SMITHS NAVIGATOR PRS-48

Black Dial Now Sold Out. Next Availability - Winter 2026 (Date TBC)

USA Customers please note Tariff advice in our Latest News Section.

During 1941 an investigation was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of bombing raids over a 52 day period. This investigation revealed that only a quarter of bombers reporting hits on target were actually on target and that 95% of those that missed, missed by more than 5 miles.

At this time there was no GPS and most navigation carried out was by "dead reckoning", calculated by journey start and end points, bearing, speed and elapsed time.  Timepieces in use at this time were not sturdy or accurate enough to produce reliable results, mainly due to high magnetic fields from the map painting radar screens used in aircraft.   In 1946 or 47 the RAF decided that they needed a more reliable timepiece and the Air Ministry approached Goldsmiths and Silversmiths Ltd to specify and acquire a high quality watch.   The main specifications were chronometer grade, high anti-magnetic properties (12,000A/m) and good legibility.   Two companies eventually won the tender to supply, International Watch Company (IWC) and Jaeger LeCoultre (JLC) and the watches, both designated Mk 11, entered service in 1949.

Mk 11 is the Air Ministry designation for the watch, it is not a manufacturer's model number.

Both had long, slender hands but proved difficult to read in low-light conditions and so in 1952 the hands of the IWC were changed to improve legibility by the introduction of a shorter and thicker hour hand.

The Smiths Navigator is a faithful revival of the Mk 11, using the original Air Ministry specification but with higher anti-magnetic properties (20,000A/m) and sapphire crystal

Supplied in a 2-watch travelling case with 24 months guarantee, though the first 12 months only applies to the original purchaser.

Case
• 316L stainless steel, brushed finish with polished bezel
• Diameter 36mm
• Lug to lug height 46.4mm
• Thickness 11.3mm to top of the crystal
• Lug spacing 18mm
• Anti-magnetic 20000 A/m
• WR 10ATM/100 metres/330 feet
• 77 grammes with strap
• Full anti-magnetic cage, screw back, drilled lugs

Black Dial
• Semi-matte black, white printed numbers
• Triangle and cardinal indices SuperLuminova X1-C3

White Dial
• Semi-matte white, black printed numbers
• Triangle and cardinal indices SuperLuminova X1-C3

Hands
• Polished steel frame, luminous fill
• Luminous: SuperLuminova X1-C3

Crystal
• Sapphire, 30.7mm diameter x 1.8mm thick with anti-reflective coating on the underside

Movement
• Sellita SW210 "Top" version 19 jewels, manual winding, incabloc, hacking seconds, fully decorated and 28,800 BPH
• Adjusted in five positions; accuracy of +/-4 sec/day up to +/- 15 sec/day
• Swiss Made

Strap
• Pigskin fitted with push-button release deployant clasp

Nato Stock Number
• 6645-99-501-2680

The Model's wrist shown in the images is 7 inches.

All watches are guaranteed against defective workmanship for 24 months from
date of purchase and the guarantee for the first 12 months applies to the
original purchaser only.

Country of Origin:
Bracelet & Case - Hong Kong
Movement - Switzerland