RNZAF Issue
Mark XI 6B/346 — RNZAF Issue
Royal New Zealand Air Force issue, illustrated with RNZAF markings. Like the RAAF watches, its dials never carried the encircled T. Numbers bought are not known.
At least 7,400 IWC watches for the RAF; IWC records identify more than 8,000 military movement numbers, with about 600 more thought to await confirmation (Horological Journal 2004).
Identifying details
- Military caseback engraving
Issue markings on the caseback, e.g. stock number, broad arrow, issue number and year.
- Military issue
Issued to armed forces.
- Soft-iron inner case
Soft-iron inner case and dial forming a cage that shields the movement from magnetic fields.
Variants of 6B/346
Reference overview →| Variant | Production |
|---|---|
| RAF, White 12 Dial | 1949–1952 |
| RAF, Triangle Dial Without T | 1952–1963 |
| RAF, Encircled T Dial | 1963–? |
| RAF, Encircled T Dial · Encircled T, Hooked 7 | Undated |
Case & movement
- Reference
- 6B/346
- Production
- Undated
- Case serials
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Case diameter
- 36 mm
- Crystal
- Acrylic, held by a screwed retaining ring
- Movement
- Manual winding
- Date
- No
More specifications (1)
Movement
IWC 89
Albert Pellaton’s hand-wound centre-seconds calibre with indirect seconds drive and a Breguet hairspring. The Mark XI version stops the seconds for synchronisation. Early batches had no shock protection; later ones were fitted with Incabloc.
Manual winding · Introduced 1946 · 18,000 vph · 17 jewels