Skip to content
Cyma WWW Dirty Dozen, British Army Issued WW2, circa 1945 — view 1 of 6
View 1 of 6 · Image: Vintage Watch Specialist · original image source (opens another website in a new tab)

Wristwatches · Wristwatch

Cyma WWW Dirty Dozen, British Army Issued WW2, circa 1945

DocumentedDocumented from a dealer's listing; attribution and date as stated by the dealer.
Maker / attribution
Cyma (maker)
Date
c. 1945
Country of origin
Unrecorded in source
Object type
Wristwatch
Dimensions
Case 38 mm
Stock no.
vws4187
Credit line
Dealer listing, Vintage Watch Specialist (vws4187)
Catalogue title (original)
Cyma WWW Dirty Dozen - British Army Issued WW2 - c.1945 (English)

View the source record (dealer listing) ↗ (opens another website in a new tab)Suggest a correction

Record summary

Catalogued by Vintage Watch Specialist (dealer), United Kingdom (stock number vws4187), this is a wristwatch by Cyma, dated c. 1945. The Atlas places it in the Modern Mechanical Horology period (1945 – 1969) of its Wristwatches collection. Recorded dimensions: Case 38 mm. 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

Cyma was founded in Switzerland in 1862 and earned an enviable reputation for producing robust, accurate movements. During the Second World War the company became one of only twelve manufacturers selected by the British Ministry of Defence to produce the legendary W.W.W. (Watch, Wrist, Waterproof) military wristwatch. Today the Cyma Dirty Dozen is highly regarded by collectors for its excellent in-house calibre, practical military design and comparatively limited production, making surviving examples increasingly sought after. What's on Offer Issued circa 1945, this Cyma W.W.W. Dirty Dozen is an authentic British military wristwatch bearing the correct W.W.W. broad arrow caseback markings with military issue number P13036. Inside beats the reliable Cyma Calibre 234, a 15-jewel manual-wind movement renowned for its durability and smooth operation. The classic matte black military dial features bold Arabic numerals, pencil hands with beautifully aged lume, the Broad Arrow property mark beneath the Cyma signature and a recessed subsidiary seconds register at six o'clock. Around the perimeter sits the traditional chemin de fer minute track, while the stainless steel case measures a highly wearable 38mm across - the largest of the Dirty Dozen collection. The stainless steel case displays honest service wear consistent with an issued military watch approaching eighty years of age, with military engravings remaining visible on the caseback. The black dial has developed an attractive aged patina, while the luminous plots and hands exhibit natural ageing that enhances its originality. The plexiglass crystal shows light marks commensurate with age. The Cyma Calibre 234 manual movement is running well with an approximate 44-hour power reserve.

Historical context

Modern Mechanical Horology (1945 – 1969)

Tool watches for divers, pilots and astronauts; electric watches anticipate the electronic age.

The classic era of the mechanical wristwatch: dive watches, chronographs for motor racing and space flight, GMT watches for jet travel, slim dress watches, automatic calendars, and the rise of Japanese manufacturers alongside Swiss, American, German and Soviet industries.

Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking

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.

Related records