Historic Record WWW Dirty Dozen With Caseback Engravings W.W.W L34094 551941 Good Condition
The "Dirty Dozen" refers to a group of twelve Swiss watch manufacturers that produced military wristwatches for the British Army during World War II. These watches were commissioned by the British Ministry of Defence and were used by soldiers in various branches of the military.
These watches were typically simple, time-only pieces with black dials, Arabic numerals, and luminous hands and hour markers for better readability in low-light conditions. They were produced between 1942 and 1945 and are highly sought after by collectors today due to their historical significance and rarity.
Each of the Dirty Dozen manufacturers produced a specific quantity of watches, and the timepieces went through rigorous testing for accuracy and durability before being issued to military personnel. The Dirty Dozen watches played a crucial role during wartime and have become iconic in the world of military watch collecting.
What’s on Offer
Evaluating this vintage Record, we find it is a good example of one of the iconic Dirty Dozen watches made towards the end of WWII and has been preserved well over this long period.
Placing it on the timeograph machine it is still keeping good time. These watches were made with the 022K calibre Record movement which has 17 jewels and a power reserve of 42 hours when new.
When Looking at the case you can see that it has seen some wear around the case side profile, bezel ring, and lugs revealing the brass material underneath but on the whole most of the original plating is still present. These watch cases were manufactured with nickel chrome plated brass because it was a lot cheaper to use than stainless steel at the time. The Nickel plating took to wear much easier which caused it to fade away with rigorous conditions and long periods.
When viewing the caseback the original Military issue engravings are very visible. Light scratches can be found around the outer of the caseback but is still in very good condition.
This watch is currently fitted with a NATO-style strap because it is most fitting for this piece and also has fixed lug bars as standard from when it was first manufactured.
This watch is offered for sale as seen as it has not been serviced by our watchmaker, as we are selling it on behalf of a watch collector's family who has asked us to help sell an entire collection - this is reflected in the price, still, it is a very nice watch with genuine military significance. The watch however can be serviced by our watchmaker, once you have made the purchase please add a note when placing it in your basket and we will contact you to discuss this. Once serviced the watch will be given a 12-month warranty.