Flying Officer
A Chronograph for Pilots und Navigators
The Flying Officer occupies a special place in Guinand's history. It is not a design born from fashionable considerations – but rather a watch born out of a clear functional need.
In an era when aviation navigation relied on precise mechanical instruments, the Flying Officer fulfilled a specific task: providing unambiguous timekeeping throughout an entire 24-hour day.
The Navigation Instrument
Chronographs with a 24-hour display are a rare and consistently conceived form of mechanical timekeeping. Their dial layout does not follow convention, but rather the reality of the day's progression.
This display was particularly useful in aviation—especially on long-haul flights from the 1950s onward. Navigation, positioning, and time references were based on GMT/UTC, not on local time. The visual representation of a complete day made temporal relationships immediately comprehensible.
The first Flying Officer
In the 1960s, Guinand was far more than just a watch brand. The manufacture from Les Brenets in the Swiss Jura not only produced its own models but also supplied complex chronograph movements to numerous renowned manufacturers.
In the mid-1960s, Guinand created its first 24-hour wrist chronograph based on the Valjoux 7730 movement. With the introduction of the 7733 caliber in 1969, this evolved into the "Flying Officer"—a 24-hour chronograph with a characteristic 45-minute counter and manual winding.
The model was crafted in nickel-plated or gold-plated cases with a 37.5 mm diameter, featuring a domed Plexiglas crystal and a solid stainless steel case back. With the discontinuation of the caliber in 1978, the Flying Officer also disappeared from the product line.
Flying Officer – Gallet or Guinand?
The history of Gallet and Guinand is almost inextricably linked. For generations, both companies were closely connected – not least through family ties and intensive collaboration, particularly in the North American market.
Because Guinand also produced many watches without its own branding, it is often difficult to trace which model originally belonged to which manufacturer.
As early as the beginning of the 1940s, Gallet introduced the "Flight Officer" chronograph. It was based on a design and a patent (Swiss patent CH215450) by Philippe Weiss, whose company, White Star, was presumably also involved in production. From the 1950s onward, the name "Flying Officer" appeared with increasing frequency, used for specific variations.
In the 1960s, Gallet began to consolidate its chronographs under the unified name "Multichron." In the shared environment of both brands, a remarkable model emerged in the mid-1960s: a 24-hour chronograph based on the Valjoux 7730 movement. This was offered as both the "Gallet Multichron 24" and the "Guinand Chronograph 24"—another example of the close collaboration between the two companies.
With the introduction of the Valjoux caliber 7733 in 1969, Guinand further developed this concept. In doing so, they adopted the name "Flying Officer" and created the now iconic 24-hour chronograph with a 45-minute counter.
At the same time, Gallet encountered increasing financial difficulties in its most important market, the USA. This ultimately led to a merger with Guinand in the late 1970s, which temporarily stabilized Gallet.
The second Flying Officer
In 2007, the legendary Flying Officer was reinterpreted under Helmut Sinn's direction – with the aim of preserving the character of the original while simultaneously bringing it into the modern era. The distinctive 24-hour display remained its defining feature.
At the heart of the reissue was the hand-wound ETA/Valjoux 7760 caliber. To replicate the characteristic design of the historical model as precisely as possible, the movement was extensively modified – including specially manufactured precision parts and high-quality finishing with Geneva stripes and blued screws.
The newly developed stainless steel case, manufactured in Germany, remained true to the original at 37.5 mm, but its design was modernized. Sapphire crystal, a screw-down case back, and a contemporary case architecture made the watch more robust and suitable for everyday wear – without sacrificing its historical character.
Advertisement for the second version of Flying Officer from 2007
The third Flying Officer
After the last of the modified 7760 movements were used up, Guinand, under Matthias Klüh, consistently developed the Flying Officer concept further. The result was a reinterpretation with a classic 12-hour display.
Design-wise, the watch remained true to its origins: The dial is clearly based on the Flying Officer, but is complemented by a balanced tricompax layout. This classic design combines functional clarity with a new, harmonious aesthetic.
The technical and structural design also remained unchanged. The 37.5 mm stainless steel case with anti-reflective sapphire crystal and exhibition case back meets modern requirements. The 12h series was introduced in 2016 – as an independent evolution of a historical concept.
The series was completed with the special edition "Flying Officer 12h AUTOMATIC".