Smiths GS Deluxe (1956)

This is a Smiths General Service (GS) wristwatch which was issued in 1956. This is the rarest Smiths British military watch and arguably one of the rarest British military watches of all. There were approximately 300 of these watches made up and issued to the RAF in 1954, 1955 and 1956, presumably as a test order. The case back is engraved with the issue number (12745) and the year of issue: 56.These watches were given the same 6b/542 stores reference as the Omega navigators watch, so we can assume were issued to RAF pilots and navigators. This makes some sense for a test order - the inside of a plane cockpit was a fairly harsh environment for a mechanical wristwatch due to the presence of electromagnetic fields. The watches are shielded from electromagnetic interference by an iron dial and mumetal dust cover, which form an effective Faraday cage to prevent electromagnetic disturbance.In the late 1940s and early 1950s Smiths were contracted to produce a General Service wristwatch for i