Dependable timekeeping was a crucial factor of warfare, therefore, watches are dispensable tools for our daily life, even though it is a replica watch. And it is special and extremely important to pilots, who relied on watches for navigation. And in Dunkirk, we see Hardy’s character depending heavily on his watch, which played a necessary part in the film. It’s not really a spoiler, but the watch’s most pivotal role is when his fuel gauge gets damaged, he asks the other pilot for a fuel reading and scribbles it along with the time on the plane’s dashboard.
The watch chosen for Hardy’s character was the fake Omega CK2129. The choice was apt because Omega reportedly supplied about half of all watches used by the British RAF. Also, the Omega CK2129 was the most commonly worn Omega watch by RAF personnel in the Second World War.
The origins of the Omega CK2129 came about in January 1940, shortly after the start of WW2. It was then that the British RAF decided it needed watches with rotating bezels and asked the Omega replica to make 2,000 such watches. With rotating bezels, pilots could make calculations and time events more easily and accurately. The Omega CK2129 watch was eventually delivered in March of the same year.
The Omega CK2129 was designed for ease of use and legibility. It had a cream dial, blue hands, large Arabic hour markers, a large rotating bezel, and two oversized crowns. The two large crowns made it easy for pilots to handle and wind the watch when wearing gloves. Besides, the second crown at 4 o’clock was used to lock the rotating bezel so that timings couldn’t be misread by accidental knocks inside the tight confines of the plane’s cockpit.
It was a fairly large replica watch for its time, around 33mm, and featured easy-to-read blue hands and large Arabic hour markers on a cream dial. Where it differed from the CK2129 was the movement. The Omega CK2292 used the more sophisticated Calibre 30T2, which performed very well at observatory trials. The Calibre 30T2 is also more resistant to magnetic forces thanks to new alloys used in the balanced spring, and this was especially beneficial to pilots of the Hurricanes and Spitfires who sat near powerful engines which generated huge magnetic fields.
Of the three, the CK2444 was distinct. Because it was used by the general armed forces, and not by the air forces exclusively, it dispensed with a central seconds hand and had a subsidiary seconds dial instead. Also, it had a black dial. Nevertheless, it remained highly legible thanks to its thick sword-style hands and large Arabic hour markers in white.
At this point, it goes without saying that the fake Omega’s role in the Second World War was significant – other watch manufacturers, of course, also played important roles, but that is a longer story for another article. Besides, for tag Heuer replica watches, their involvement in the war also helped them advance their watchmaking know-how and refined their manufacturing techniques and processes.
But more importantly, Dunkirk is a great film. Of all the films that I have seen this summer, it easily ranks as one of the best. In fact, I would even go as far as to say it is one of the best war films ever. The appearance of the Omega CK2129 certainly is a nice addition, but most of all, Dunkirk is authentic and beautifully shot. Go catch it if you haven’t already.