Limited to 515 pieces – SOLD OUT

RJM-03

1,295.00 USD
USD EUR GBP DKK

The RJM-03 is a limited edition timepiece made from the Mk.IX Spitfire aircraft PT879, aka the ‘the Russian Spit’.

  • Free worldwide shipping. Customs/duties for non-EU orders not included. Read More
  • 36-month sales warranty & 30-day returns from date of delivery. Read More
  • Secure payments with credit card, Paypal or in monthly installments with Splitit
  • Need further help with this item? Contact us
Contact for availability
1,295.00 USD
Limited to 515 pieces – SOLD OUT
1,295.00 USD
USD EUR GBP DKK

The RJM-03 is a limited edition timepiece made from the Mk.IX Spitfire aircraft PT879, aka the ‘the Russian Spit’.

Contact for availability
  • Free worldwide shipping. Customs/duties for non-EU orders not included. Read More
  • 36-month sales warranty & 30-day returns from date of delivery. Read More
  • Secure payments with credit card, Paypal or in monthly installments with Splitit
  • Need further help with this item? Contact us

Description

Danish Design.
Limited to 515 pieces.

The RJM-03 is a limited edition timepiece made from the Mk.IX Spitfire aircraft PT879, aka the ‘the Russian Spit’.

The RJM timepieces feature a piece of world history, in the form of untreated aluminum cut directly from this unique aircraft. Parts of the aluminum wings deemed unfit for restoration feature at 6 o’clock on each RJM timepiece.

As part of our commitment to help prepare PT879 for her “second maiden flight”, we donate a portion of the sale from each RJM back to the restoration fund.

PT879 is the only WW2 Spitfire aircraft ever to return to British soil from Russia.

Part of the wartime Lend-Lease program, the aircraft crashed on the Russian tundra in 1945 and was recovered by a local farmer, before eventually being returned to Britain in 1998 – a full 54 years after first leaving the factory at Castle Bromwich.

The RJM Collection takes its name from Reginald Joseph Mitchell, the original designer of the now-iconic Spitfire aircraft.

Specifications
Dimensions
  • Diameter 41,0 mm
  • (40,0 mm without crown protector)
  • Height 10,9 mm
  • Opening diameter 33,0 mm
  • Weight 78g
Movement
  • Caliber 9015 Miyota movement w. rotor decoration
  • Type Mechanical, self-winding
  • Frequency 28,800 VPH (4.0 hz)
  • Power reserve 42 hours
  • Jewels 24
Features
  • 3 Hands / Date
  • Military green dial w. vintage luminous
  • 3 ATM, 30 meters
  • 3-year full warranty
Case
  • 316L Stainless steel
  • 1-Piece case with gun grey PVD
  • Top glass Sapphire Crystal with 3 layers of anti-reflective coating
  • Exhibition caseback with Mineral Crystal
Materials
  • The handcrafted and untreated aluminium dial is cut directly from the wings of the PT879 MK IX Spitfire aircraft.
Strap
  • Military green canvas strap with quick-release system
  • Strap width 20,0 mm

History & Creation

Recovered

An era-defining aircraft

Originally developed by Reginald Joseph Mitchell in the early 1930s, the Supermarine Spitfire is now a well-known icon recognized as an aerodynamic marvel that helped change the course of history.

Designed as a short-range, high-performance interceptor aircraft, the “Spit” quickly took on the crucial role of engaging German Messerschmitt Bf 109E fighter planes in the battle for air supremacy over the English Channel during the Second World War.

Little did Mitchell know that the Supermarine Spitfire would go on to be produced across 24 marks and become the only British fighter aircraft to be in continuous production before, during and after the Second World War.

Sadly, of the approximately 20,000 Spitfires built between 1938 and 1948, fewer than 100 original aircraft are currently estimated to be operational and in airworthy condition.

The RJM Collection incorporates salvaged parts from a Spitfire Mk IX aircraft with serial number PT879, which boasts a truly remarkable story – even for an already rare vintage aircraft.

PT879 was one of around 1118 Mk IX Spitfires delivered to Murmansk as part of the Allied Forces’ Lend-Lease policy to support the Russian war effort. The Russian Spitfire squadrons suffered heavy losses due to friendly fire as the British aircraft looked similar to the German Bf 109.

While there is no evidence to suggest this was the fate that befell PT879, we do know that this aircraft crashed during a dogfight in spring of 1945 with just 29 logged hours on the airframe, and was recovered from the Russian tundra by an unnamed farmer.

Over half a century later, in 1998, the battered warbird was finally recovered in Murmansk as a complete but crashed aircraft. PT879 is the only Spitfire ever to have returned from service in Russia, earning her the nickname “the Russian Spit”.

Recycled

Bearing the scars of a unique history

As part of our commitment to help prepare PT879 for her “second maiden flight”, we donate a portion of the sale from each RJM to the restoration team so that she can soon return to where she belongs: the skies!

PT879 is currently undergoing complete restoration by Peter Teichman at Hangar 11. An accomplished pilot, Peter has made it his life’s work to return classic warbirds to their former glory, and is painstakingly restoring PT879 to the exact condition she was in when she left the factory at Castle Bromwich on 4th August 1944.

An impressive number of PT879’s original parts are being used to restore the airframe, with more than 500 incorporated back into the now-renovated fuselage. Even so, many of the aluminum parts from the salvaged wings were not suitable for restoration.

These parts – authentic pieces of world history still bearing their original marks and dents – are directly incorporated into the design of the RJM Collection, ensuring that every single RJM timepiece is visually unique.

To find out more about PT879’s heritage and get regular updates on her restoration, we highly recommend you check out Hangar 11’s website and social media channels.

Reclaimed

Your piece of world history

Creating the RJM Collection was a fascinating challenge. We wanted a watch design that reflected the mechanical prowess of a Spitfire and the unique history of PT879, while showcasing the original aluminum from her wings and harking back to the era in which she was active.

Starting with the case, we wanted to incorporate part of what made the Spitfire such an aerodynamic masterpiece – the wing shape and structure. This distinctive feature is captured in the crown guard, which adopts the elliptical form of the wing as seen from above.

The crownguard is decorated with the internal spars and ribs that made the wings so light yet strong. The crown itself is inspired by the aircraft’s nose cone, including the indents where the propeller blades are mounted. This also allowed for a diamond crown design typical of both modern and vintage pilot-inspired timepieces.

In contrast, we wanted the dial of the RJM to capture the experience of sitting inside a Spitfire but with a nod to the watches worn by RAF pilots of the era.

Our goal was to create a modern version of the so-called ‘Dirty Dozen’ watches, the name given to a group of 12 watches commissioned by the British Ministry of Defense and worn by British soldiers during the Second World War. Clear Arabic numerals, luminous hour and minute hands, luminous hour markers, a shatterproof crystal and a traditional broad arrow reference to the government-issued watches of the day.

Finally, we placed the battle-scarred Spitfire aluminum center stage in the design, right above 6 o´clock with an integrated date function, adding depth and uniqueness to each timepiece and ensuring that no two RJM watches look the same.

A wealth of further subtle design references – that you might miss at first glance – are built into each RJM watch. The exhibition case-back reveals a rotor decorated to resemble the riveted “skin” of an aircraft wing. The tail of the seconds hand is shaped like the propellers of the Mk IX Spitfire, and even the strap buckle is a modern reworking of the original buckle on the ‘Dirty Dozen’ watches.

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