
“On the first Sunday in December 1941, an armada of Japanese warplanes appeared suddenly over Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and devastated the U.S. Pacific Fleet. Six months later, in a sea fight north of the tiny atoll of Midway, four Japanese aircraft carriers were sent into the abyss, a blow that destroyed the offensive power of their fleet. Pacific Crucible―through a dramatic narrative relying predominantly on primary sources and eyewitness accounts of heroism and sacrifice from both navies―tells the epic tale of these first searing months of the Pacific war, when the U.S. Navy shook off the worst defeat in American military history to seize the strategic initiative.”
The watch is an Islander 38 mm automatic dive watch with solid link bracelet, anti-reflective sapphire crystal, and luminous sapphire bezel. Inside the case is an NH36, 24-jewel automatic movement. Power reserve is about 41 hours fully wound. The NH36 also has both a day and date wheel viewed at 3:00 on the dial. The Islander is one of the best values for your money, costing $299.00. This watch probably gets more compliments than most of my far more expensive wrist watches. Long Island Watch is run by Marc Frankel, with whom it is a pleasure to do business. His You Tube channel is hugely informative, witty, and addictive.
What amazes me about Midway is that despite our huge advantage in knowing that they were coming, it still came down to “who found who” first. And the Japanese dilemma – “torpedoes or bombs”?
One historian said that no other naval battle had such profound consequences in such a short time.