Wristwatches · Wristwatch
A Rare men's Cyma stainless steel manual wristwatch. Military Dirty Dozen, c. 1940
- Maker / attribution
- CYMA (maker)
- Date
- c. 1940
- Historical period
- Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking (1900 – 1945)
- Country of origin
- Unrecorded in source
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Materials / technique
- stainless steel
- Auction house
- LiveAuctioneers auction archive
- Lot
- Item 190211682
- Credit line
- Auction lot record: lot 110, Watches and Jewellery, Azca Auctions (2024), via LiveAuctioneers
- Catalogue title (original)
- A RARE MEN'S CYMA STAINLESS STEEL MANUAL WRISTWATCH. MILITARY DIRTY DOZEN. (English)
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Record summary
Catalogued by LiveAuctioneers auction archive (lot Item 190211682), this is a wristwatch by CYMA, dated c. 1940. The Atlas places it in the Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking period (1900 – 1945) of its Wristwatches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: stainless steel. The record is illustrated with 4 photographs.
Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.
Catalogue description
Lot description — Azca Auctions
A RARE MEN'S CYMA STAINLESS STEEL MANUAL WRISTWATCH. MILITARY DIRTY DOZEN. Brand: Cyma Model: Military Dirty Dozen Case reference: WWW P 9759 14759 Year: Circa 1940's Movement: Manual, Cal.234 Dial: Black matte, Arabic numerals Material: Stainless steel Bracelet/Strap: NATO style Signed: Dial, movement, case Dimension: 38mm The Dirty Dozen watches, produced by twelve Swiss brands, were essential equipment for British soldiers, making this Cyma Dirty Dozen a notable piece of wartime horology. Its 38mm stainless steel case and durable design reflect its utilitarian purpose, embodying the strength and resilience of WWII-era military timepieces. This description highlights the Cyma Dirty Dozen watch’s historical context, military specifications, and appeal to collectors. The Dirty Dozen watches, commissioned by the British Ministry of Defense in WWII, had to meet strict specifications to endure challenging military conditions. Requirements included: 1. Black dial with white Arabic numerals for legibility. 2. Luminous hands and markers to enhance visibility in low light. 3. Stainless steel case for durability. 4. Shatterproof crystal to withstand harsh conditions. 5. Manual winding movement for reliability without needing batteries. 6. Screw-down case back engraved with military markings. These specifications ensured that soldiers could rely on these watches under demanding wartime conditions. (38mm.)
Historical context
Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking (1900 – 1945)
The wristwatch displaces the pocket watch; waterproof cases, self-winding and grand complications.
The wristwatch overtook the pocket watch. Military use in the First World War, aviation, water-resistant cases (1926), automatic winding (1923–31), rectangular Art Deco designs and early chronographs and calendars defined the period.
Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Industrial Revolution
Atlas type guide
Military, pilot and travel watches
The wristwatch owes much of its adoption by men to warfare and aviation. Wristlets — small pocket watches soldered with lugs and worn on a strap — were used in colonial campaigns and became standard equipment in the First World War, with protective grilles over the crystal ('shrapnel guards'). Louis Cartier's Santos (1904), designed for the aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont, is often cited as an early purpose-made pilot's watch.
In the Second World War governments specified watches in detail: the German B-Uhr observation watches, the American A-11, and the British 'W.W.W.' (the 'Dirty Dozen' set of 1945). After the war, jet travel brought GMT and world-time watches, which show two or more time zones at once — Louis Cottier's world-time mechanism and the Rolex GMT-Master (1955) are examples.
What to look for
- Military markings on the case back: broad arrow, issue numbers, 'W.W.W.', 'A.T.P.'
- High-legibility black dials with luminous Arabic numerals; oversized crowns for gloved hands.
- 24-hour hands and rotating 24-hour bezels or city rings on GMT/world-time watches.
- Wire lugs on early wristlets converted from pocket watches.
Dating clues
- Wire-lug wristlets: c. 1900–1925.
- Military specifications of the Second World War: 1939–1945.
- GMT and world-time wristwatches: mainly after 1950.
General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.
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