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A Superb and Very Collectable, Military Issued, Timor WWW Dirty Dozen,  c.1945. With Original, Dial, and Hand Set all in Beautiful Condition.

During the Second World War, the British War Office required a timepiece that could meet the extreme demands of the modern combat they faced.

Perhaps in a bid to increase production, rather than showing allegiance to one particular brand, they invited any Swiss manufacturer who could build a watch to their specific requirements, to tender. In the end, there were 12 manufacturers that produced the W.W.W. (Wrist, Watch, Waterproof) watches for the British Army. The manufacturers were Record, Buren, Cyma, Eterna, Lemania, Grana, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Longines, IWC, Omega, Vertex, and Timor. Over the ensuing decades, the 12 watches became collectively known as the ‘Dirty Dozen' earning this nickname from the 1964 war film.

A lot of these watches were destroyed in the 1970s due to the presence of radioactive Radium-226, in the luminescent material, hence the numbers of surviving watches dwindled. This, teamed with the obvious historical significance of the watches, has made them increasingly more collectible.

Timor and Omega it would seem, from our research, were among the first of the ‘Dozen’ manufacturers to make their watches available to the MoD c.1944, followed by the other brands, and this is believed to have continued well into the 1950s.

What’s On Offer 

This is a great example from the Dirty Dozen family of military watches. The black dial is in great condition with sharp Arabic numerals and Radium lumed hour plots which have aged to a beautiful caramel colour. Although the lume has slightly deteriorated on the hands, around the outer edges, this merely adds to the character - after all, this is a tool watch that has seen active service and at over 75 years old we can forgive a couple of signs of age surely! The case and lugs are in superb condition and the ergonomic proportions of these military watches make them really comfortable on the wrist as well as being really quite stylish with their stark black dials. This is a real collector's piece, it would make a fantastic addition to any collection and would make any military enthusiast more than happy. 

Additional information

Made from

Case: Stainless Steel

Dial: Black

Crystal: Plexiglas

Bracelet: NATO style adjustable

Technical specifications

Winding: Manual 

Movement Type: Mechanical

Caliber: 6060

Jewels: 15

Waterproof: When New

Power reserve: 42hrs

Purchase details

Condition:

Model Reference : WWW

Date of issue: c.1945

Guarantee: 12 Months by VWS

Dimensions

Width (without crown):  36.5mm

Lug width: 18mm

Lug height: (lug to lug) 45mm

Wrist size:  Adjustable