Based on the serial number this clock was made between 1970-1974 Is the dial discolored or is that a shadow?
The case serial number is 236.056 which was manufactured between 1935 and 1939 On the back of the dial is written “Purchest & Overhault be Jim Kechatias Idaho Falls Idaho 6-1-71 from the ship Arizona” (the spelling is as shown) I am not sure about “Kechatias" as it is hard to read.o The movement was obviously installed 6-1-71 My question is : Can the case be from the ship Arizona?
The Arizona was not always at the bottom of Pearl Harbor, it was sunk December 7, 1941. I see the possibility that this clock was installed around 1935 and was sent out for maintenance/repairs prior to the ships sinking. I am asking if anyone that has experience with Chelsea clock records or “ships records” or Idaho Falls person name of Jim Kechatias to look at ALL of the pictures to assist in determining the history of this time piece. The only information I have was written on the back of the dial.
i think chelsea would be the company to call. they apparently have good records. i've heard some good stories as a result
FWIW, maybe it's this person, listed as a watchmaker and apartment owner. View Demetrios Kechajias's Obituary on AZCentral.com and share memories
As a US Navy navigator in the early to mid 1970's I was responsible for all my ship's timepieces. I can attest to the fact that during periodic Navy Yard overhauls all USN ships sent their clocks/chronometers off for servicing and it was not unusual for there to be irregularities in the accounting of said items. Some went missing and/or extra clocks were returned, it created a accountability nightmare for the ship's navigator. Outright theft was rare, usually missing/extra clocks simply vanished into a labyrinth of bureaucracy, sometimes to reappear in the civilian world. Since this clock and pre-War case do not date match it is possible that the original works were "surveyed" at some point in the late '30's early '40's but the case became notable after December 7, 1941 and was saved by someone astute, to eventually be reworked in 1971. By then though, almost all USN Chelsea clock cases were made of a impact resistant "Bakelite" type material, were larger and had white or black faces and very different works. This could be a special situation since the only brass face/case Chelseas I remember were a very few in senior officer's shipboard living quarters and they were never sent out during overhaul. Where was this case for 30 years and how, why and who, reworked it? If not done by a USN facility for a senior officer it would have been a very expensive proposition. Sorry this is long but this timepiece has a story to tell and is very interesting.
