Jaeger LeCoultre, Dirty Dozen WW2 British Military Issued Watch, circa 1945

Dealer description — Vintage Watch Specialist

An evocative c.1945 Jaeger-LeCoultre WWW “Dirty Dozen” with surviving military markings, beautifully aged luminous details and the 16-jewel Calibre 479. The Jaeger-LeCoultre WWW belongs to the celebrated group of twelve military watches now known as the “Dirty Dozen”, produced to meet a demanding British military specification at the end of the Second World War. Built around clarity, reliability and durability, the JLC interpretation combined a highly legible black dial with its excellent hand-wound Calibre 479. Today, these purpose-built watches have become some of the most recognisable and desirable British military wristwatches of the period. What’s On Offer This is a wonderfully honest example of the Jaeger-LeCoultre WWW Dirty Dozen , retaining precisely the sort of age and character that makes an original military watch so compelling. The black dial follows the classic WWW layout, with bold Arabic numerals, an outer railway minute track and subsidiary seconds at six o’clock. The British military Broad Arrow remains clearly visible beneath the Jaeger-LeCoultre signature, immediately identifying the watch as government property rather than simply a civilian watch produced in a military style. Particularly appealing are the large cathedral-style hour and minute hands and the surviving luminous hour plots around the dial. Both have aged considerably, with the lume developing the wonderfully mottled, earthy appearance visible in the photographs. There is obvious deterioration in places, but on a watch of this nature we think that contributes enormously to its authenticity and character. The 35mm chrome-plated case displays plenty of evidence of its working life, with scratches, marks and wear throughout, yet presents extremely well for an approximately 80-year-old military watch. Its relatively long 45mm lug-to-lug measurement also gives it considerably more wrist presence than the 35mm diameter might initially suggest. Turn the watch over and its military origins become even more apparent. The stainless-steel caseback is clearly engraved with the Broad Arrow, W.W.W., F13250 and case number 283909 . The W.W.W. designation was used for watches produced to the British military specification, while the Broad Arrow denotes British government property. These surviving issue markings are an important part of the watch and its history. Inside is Jaeger-LeCoultre’s 16-jewel Calibre 479 , a manually wound mechanical movement developed for this military application and offering approximately 40 hours of power reserve. The movement is numbered 315399 . Finished on an adjustable grey NATO-style strap, this is not a pristine museum piece — nor would we particularly want it to be. This is an immensely characterful surviving example of one of the most important families of military watches ever produced, with the scars, ageing and military markings that tell you exactly what sort of watch it was built to be.