We write a lot in the WatchGecko Magazine about World War 2 watches. Mostly, these are accurate reproductions of watches that were worn during the conflict from British Dirty Dozens to German navigational units or precise copies of American combat-proven A-11s.
However, the Zero West H2 is none of these. It is in every way a modern creation, unique in design and holding a secret that pays homage to one of the most remarkable aircraft flown by the RAF during the Battle of Britain. We talk, of course, about the Hawker Hurricane, which shot down far more aircraft enemy aircraft than its more glamorous counterpart, the Spitfire.
Zero West H2 - Credit Zero West
The Hurricane was the backbone of the RAF during World War 2, and as we take stock of the 83rd anniversary of the end of the Battle of Britain in October 1940, Zero West has released a stunning watch that not only pays tribute to the famous aircraft but contains a part of one.
With a limited release of just 50, Zero West's H2 timepiece has a dial design based on the slip-turn indicator of the Mk1 Hurricane. The dial also has on it the date of the battle's "Hardest Day", 18 August 1940, when around 30 fighters and 70 bombers were lost. The Hurricane fighter played an integral part in the air battle, and the H2 watch has mounted in the case back an original metal disc cut from the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine of Hurricane P-3708 which fought on that day, piloted by Sergeant Pilot Alexander 'Jock' Girdwood.
Zero West H2 - Credit Zero West
Girdwood was shot down on the Hardest Day, and his aircraft P-3708 crashed on Foulness Island. Alexander survived the crash and returned to active service but was sadly killed only a few months later in combat. The wreckage of his first Hurricane P-3708 remained buried and forgotten until it was excavated in 1990. And it is from that wreckage that Zero West have taken metal to add to the H2 watch.
A technical gem in memory of Alexander Girdwood and P-3708
Zero West H2 - Credit Zero West
The Zero West H2 is housed in a precision billet machined bead blasted case with black PVD Zero West DSL lugs. This is a 41mm timepiece with a distinct black dial with accurate L&R markings, which are taken from the slip turn indicator in the cockpit of a Hurricane.
Upper and lower indices appear only on the watch, giving it a serious avionic feel. Despite the missing indices, the time is easy to read. Historically accurate hands also complement the cockpit imagery. A polished bezel surrounds the dial, and all dial elements are coated with Super Luminova X1. The latitude and longitude coordinates of Foulness Island, where Hurricane P3708 was recovered, are also on the dial.
Zero West H2 - Credit Zero West
The back of the watch presents the real heart of the machine with a disc recast and machined from the original Rolls-Royce Merlin engine of P-3708. This precious casting is protected by a reverse-printed sapphire crystal that records the plane number and Churchill's famous words regarding the battle.
Despite the inclusion of an original Hurricane part, possibly the most exciting element of this watch is the crown, which is a brass replica of the joystick trigger which fired the Hurricane's eight .303 machine guns
Zero West H2 - Credit Zero West
Zero West has limited the H2 to only 50 units. It is powered by a 'Top Premium Grade' SW200-1 automatic movement and is fitted with a custom ZW aerospace grade rubber strap and buckle, all designed in-house.
After we met Zero West at the World Time Show in London, we were very keen to get hands-on with some of their watches. The release of the H2 has only served to further that desire. This is technically a superb watch and has all of the elements you could ever want from a modern timepiece but its innovative design, which looks like a cockpit dial, and the inclusion of material from a Battle of Britain Hurricane make it genuinely collectable. The watch is available now priced at £3700 from Zero West, and we anticipate the 50 units well very quickly.
Technical Specifications
- Brand: Zero West
- Model: H2 Battle of Britain
- Price: £3,700
- Material: Stainless steel
- Movement: Sw200-1 automatic winding
- Complications: Hours, minutes, seconds,
- Dial: Black design replicating aviation dials, with Super Luminova
- Size: 41mm diameter
- Unique Features: Incorporates a part from an original World War Two Hurricane
- When the reviewer would personally wear it: any time when one needs to appreciate the huge sacrifices people have made so we may live free today.
- A friend we'd recommend it to first: anyone who has a passion for World War 2 aviation or World War Two history.
- Best characteristics of the watch: the crown is a tiny, accurate copy, in bronze, of the machine gun trigger from a Hurricane.
- The worst characteristics of the watch: the dial won't be to everybody's taste because it has been designed to look more like a cockpit element than actually a watch.
