1970s Gallet 'Flying Officer' Black Dial '4th Gen' 36mm

Here is a rare classic 1970s Gallet Flying Officer with a Black Dial. The Flying Officer was created in 1938 for the United States Army Air Corps and remained in production until the 1970s. It was worn by 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 36mm stainless steel case that curves over your wrist with finely tapered flat-ended lugs. Its curved flanks lead to a lug-to-lug length of 44.5mm and a case thickness of 13.5mm, ensuring a comfortable fit. Down the right side, there are piston pushers and a large, deep knurled crown in the centre. The bidirectional stainless steel bezel features a coin-edge and an engraved 12-hour scale with a red ‘12’ and black painted numerals. A high-domed crystal sits above a dynamic matte black dial. World Time Cities in alternating red and white surround a white 60-minute track, precisely executed above Tritium-coated Arabic numerals marking the hours. At 3 o’clock, a white 30-minute register and at 9 o’clock, a white running seconds register. Elegant Alpha hands filled with Tritium are complemented by a tapered chronograph hand. At noon, we have the Gallet motif, and at 6 o’clock, ‘Flying Officer’ completes this stunning traveller's chronograph. On the reverse, a screw-down case back and inside a cam switching manually wound Landeron Cal. 149, 17 jewels, beating at a leisurely 18,000 beats per hour. It comes paired with a well-suited 18mm vintage-style 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 strap and pin buckle. The watch is from Circa. 1970s, sold in worn vintage condition, but overall, it is in fair condition for its age, with an even patina across the original dial and hands, as you can see. It comes with our 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty.

This is the Gallet 'Flying Officer' with the iconic black dial, known as the '4th Gen' from the 1970s and in 36mm, it is perfect on and off the wrist. The Flying Officer was created in 1938 for the United States Army Air Corps and remained in production until the 1970s. It was worn by 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. Snap this up today whilst you can!

Reference : N/A
Movement : Manually Wound Landeron Cal. 149
Age : Circa. 1970s
Year : Circa. 1970s
Case Size : 36mm
Case Thickness : 13.5mm
Lug to Lug : 44.5mm
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.