Designed in the late 1940s, the A17 was issued to long-range crews based in Europe and Asia and during the Korean war.
Nods to the original specification include 24-hour markings on the dial, as this coincided with the US military adopting the 24-hour clock system.
The movement also has a hacking, or stop-second mechanism, allowing for precise setting for the coordination of bombing raids.
Other period features are the knurled bezel and the seconds hand with the signature ‘lollipop’ counterweight.
Waltham also tells us that the A17 was the first watch to be flown at more than three times the speed of sound, on the wrist of a US Airforce captain piloting an experimental rocket-powered Starbuster plane in the 1950s.
Waltham was founded in Massachusetts in 1850 and was once one of the biggest watch and clockmakers in the world.
It went through various bankruptcies and the name is now used by a company in Switzerland.
There are five models in the A17 Pilot collection.
The all black A17 “Dragon Lady” is inspired by a famous U2 spy plane of the same name.
The A17 has a 40mm stainless-steel case and is water-resistant to 100m.
It is powered by a Soprod M100 automatic movement and comes on a textile strap with steel buckle.
The Waltham A17 Pilot cost from €1,350