1940s Gallet Flying Officer MK1 'Truman' Black Dial 34mm

Here is an impossibly rare 1940s Gallet Flying Officer MK1 'Truman' Black Dial. The Flying Officer was created in 1938 for the United States Army Air Corps and remained in production until the 1970s. This particular reference was gifted to Harry S. Truman, who served as a Senator from Missouri, was a Reserve Field Artillery Officer, and later became the 33rd President of the United States. Featuring a polished 34mm Staybrite Brevet clamshell case that curves over your wrist with finely tapered flat-ended drilled lugs. Its curved flanks lead to a lug-to-lug length of 41.5mm and a case thickness of 11mm, ensuring a comfortable fit. Down the right side, piston pushers and a large, con-edged crown in the centre. The bidirectional stainless steel bezel features a coin-edge and an engraved 12-hour scale, complete with 12-hour numerals and markings. A high-domed crystal sits above a dynamic black dial. A cream World Time Cities in alternating red and black surround a 60-minute track above lume-coated Arabic numerals marking the hours. At 3 o’clock, a 30-minute register and at 9 o’clock, a running seconds register intersect an inner Tachymeter scale. Elegant sword hands filled with lume are complemented by a lume-filled chronograph hand. In the centre, we have the Gallet motif, and ‘Waterproof’ completes this stunning traveller's chronograph. On the reverse, a clamshell case back and inside a column-wheel manually wound Venus Cal. 150, 17 jewels, beating at a leisurely 18,000 beats per hour. This quality movement was produced from 1938 to 1960 and was used by many brands, including Breitling, Fortis, Wittnauer and Juvenia. It comes paired with a well-suited 18mm leather strap and pin buckle.

This watch is sold ’Watch Only’ and, therefore, comes without a Gallet box or paperwork. It comes paired with a well-suited 18mm leather strap and pin buckle. The watch is from Circa. 1940s, sold in worn vintage condition, but overall, it is in fair condition for its age, with an even patina across the very early refinished dial and hands, as you can see. It comes with our 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty.

The Gallet Flying Officer was created in 1938 for the United States Army Air Corps and remained in production until the 1970s. This particular reference was gifted to Harry S. Truman, who served as a Senator from Missouri, was a Reserve Field Artillery Officer, and later became the 33rd President of the United States. We are seeing the rise of vintage Gallet finally, and great examples like this will be snatched up and end in great collections for the foreseeable future, so add it to yours whilst you still can today!

Reference : 67436
Movement : Manually Wound Venus Cal. 150
Age : Circa. 1940s
Year : Circa. 1940s
Case Size : 34mm
Case Thickness : 11.5mm
Lug to Lug : 42.5mm
Lugs : 18mm
Condition : Pre-Owned
Box and Papers : None
Case Material : Stainless Steel
Warranty : 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty
The wrist model's wrist size is 7inch

Gallet has a history going back as far as 1466, with references to a Gallet family making clocks, making it the world's oldest brand. But officially, Gallet says they were founded in 1826 when the company was registered by Julian Gallet. At that time, it was called Gallet & Cle. They are recognised as the Masters of the Chronograph. The use of the 24-hour clock has a history dating back to the 1300s when town clocks had 2 12-hour dials that over time merged into a single dial. In 1936, they introduced one of the first water-resistant watches, the MultiChron 30m with its clamshell case similar to the Rolex Oyster case. Their most famous watch is the Flying Officer chronograph launched in 1939 it was first commissioned by senator Harry S Truman who later became president of the USA, then issued to the US Air Force, it had a rotating 12-hour bezel and a clamshell case, on the dial was the world cities so a second time zone could be set, and was very popular with the American pilots of World War II. In 1940, they produced the world's first 24-hour chronograph, the MultiChron Navigator, which had an additional hand to read a 24-hour scale. In 2024, Breitling CEO George Kern announced that they are reviving Gallet, to be officially launched in 2026 as a more affordable sister brand to Breitling, offering the watches in their boutiques alongside Universal Genève, which is also set to be reintroduced officially at the same time in 2026.