
Wristwatches · Wristwatch
Cyma Dirty Dozen WWW Soldiers Issued Watch, circa 1944
- Maker / attribution
- Cyma (maker)
- Date
- c. 1944
- Historical period
- Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking (1900 – 1945)
- Country of origin
- Unrecorded in source
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Stock no.
- vws2630
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, Vintage Watch Specialist (vws2630)
- Catalogue title (original)
- Cyma Dirty Dozen WWW Soldiers Issued Watch - c.1944 (English)
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Record summary
Catalogued by Vintage Watch Specialist (dealer), United Kingdom (stock number vws2630), this is a wristwatch by Cyma, dated c. 1944. 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 Very Collectable Cyma Dirty Dozen Military Issued Soldiers Watch in Wonderful Original Condition with Military Markings, c.1945 The Cyma Dirty Dozen watch was part of a historic group of twelve military timepieces commissioned by the British Ministry of Defence during World War II. Produced to strict specifications under the W.W.W. (Watch, Wristlet, Waterproof) standard, the Cyma version stood out for its reliability and robust construction. Featuring a manual-wind movement, black dial, and luminous Arabic numerals, it was built for clarity and durability in combat. Today, it remains a highly collectible piece of wartime horology. What's on Offer We are delighted to offer for sale this superb example of the iconic 1945 Cyma Dirty Dozen military watch—an essential piece of British wartime horology. The rich black dial remains wonderfully preserved, still boasting its bold Arabic numerals, clear outer minute track, and the recessed sub-seconds dial at 6 o’clock. The thick pencil-style hands retain their original lume, which has aged beautifully to a warm tone, complementing the vintage character of the watch. At the centre of the dial sits the instantly recognisable Broad Arrow—or ‘pheon’—marking it as the property of the British Ministry of Defence. The case back also proudly bears the Broad Arrow alongside the correct military engravings that enthusiasts and collectors expect to see from an authentic Dirty Dozen issue. Housed in a robust stainless steel case and paired with a simple black NATO-style strap, this watch remains as functional as it is collectible. In wonderful vintage condition throughout, this Cyma Dirty Dozen stands as a rare and historically significant piece of military watchmaking. A must-have for any serious collector or enthusiast of WWII-era timepieces.
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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