
Wristwatches · Wristwatch
Cortebert Royal Air Force Mountain Rescue Issued Wrist Watch, Military Markings, circa 1940s
- Maker / attribution
- Cortebert (maker)
- Date
- c. 1940s
- Historical period
- Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking (1900 – 1945)
- Country of origin
- Unrecorded in source
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Stock no.
- vws4180
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, Vintage Watch Specialist (vws4180)
- Catalogue title (original)
- Cortebert - Royal Air Force Mountain Rescue Issued Wrist Watch - Military Markings - c.1940s (English)
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Record summary
Catalogued by Vintage Watch Specialist (dealer), United Kingdom (stock number vws4180), this is a wristwatch by Cortebert, dated c. 1940s. The Atlas places it in the Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking period (1900 – 1945) of its Wristwatches collection. The record is illustrated with 6 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
Dealer description — Vintage Watch Specialist
A rare 1940s RAF Mountain Rescue-issued Cortébert with authentic military markings and beautifully aged dial Cortébert watches represent a rich chapter in traditional Swiss watchmaking, with roots stretching back to the late 18th century. Known for precision and craftsmanship, the brand built a strong reputation for producing its own reliable movements, often used in professional and railway timepieces. Cortébert also developed distinctive designs, including early jumping-hour styles. Although the brand faded during the quartz era, its watches remain admired today for their heritage, engineering, and understated elegance. What's on Offer This 1940s Cortébert is a highly collectible RAF Mountain Rescue issue watch, formerly part of the ATP programme and bearing the reference 6E/385. The caseback is engraved with correct military markings, giving the piece a clear and authentic link to its service history. The dial has aged beautifully over time, developing a soft, even patina that enhances its vintage appeal. Paired with classic Arabic numerals and a subsidiary seconds display, it reflects the functional yet refined design language of wartime timepieces. The stainless steel case remains in honest condition, showing light signs of wear that speak to its past without detracting from its overall presence. On the wrist, it wears comfortably with a subtle, understated charm that only true vintage pieces can offer. Powered by a traditional hand-wound movement, this Cortébert delivers a tactile and engaging experience, connecting the wearer directly to its mechanical roots. A characterful and historically rich military watch, it’s an excellent addition for collectors seeking authenticity and provenance.
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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