{"id":119926,"date":"2021-02-18T19:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-02-18T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/revolutionwatch.com\/?p=119926"},"modified":"2021-02-18T19:00:00","modified_gmt":"2021-02-18T11:00:00","slug":"give-em-gallet-harry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/revolutionwatch.com\/give-em-gallet-harry\/","title":{"rendered":"President\u2019s Choice: President Truman & the Gallet Flying Officer"},"content":{"rendered":"
Pilots and planes were only part of the equation, and the American military quickly found that it needed whole quartermaster depots\u2019 worth of stuff to keep everything up in the air \u2014 including watches. Time, and tracking it accurately, was critical for a range of navigational tasks, not to mention the more mundane role of keeping track of the actual time across the globe.
\n<\/div>
The watch that Gallet had in mind was quite impressive for the time: a modified Venus 150 chronograph movement in the brand\u2019s robust and water-resistant \u201cClamshell\u201d case. The real innovation, though, was a rotating external bezel graduated with a 12-hour scale, which, when combined with the city ring printed on the outer section of the watch\u2019s dial, allowed for the wearer to calculate the time across the globe quickly. Truman, who had served in a field artillery regiment in the First World War, had his own suggestion as to the design of this multi-purpose pilot\u2019s watch, based on his experience \u2014 the addition of a central tacheometry scale. Unfortunately for L\u00e9on, his watch cost more than the United States military was comfortable spending on a mass-issued timepiece. So, even with Senator Truman\u2019s endorsement, the watch was only available on an as-needed basis, and initially available only to flight officers, which is where the model\u2019s name (also referred to as the \u201cFlying Officer\u201d) came from. <\/div>
It\u2019s easy to see the appeal of the Flight Officer today. The clean case lines, pump pushers and practical dual-time bezel have inherent charms. The dial, which might lack some of the name cachet of other military watches of the same era, more than makes up for it with the sheer amount of other purposeful printing on the dial. <\/p>\n
For a vintage pilot that flies a little different, keep an eye out for the Gallet Flight Officer.
\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Clear purpose and a presidential patron ensure enduring charm for Gallet. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":128,"featured_media":119927,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","spc_primary_category":0},"categories":[86,88],"tags":[2592,176],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n