United States. An Officer’s Trench Watch by Tiffany & Co to Lieutenant Chase, Aviation Instructor, 1918

A rare and well-preserved trench watch composed of silver, featuring a crystal display porcelain face with extra heavy spade and whip arms, the stem is textured with silver hatching, with a small central star on top, thin silver watch straps sit at 12 and 6 o’clock, the face presents “TIFFANY & Co” under the twelve position, “SWITZERLAND” above the seconds face, the reverse machine engraved LIEUT. CHARLES S. CHASE, the interior cap is hallmarked denoting sterling silver quality of .935, machine engraved ‘MADE FOR TIFFANY & Co BY THE LONGINES WATCH Co SWITZERLAND, marked with serial number 3482271, hand engraved “With Love from Mamma Feb. 23rd 1918.”, the watch is a 15 Jewel S3 ADJ (friction jewels) with hand-wound movement (cal. Longines 13.34), measures 37.53mm (edge to stem) x 41.05mm (from wrist strap to strap), the diameter of the display face 29.04mm, chip in porcelain face at 3 o’clock and 10 o’clock, two hairline cracks in face, small chip in glass from 9 to 10 o’clock, edge bruising and knocks to wrist straps, wear to obverse in the form of thin lines, watch still in working order when wound, audible ticking, overall very fine condition.

Accompanied by a sprung clam style shrapnel guard, composed two concave circular steel plates, hinged together with cut outs along the side to accommodate the watch’s wrist straps and stem, top face portrays large cut outs for visibility of the watch face in a square, circle and triangle design, interior of bottom stamped PATENT 20696 - -14  RD 647078 3 measuring 40.34mm (w – including hinge) x 37.35mm (l) x 13.13mm (d), dented in two spots around edges, hinge in working order, in very fine condition.

Footnote: Charles S. Chase Jr. was born to Charles and Maude Chase in 1893, in the township of Islip, New York. Charles Chase Sr. served in the War as a Camp Veterinarian for the 97^th Division at Camp Cody, New Mexico. Chase Jr. enlisted for the First World War in December 1916 at Fort Slocum, New York at the age of 23. He was assigned to active duty in March 1917 and began training at Curtis Aviation School at Miami Florida as a Sergeant First Class. In May 1917, he was sent to Cornell University in Ithaca for specialized training in aerodynamics, radiotelegraphy and astronomy. After eight weeks of advanced aviation education he was ordered to Selfridge Field, Mt Clemons and by September 1917, made 1^st Lieutenant. At this time, he also became an Instructor of Aviation. In November 1917, he was transferred to Ellington Field, Texas. At this location he was put in charge Artillery Observation class and trained cadets in acrobatics and bombing. While at Ellington Field, Chase was considered an excellent accident investigation officer. He was well regarded for being able to “detect careless or negligent action on the part of the pilot with an aid of only a photograph of the wreck, an investigation of the place it occurred, the social history of the pilot, and a few general facts concerning his circus proclivities.” Chase Jr. was honourably discharged on January 31, 1919.

The shrapnel guard, referred to as an Army Wristwatch Protector during the war was patented by Charles Adolf Schierwater of 26 Church Street, Liverpool, England in 1914. Eventually, the top was pierced to allow the watch face to be seen directly through the protector.