Wristwatches · Wristwatch
Cyma WWW Dirty Dozen Military Watch, 1940s
- Maker / attribution
- Cyma (maker)
- Date
- 1940s
- Historical period
- Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking (1900 – 1945)
- Country of origin
- Unrecorded in source
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Dimensions
- Case 38 mm
- Stock no.
- W-2764
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, Bulang & Sons (W-2764)
- Catalogue title (original)
- Cyma WWW Dirty Dozen Military Watch (English)
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Record summary
Catalogued by Bulang & Sons (dealer), Copenhagen (stock number W-2764), this is a wristwatch by Cyma, dated 1940s. The Atlas places it in the Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking period (1900 – 1945) 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 — Bulang & Sons
The Dirty Dozen military watches are among the most sought-after timepieces ever issued for military use. Commissioned by the British Army during World War II, these watches were produced by twelve different manufacturers—hence the nickname the "Dirty Dozen." Featured here is the largest model of the group: the Cyma. It comes in a robust 38mm case with fixed lug bars and is powered by a manual-wind cal 234 movement. The black dial( turned milk chocolate brown !) featuring a small seconds sub dial, remains in nice condition, retaining all of its original radium lume. The case back bears the correct military engravings, including "WWW"—the British Ministry of Defence code for "Watch, Wrist, Waterproof." This watch has been fully serviced by our watchmaker and is fitted with our single pass leather strap and ready for both wear and collection. Military watches have such significant history, and we love finding cool ones for all you watch lovers. Please reach out to talk about this special watch. Specifications: Cyma “Dirty Dozen” military watch for the British MOD 38 mm steel case Dates to the 1940s Case back with military engraving “w.w.w. P20xxx” turned to brown , Arabic hours dial Calibre 234 manual wind movement, number 378xxx Comes on the pictured Bulang and sons single pass leather strap Fully serviced by our watchmaker
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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