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TimeTechTalk.com > Time Tech Talk > Straps and Watch Accessories > Why to do Aviator & Pilot straps have rivets? |
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TimeTechTalk.com > Time Tech Talk > Straps and Watch Accessories > Why to do Aviator & Pilot straps have rivets? |
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| Why to do Aviator & Pilot straps have rivets? | Rate Topic |
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| Posted: Tue Feb 8th, 2011 06:11 pm |
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1st Post |
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mcwright Admin 
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Anyone know the history of why rivets are used on mainly aviator/pilot watch straps? They are decorative of course, but they must have had some initial reason for their use. Could they not stitch the thickness at the time (i.e. WWII) or what? Thanks!
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| Posted: Tue Feb 8th, 2011 06:49 pm |
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2nd Post |
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Tony Duronio 3T WIS 
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Mike, This is just an educated guess, but you will find that on many of the vintage pilot straps the rivets actually unscrewed. I think may of the original pilot styles may have had "fixed" lugs and this was the way to install straps. Again this is just a guess, so maybe someone can offer a factual answer 
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| Posted: Tue Feb 8th, 2011 07:49 pm |
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3rd Post |
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mcwright Admin
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Thanks! I didn't think about fixed lugs.
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| Posted: Tue Feb 8th, 2011 09:55 pm |
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4th Post |
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oagaspar Site Founder 
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what Tony said...
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| Posted: Fri Feb 11th, 2011 10:04 am |
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5th Post |
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timesofplenty 3T WIS 
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I think these "screw-rivets" are called Chicago Screws in the fastener industry.
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| Posted: Fri Feb 11th, 2011 11:13 am |
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6th Post |
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bigrustypig 3T WIS 
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Just venturing a guess here...the original big pilot/bomber used a closed-loop strap with a rather uncommon buckle, the rolling buckle, which would run up/roll almost the entire length of the "tail" end of the strap. The twin rivets may have been placed where they are as a stopper to the rolling side of the buckle. If these rivets weren't there, the rolling side of the buckle could roll all the way up to the lug horns thus damaging that part. Note that the quartermaster issued these pilots/bombers before each sortie to the pilots/navigators and upon return of the flyboys, he'd retrieve them again and return them into a box. By placing the rivets, a more efficient way of storing the watches piled one atop the other could be achieved. This was because the closed-loop strap could flatten out when stored. Question is....what about the buckle side of the strap...why does it, too, have the twin rivets. I guess this was for aesthetics and balance, which may have been a factor that the Royal Air Force wanted to also consider. The other question is, why a closed-loop? Maybe because it's a faster and easier way of wearing/removing the watch with low risk of dropping it. Again, these points are guesses. I don't remember a discussion of these on other forums.
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| Posted: Sat Feb 12th, 2011 02:11 am |
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7th Post |
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mcwright Admin
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Thanks. Not sure I understand all of it.  Interesting that the pilots had to turn in their watch after each mission.
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| Posted: Sat Feb 12th, 2011 06:54 am |
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8th Post |
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bigrustypig 3T WIS
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mcwright wrote:Thanks. Not sure I understand all of it. Mike, here are some prior posts of my Laco and its closed-loop strap. In the pic below, note how the rivets on the left side of the pic serve as a dam preventing a rolling buckle from rolling up to the lugs. The rolling buckle can't be seen on the pic, however.  But in the 2 pics below, you'll see the rolling buckle. Circular as it is, it really rolls up and down the strap almost all the way to the pointed tail-end and even up to the rivets themselves. So technically and cleverly, the rivets aren't decorative as we may think they are.   Yup, the pilots/navigators were all assembled in front of their planes before each sortie and the squadron commander would hand out the watches to the squadron members. He would then give them out and they all would stand around him or in front of him and synchronize their watches to the commander's.....who by then would already have emerged from the quartermaster's tent. It was the quartermaster who had a chronometer and it was him who'd synchronize the commanders watch FIRST prior to handing out the entire stash to him. Upon returning from a sortie, all the watches would be returned and thus one would never know which watch one would again get on the next mission. But they all had to be returned. If I were there at the time, maybe I'd bail out and walk home with the watch, which were then on D5 movements (LOL) By the way, the pilots' deck watches watches (military designation of FL 232883) were used to navigate in conjunction with a bank indicator octant (pls see pictures below taken from the Laco Big Pilot owner's brochure).   I guess that's it. PM me if you need more info, amigo. Sources of my inputs are the Laco forum and my Laco brochures. 
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