Down the rabbit hole - Pre WWII military watches

As some of you know, I'm not particularly interested in modern watches. There were several threads here asking about WWII watches (particularly military issue pilots watches), but I'm curious if anyone has gone down the rabbit hole into earlier 'stuff'?

The wristwatch became popular during WWI, with small watch movements, usually with wire lug cases, with a shrapnel guard over the crystal, and radium hands and dial numbers: https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/the-ironic-elegance-of-trench-watches

The pocket watches were usually designed to purpose and quite interesting. E.g. Patek Phillipe supplied oversized watches to the US Navy for their lighter than air flying corps:

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Here's a matched set of three purchased for Zeppelin ZR-3 USS Los Angeles that sold for $250,000 in 2017:
https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-6120003
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Los_Angeles_(ZR-3)

I don't have any military Pateks, but I have some other 'respected' brand military pocket watches used for other purposes.

I just bought (don't have it yet) a 'newer' (movement made in 1932 or 1933) pocket watch that is both a bit of a project and is intriguing. It's Elgin's (American Made) highest grade railroad watch, 23 Jewels (bearings) and a wind indicator, model 494. A total of 5000 model 494 movements were made in five runs of 1000 from 1932-1934. Interestingly, a small number were purchased and modified for the US Navy for aircraft navigation. The movements were modified by Elgin to US Navy, Bu. Aero requirements to be stem set with a hacking feature. The total number acquired by the Navy is unknown but less than a dozen are known to exist.

These would have been used in bigger 1930s aircraft like seaplanes or loaned out for special purposes like Emilia Earhart's ill fated round the world flight (which was supported by the US Navy). The watch would likely have had a heavy duty nickel case and been housed in a wooden box:

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This is a complete set, but it isn't mine.

Mine was civilianized with a period correct gold filled railroad case and it has a white enamel dial (rather than a black painted metal dial), which may or may not be correct (there is debate among those 'who know these things'. I'm considering 'restoring' it. I can get a case like the one above, I have a metal dial 'core' in my spares and can have it correctly refinished and the wooden boxes were not necessarily assigned to a given watch and can be acquired. That said, besides appearance, it wouldn't be any more original than it is now. Unlike the airship Pateks, this is a relatively small watch and can be worn in the little front pocket of your jeans; I'm leaning towards keeping it 'civilianized' as it's nicer looking the way it is - what would you do?

Also, if anyone else is interested in a similar 'rabbit hole' what do you have?

Regards,

Art S.