Cyma WWW - British Military Issued Dirty Dozen - c.1945 - Calibre 234 Movement -c.1944
A Rare and Sought After Cyma "Dirty Dozen" Military Issued Watch in Superb Original Condition. A Real Original Collectors Piece.
In the closing years of World War II, a basic but carefully specified model wristwatch was commissioned to members of the British armed forces by the Ministry of Defence - manufactured by one of twelve watchmakers who delivered 20,000 of these Cymas to the MoD in 1944 and 1945.
Each watch was commissioned and manufactured with similar specifications and, as military issues, were hard-wearing, highly legible, and water-resistant with stainless steel or nickel-plated cases, shatterproof crystal, and fixed lug bars.
These manufacturers (Buren, Cyma, Eterna, Grana, JLC, Lemania, Longines, IWC, Omega, Record, Timor, and Vertex) later came to be known as ‘The Dirty Dozen’ in the mid-1960s, after the release of the popular war film of the same name.
A lot of these watches were destroyed in the 1970s due to the presence of radioactive Radium-226, in the luminescent material, hence the number of surviving watches dwindled. This, teamed with the obvious historical significance of the watches, has made them increasingly more collectable.
What’s On Offer
The Cyma is the largest of the DD watches and as such wears very well on the wrist. This particular example is quite unique in that the lume has aged to almost black on the hour plots and off-white on the original sword hands. This gives the dial a completely monochrome aesthetic which is unusual and looks great. Of course, you could style this watch with a bold-coloured strap which would really make the dial pop. The Arabic numerals have been well preserved, the MoD arrow is perfectly intact and the counter sunk subdial at 6 o'clock is also looking well. The case is in great shape and of course, bears the original military markings on the back, which read: W.W.W. P18047 23047.
The watch has just returned from our watchmaker after a complete strip-down and service and has had the glass and mainspring replaced with NOS parts, so it runs and looks great!
This is a really nice and honest example that would be a great addition to any collection and would certainly be a joy for any military collector to wear!
Additional Information
Case: Stainless steel
Case back: Screw-on
Dial: Black Tropical
Crystal: Shatter-proof plexi
Bracelet: NATO-style strap
Technical specifications
Winding: Manual
Movement Type: Mechanical
Calibre: 234
Jewels: 15j
Waterproof: when new!
Purchase details
Condition: Excellent
Model Reference: WWW
Date of issue: c.1945
Guarantee
12 months by VWS
Dimensions
Width: 38mm
Lug width: 18mm
Lug height (lug to lug): 45mm
Wrist size: Adjustable
