out below:

    • Europe UPS: 2 to 5 days
    • Europe Registered Mail: 7-14 days
    • UK DPD or UPS: 24 Hours
    • UK Tracked Mail: 1 to 2 days
    • Rest of World UPS: 3 to 10 days
    • Rest of World Registered Mail: 7 to 21 days *

    * Some countries are prone to be notoriously slow to process goods on arrival among these countries are Israel, Hong Kong, Macau, Mexico, South Africa and some South American countries. We also tend to experience significant delays with other countries in Africa in addition to South Africa, you can always contact us for advice although we do not know with certainty exactly which countries will be slow, and which will be fast but the above estimates are a pretty good guide for most countries, keen in mind remote territories or those with slow customs can also tend to be problematic. We would recommend using UPS, DHL or Fedex, which we offer as an option if the delivery is very time sensitive. 

    All shipping estimates are working days and exclude Saturdays and Sundays when our packing and shipping centres are closed and many postal services do not operate, depending on the country.

    Whilst we make every effort to deliver your order within the above timeframes this is a guide and delivery cannot be guaranteed. We will not accept responsibility for delays caused by our Couriers or any National postal service. If the goods are not delivered within the time we have estimated, please feel free to contact us or email admin@mwc.watch and we will do everything possible to resolve the issue promptly. We will not be liable for any loss caused by late delivery.

    Our delivery charges cover the cost of shipping the goods to you. However, they do not include import charges and administration fees to clear the goods when entering your country if these apply. 

    It is the responsibility of the purchaser to understand that charges may be levied and pay all subsequent import tax and duty on goods shipped to their respective Country. In the instance that items are returned to MWC as a result of a rejected payment, subsequent charges incurred such as Import Duty and processing costs will be deducted from any refund issued. For further information on this please contact accounts@mwc-distribution.com 

    We do not accept any liability for goods that have been lost after delivery to a PO Box. We reserve the right to cancel orders where the delivery address is a PO Box. Furthermore, we also do not accept any liability for goods that have been lost after they are confirmed as delivered to APO or BFPO locations. 

    It is the Customer's responsibility to notify us if the goods have not been received within 21 days of the estimated delivery date or time of ordering. If no notification is made within this time period the buyer shall be deemed to have received the goods.

    Please Note: We also use a variety of other delivery companies in countries where we have distribution arrangements, please keep in mind that some of them will allow you to arrange for delivery of your parcel in a way that will not require a signature, normally the delivery company, for example DPD will agree with you that the item will be left in a shed, garage, porch or other location that you nominate this is what is often termed a "safe place" please note that if you decide to utilise one of these services it is at your own risk because we have initially sent it by a secure service which requires a signature or other proof of delivery and using what is termed "a safe place" is inherently more risky because someone might see it being left by the driver which creates obvious dangers of it being stolen. Our advice is to always have it delivered in a way where the driver obtains a signature or other proof of delivery to remove any element of risk and ensure you receive your parcel safely.

    Failed delivery of an item ordered due to non-acceptance of the delivery

    Please note that if you order an item and the delivery company inform us that the item was refused it would be returned back to us, in many cases especially with FedEx, UPS etc they will also charge a return fee to send it back. Because in these circumstances we have done everything that is required to get the item to you we would refund less both the outbound and Inbound shipping charges once the item was received back at our packing and shipping centre. Unfortunately sometimes if you are having the order delivered to a business location the people receiving inbound parcels are prone to refuse an item without checking with the individual concerned we would strongly recommend being very cautious in this situation and notifying the people who handle the incoming parcels that you are expecting a delivery to avoid this problem occurring. Usually, we would be notified there is a delivery issue and would email you for your instructions, normally these sorts of problems can be avoided if you contact the carrier and tell them there is an error but it's very important to act quickly to avoid the return and associated costs.