The "Dirty Dozen" refers to a group of twelve military wristwatches commissioned by the British Ministry of Defence during World War II. In 1945, seeking durable and reliable timepieces for their soldiers, they enlisted twelve Swiss manufacturers: Buren, Cyma, Eterna, Grana, IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Lemania, Longines, Omega, Record, Timor, and Vertex. Each watch had to meet stringent specifications including precision movements (15 jewels), waterproof cases, black dials with luminous hands and numerals for readability in low light conditions.
    
These watches were marked with "W.W.W." on the case back denoting "Watch Wristlet Waterproof," a broad arrow signifying government property and unique serial numbers. Known for their robustness and accuracy under harsh conditions of wartime service; surviving pieces are highly sought after by collectors today. The Dirty Dozen remains a testament to functional military design combined with horological excellence.

What's on Offer

We have here a very nice example of the Omega Dirty Dozen which features an MoD dial, meaning its original radium dial was replaced by a tritium dial, so if the presence of radium in military watches is a concern for you, then this is a superb option as it is still very much an original piece with historical military significance.

This watch is incredibly rare and a real collector's piece, especially for the military fans among you. The dial is rich black featuring all the hallmarks of the Dirty Dozen watches, bold Arabic numerals, an outer minute track and a sub-seconds dial at 6 o'clock (this is not recessed as it is on the radium dial watches) and beautiful pumpkin lume across the hour plots and on the hands - you will also note the military pheon, the arrow on the dial that denotes the watch as the property of the MoD. On the case back you will note the original military markings wich again include the military arrow.