Vintage Omega WWW 'Dirty Dozen' World War II Issued Military Soldier's Wrist Watch c. 1940s.

At the end of the Second World War, many members of the British armed forces were issued with a basic but carefully specified watch, commissioned from 12 Swiss manufacturers by the British Ministry of Defence. These were ultimately to replace the issued "ATP" watches from earlier in the war, but have gone on to become far more collectible and sought after due to their high-quality form and function.

During 1944 and 1945, twelve watchmakers (Buren, Cyma, Eterna, Grana, JLC, Lemania, Longines, IWC, Omega, Record, Timor, and Vertex) produced a total of approximately 150,000 of these almost identical timepieces. As these watches became highly sought after by collectors over the ensuing decades, they became known as 'The Dirty Dozen' – earning this nickname from the 1964 war film of the same moniker. Members of this exclusive club are now in constant demand as few remain in good and original condition, and as production volumes differed widely across the 12 wartime manufacturers. Apparently, only around 30 complete sets were known to exist, worldwide.

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. Watches were, as standard, capable of chronometer accuracy and their movements precision-adjusted. Each piece also had a large black dial with white Arabic characters, luminous hands, indices, and a 'railroad' minute track with sub-seconds at 6 o'clock.

This timepiece has undergone a thorough inspection of water resistance, accuracy, functionality and condition to determine the level of reconditioning required to meet our strict standards. It has also been referenced against technical documents and manufacturer records where available to ensure authenticity and a clean history.

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