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Re: Seeking to decipher an ORD stamp on a watch
joan stachnik May 14, 2020 10:13 AM (in response to Michael Benza)2 people found this helpfulHI Michael, not sure how much information you already have about the watch, but I found an interesting website that discusses military watches (https://wornandwound.com/military-watches-world-u-s-part-1/). It had the following paragraph about Ordnance Department issued watches (see below). Hope this is of some help or interest. joan
As “ORD CORPS” is the post-1950 name of the Ordnance Department, any caseback marked as such post-dates WWII (though the movement inside may have been re-cased), and any case back marked “ORD DEPT” is likely WWII-era. Sometimes a case back is seen with the designation “1917-H”; these watches generally seem to be post-War issue, though occasionally a case back marked “ORD DEPT” is found with “1917” printed below the case manufacturer’s name, indicating that this may in fact be a case style/model number.
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Re: Seeking to decipher an ORD stamp on a watch
Alice Lane May 16, 2020 9:22 AM (in response to Michael Benza)1 person found this helpfulHi Michael,
Here is an interesting item that you might like about 1940's ORD watches
Best Wishes,
Alice -
Re: Seeking to decipher an ORD stamp on a watch
Alice Lane May 16, 2020 10:11 AM (in response to Michael Benza)1 person found this helpfulHi again Michael,
Here are a couple more websites that might help in your research.
https://wornandwound.com/military-watches-world-u-s-part-1
https://www.emedals.com/wwii-american-elgin-army-ordnance-wrist-watch-w2042
Alice
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Re: Seeking to decipher an ORD stamp on a watch
Rebecca CollierMay 20, 2020 2:16 PM (in response to Michael Benza)
2 people found this helpfulDear Mr. Benza,
Thank you for posting your request on History Hub!
Military records in NARA custody do not include the record of assignment and operational activity of individual pieces of equipment, including watches. Under normal War Department records management procedures, such documentation would be destroyed after initial administrative use.
We hope this is helpful.
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Re: Seeking to decipher an ORD stamp on a watch
Michael Benza May 20, 2020 2:43 PM (in response to Rebecca Collier)Thank you. That is very helpful. One fun thing with these older items is the backstory and even an ability to reunite with the original owner or family.
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