LONGINES HOUR ANGLE L.E. CAL. L876.2

 

 

A. LANGE B-UHR 1940 CAL. 48/1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These B-watches have been made for the German Luftwaffe by only 5 manufacturers:

• A. Lange & Söhne
• Laco (Lacher & Co)
• Stowa (Walter Storz)
• Wempe (Chronometerwerke Hamburg)
• IWC

and contained high quality pocket watch movements:

• Lange & Söhne: cal. 48/1
• (due to limited capacities watches have been assembled by Huber/Munich, Felsing/Berlin, Schieron/Stuttgart, Schätzle & Tschudin/Pforzheim, Wempe/Hamburg).
• Laco: Durowe cal. D 5
• Stowa: Unitas cal. 2812
• Wempe: Thommen cal. 31
• IWC: cal. 52 SC (SC= „seconde central")

 

The specifications of these watches had been defined by the „Reichsluftfahrtministerium“ (RLM) – Imperial Air Ministry.
Due to those specifications all B-uhren had the following features in common:

• A case diameter of 55 mm
• Marked on the back with FL 23883 (FL = flight, 23 = navigation)
• Equipped with large crowns in order to be used with gloves
• Hacking movement (the second hand stops when pulling out the crown / essential for a precise time setting)
• Breguet balance spring
• Regulated and tested as chronometers
• Long leather strap (to be worn on the sleeve of a flight jacket).