CWC DEF-STAN 66-4 38mm

Your Price: $1,999.00

Inventory Code: RC412

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In the early 1970s, the British government was in the process of reducing its armed forces in both size and cost. As a very small part of these austerity measures, the UK Ministry of Defense (MoD) revised the Defense Standard (DEF-STAN) that prescribed the design characteristics of military pilots’ watches to allow for cheaper, commercially available movements to be used.

This change allowed manufactures to begin using one of the classic workhorse chronograph movements of the 1970s–the Valjoux 7733. This movement and the unique case design of these watches combined to become the British military pilot’s watch throughout the ’70s and into the early ’80s

DEF-STAN 66-4 (Part 2) included a small but significant change from its first issue in April 1969 to its second issue in April 1970. The latter changed the standard to allow for pilot’s chronograph cases to feature either one or two “pushpieces,” or buttons, to control the watch’s chronograph function. That change allowed for manufactures to use the Valjoux 7733 movement we’ll discuss below. It also balanced the case vertically in a way that it was not before, placing one button on top and one below the crown.

What it did not change was the asymmetry of the case from left to right. A design element intended to protect the crown and pushers from accidental bumps during use, the case is thicker on the right side than on the left. As the key feature of these watches, they are often referred to as “asymmetrical chronographs.”

Because of their minimal, attractive design, quality construction, and military connections, these watches have become very collectable in recent years

(credit: Worn and Wound)

CWC DEF-STAN 66-4 38mm

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