Here we a good example of an all original 1943 Omega 6B/159 WW2 RAF Issue Pilot watch. It has the 33mm case with the Duralim centre and steel snap on bezel and case back. The dial has the black Arabic numerals and minutes/seconds track. It has a pleasing speckled patination. The thermally blued hands are the classic Omega spade and whip style, with are original and shine brightly in the light. To the right is the original crown. To the rear, the case back has been polished, with the issue markings having been removed. Inside it is signed with the Omega logo and the serial number. The watch is powered by the Omega calibre 30T2 movement, which has been recently serviced.
 
The 6B/159 watches were issued to pilots and navigators in the RAF who required extremely accurate timekeeping. Other crews with less sensitive timekeeping needs were issued 6B/234 watches. The 6B’s were manufactured by Omega, Jaeger-LeCoultre and Longines, with the most famous being the Omega example. 
 
The 6B code is the RAF stock code for navigational equipment to be used onboard an aircraft. The watches have the clear central second hand, vital for accurate timing and use in an aircraft. To further aid this as the watches have the hacking function, allowing for exact second hand setting.
The watches were vital in navigation and could be used to make dead reckoning calculations. Dead reckoning is the process of calculating the current position of a moving object (a plane), by using a previously determined position (fix) and incorporating estimates of speed, heading and elapsed time.
 
The Duralim cased Omega, along with the Longines, were issued from 1942 onwards. The cases were prone to being shortened or re-drilled due to wear with age. This case is incredibly sharp with the long, elegantly curved lugs in excellent original condition.
 
Examples without marked backs are somewhat of a grey area. Firstly, there were no civilian examples of these watches. They produced solely for military use, under military specification. Some watches were taken from surplus, cased in Dennison cases and sold after the war. Other unmarked examples tend to be from 1944 which indicates that they may have never been issued but were kept as spare stock.
The third reason for non-marked cases are the removal by those who kept them post WW2 issue. The watches were never meant to be kept and were supposed to be returned. However, people wanted to keep the watches that they were issued. In order to avoid arousing any suspicion, individuals would polish the backs to remove the markings, to prevent the watch being traced.
 
Aside from being a classic piece of design, the use of these watches during the second world war by British air crews, makes them a fascinating piece of military history.
 
Please see the images as these compliment and aid the description provided below. 
 
Dial:
The dial is original and is in good condition for the age. It is an off-white tone with the pleasing light speckled patination. The signing is good and clear in the black tone, without wear. 
 
Hands:
The hands are all original. They are thermally blued and have oxidised with some purple tones to the hour hand. They are in very good condition, shining brightly in the light. 
 
Glass:
The acrylic crystal is a replacement which is in perfect condition.
 
Crown:
The crown is formed of Stainless Steel and is original. It is in good condition and has the coin edge design.
 
Case:
Formed of Duralite to the centre and is in good original condition. There is some light scratching and darkening as expected with age. The bezel is stainless steel and has a polished finish, with some light scratching. The lugs are very good, with the fixed bars being strong and little signs of wear/age. The snap-on case back is stainless steel with the circular satin brushed finish from turning/polishing. The issue markings were often polished off when people kept the watches after the war. 
 
Strap:
The watch comes on a vintage, period leather strap which is sown on to the fixed bar lugs.
 
Movement:
Omega calibre 30T2, manual wind with sweep central second. It has a jewel count of 16 and a frequency of 18,000 BPH. The movement has been recently serviced. It’s keeping time to within +/- 15 seconds a day, with an amplitude of 300 degrees and a beat error of 1.0m/s.
Case Dimensions:
Case width: 33mm
With crown: 34.5mm
Length lug to lug: 43mm
Case Depth: 11.5mm
Lug width: 18mm