Lépine's discovery of a rare 1937 Longines Annapolis Weems watch, potentially owned by Admiral Marc A. Mitscher, offers a fascinating glimpse into horological history intertwined with military heritage. This article delves into the meticulous research undertaken by Lépine to authenticate the watch's provenance, highlighting the significance of such timepieces as tangible links to pivotal historical figures and events. The journey to confirm its connection to a Naval Aviation pioneer underscores the enduring appeal of watches with a story.
A few years ago, I came across a very rare Longines Weems made only in 1937. This watch has the United States Naval Academy emblem printed by Longines on the face of the watch. These are often referred to as the Annapolis Weems. Admiral Marc A. Mitscher was a graduate of the US Naval Academy two years ahead of Captain P.V.H. Weems and Admiral Richard E. Byrd.
I bought this watch from a retired US Air Force veteran that acquired the watch in the 1970s as trade for assisting a Naval officer with a vehicle problem. I did not know about it's history and neither did the owner of the watch.
You can see this watch much better below.
The Air Force veteran sold me the watch and several months later remembered that there was a book that he said was the name of the original owner of the watch. He told me that the watch was originally in a map case and that map case contained two photos of local Japanese, this book and the watch. He thought the book and the watch should be kept together and so he sent me the book from a VA hospital where he was undergoing treatment.
I saw the name on the book and immediately asked the United States Navy if there was any records of more than one person named Captain Marc A Mitscher in the United States Navy in 1940. The Navy's records only have one person with that name on official records.
I also sent pictures of the book to the US Naval Academy that has an extensive collection of Mitscher's items. They could not authenticate it. I tried the San Diego Air and Space museum that has a large collection of Mitscher's paper from when he was stationed at the San Diego Naval base on North Island : Naval Air Station and Rockwell Field Army Air Base. They could not authenticate it. Finally, I sent scans to the U.S.S. Hornet in Northern California and they positively identified the 1940 Blue Jacket as having belonged to Marc A. Mitsher..
I had to ask the statff sargent, where did he get the map case. He explained to me that in the 1970s, Lockbourne AFB was technically still both Navy and Air Force because during the war, it was a common Navy and Army Air Corp base for bomber training. This was only an hours drive from Dayton Ohio where the Mitchell B-25B were being modified for a famous mission.
Marc A. Mitscher was a pioneer in Naval Aviation. He was not only one of the first pilots to get his wings, but he was also part of the Bu-Aero, Bu-Nav which were organizations that managed the development of new aircraft, instrumentation for planes, and of course navigational instruments including evaluation and implementation of the Weems Celestial Navigation System.
There is a great book written about him. Unfortunately the author is no longer living to ask questions.
Probably Mitscher's most famous contribution to history and modern warfare is the development of the Air Craft Carriers. Like Admiral Yamamoto, Mitsher saw the end of the battleships and the rise of the Fast Carrier Groups that would deliver bombers closer to their targets like Japan. The Doolittle Raiders is perhaps the most famous mission that was all Mitscher and Doolittle in the planning and execution. Although this was a small impact to Japan, it was the beginning of a new type of warfare.
This watch had a cameo appearance in WatchTime as part of the Longines Pioneers of aviation.
