Cyma Military Watch, 1940s

Dealer description — Craft & Tailored

In the 1940s CYMA was one of the ‘Dirty Dozen’, which was a selection of 12 watch brands worn by WWII British soldiers. The 'Dirty Dozen' brands were commissioned by the British Ministry of Defense, which needed as many watches as possible produced for the British soldiers. Manufacturing capacity at the time allowed for roughly 145,000 watches to be produced. The arrow seen on the dial, which is regularly seen on military watches, marks the watch as "crown property"; the British monarch's sovereign public estate, which was considered neither government property nor part of the monarch's private estate. Although manufactured by a dozen companies (known as the "Dirty Dozen" by military watch collectors), CYMA's models are especially sought-after, as CYMA utilized high-quality steel for their version of the MOD spec watch, despite the steel shortage caused by the war efforts of the time. The other brands had to make their watch cases from much more inferior metals, meaning many of the watches offered by the other brands of the "dirty dozen" haven't held up in the following decades. Stock # CYM Brand Cyma Style Military Model Dirty Dozen Serial 10837 Size Men's Material SS Dial Matte Black Millimeters 38mm Bracelet NATO Strap CASE & BRACELET The case of this CYMA appears to remain unpolished, showing thick lugs and an even patina through the watch. The crown is also original to the watch. The military engravings on the backside and inside teh case remain deep and clear, which is another indicator that the watch has never been polished. The fixed spring bars remain intact, and the watch will come supplied on a NATOP strap. DIAL & HANDS The dial shows a patina throughout and has a deep chocolate like coloration. The radium lume plots on the outer track of the dial shows some degradation but are still present under U.V. inspection. The original hands were restored at some point to match the color of the lume plots on the dial. The watch still shows positive and high Geiger readings. ACCESSORIES None.