My Cart

Close


Record
SKU: vws2478

Record Dirty Dozen Military WW2 Soldiers Watch - MoD Dial - Non Radium - c.1945

A Very Collectible Record Dirty Dozen Military Issued Soldier's Watch with a Non-Radium MoD Dial, c.1945

Case
Chrome Topped
Condition
 7.5/10
Year
1945
Box/Papers
No/No 
View full specification
£1,750.00GBP

Enquire Now

Vintage Watch Specialist Buyer Protection

  • 12 Month Warranty Included
  • Authenticity Guarantee
  • Fully Insured Next Day Delivery
We ship watches worldwide tracked and insured More Information

A Very Collectible Record Dirty Dozen Military Issued Soldier's Watch with a Non-Radium MoD Dial, c.1945. 

Known as the “Dirty Dozen” these famous watches were the first purpose-built military watches ever made. Delivered between 1944 & 1945, the “Dozen” comprised of 12 manufacturers who produced around 150,000 watches for the war effort. Also known as WWW watches which stands simply for “Watch Wrist Waterproof”, these watches were built for action and to stand the vigour of war and the “Dozen” certainly did the job. The 12 companies comprised of Buren, Cyma, Eterna, Grana, JLC, Lemania, Longines, IWC, Omega, Record, Timor and Vertex with rumours there were in fact 13 and the 13th company being Enicar but due to apparently Enicar was also supplying the enemy, they were briskly dropped from the contract. No examples have yet appeared from Enicar.

Of the circa 150,000 pieces made, around 25,000 were made by Record which makes them joint top with Omega for the largest quantity made. Featuring sword hands, a 36.5mm chrome-topped case and 022K calibre beating inside, the Record represents a classic military appearance which has been copied ever since. The sub seconds dial ensures maximum legibility when on the battlefield and the iconic broad arrow marks the property of the crown. These watches were meant to have been returned at the end of service but like many pieces of equipment used during the war, many soldiers chose to take some pieces home as a memento of a historic event that they were a part of. 

What’s On Offer 

We have here a very nice example of the Record 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. 

The dial has been well preserved and remains rich matt black with bold white Arabic numerals, a sub-seconds counter at 6 o'clock and a minute track to the outer edge of the dial. The hands and hour plots still boast their lume and it has aged evenly to a beautiful vanilla hue. The case back bears the military markings one expects to see which read: WWW L1707S 53492G, the military pheon (arrow) is also present as it is on the dial, denoting the watch as property of the MoD. 

Case
Chrome Topped
Dial
 Black
Box
 No
Papers
No 
Model Ref
Unknown
Crystal
 Plexiglass
Bracelet
 NATO Style
Winding
Manual
Movement Type
Mechanical
Calibre
022K
Jewels
 15
Power reserve
 42 Hours
Condition
Great
Date of issue
1945
Warranty
 12 Months VWS
Width (without crown)
 36mm
Lug width
 18mm
Lug height
(lug to lug) 
Wrist size
Adjustable

Do you have questions about this watch?

Contact our team below and we'll be happy to help you with this watch or any other watch you might be interested in

Read out latest customer reviews

See why buyers from across the world trust Vintage Watch Specialist

"An outstanding watch at a fair price with superb service before the purchase, safe delivery and helpful advice throughout. I cannot recommend the company highly enough."

Barrie

"A lovely little watch, reasonably priced, in excellent used condition exactly as advertised. Delivered very promptly in good strong packaging. Altogether a happy purchasing experience."

Kevin

"Javid was really helpful, he sent loads of images to me as I couldn’t make up my mind as I was buying a gift. Extremely happy with it would definitely buy from him again."

Jan

Vintage Watch Specialist's Authenticity Guarantee

Guaranteed Authenticity

  • All of our watches are approved by our in-house authenticity check
  • Every watch is inspected meticulously by our experts
  • Any deviations from the original condition or specifications are listed

Worldwide shipping

  • Free UK shipping
  • Subsidised international shipping
  • All shipping tracked and insured

Warranty and Returns

  • All watches are covered by our free 12 month warranty (unless otherwise stated)
  • All watches are sold serviced and fully functioning (unless otherwise stated)
  • Please see our full warranty and returns policy here