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Jaeger LeCoultre, WWW Dirty Dozen, MOD Dial, Military Issued, circa 1945 — view 1 of 6
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Wristwatches · Wristwatch

Jaeger LeCoultre, WWW Dirty Dozen, MOD Dial, Military Issued, circa 1945

DocumentedDocumented from a dealer's listing; attribution and date as stated by the dealer.
Maker / attribution
Jaeger-LeCoultre (maker)
Date
c. 1945
Country of origin
Switzerland
Object type
Wristwatch
Stock no.
vws2856cs
Credit line
Dealer listing, Vintage Watch Specialist (vws2856cs)
Catalogue title (original)
Jaeger LeCoultre - WWW Dirty Dozen - MOD Dial - Military Issued c.1945 (English)

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Record summary

Catalogued by Vintage Watch Specialist (dealer), United Kingdom (stock number vws2856cs), this is a wristwatch by Jaeger-LeCoultre, made in Switzerland, dated c. 1945. The Atlas places it in the Modern Mechanical Horology period (1945 – 1969) 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

Military Jaeger LeCoultre Dirty Dozen MOD Tritium Dial with Replated Case circa.1945 Caseback Ref: WWW 285851 The "Dirty Dozen" refers to twelve military watches produced during World War II for the British Army. These watches were commissioned by the British Ministry of Defence and were meant to meet specific criteria for durability, accuracy, and reliability in the field. The watches were issued to various branches of the British Armed Forces. Twelve Swiss companies manufactured the Dirty Dozen watches, and each model had similar specifications, including a black dial with white Arabic numerals, luminous hands and indices, a stainless steel case, and a mechanical hand-wound movement. The watches were designed to withstand the harsh conditions of military service. What’s on Offer Here we have a Jaeger LeCoultre Dirty Dozen dating to c.1945. These Jaeger watches were part of the 12 watches issued by the Ministry of Defence nearing the end of WWII. When serviced by the Ministry of Defence, quite often, the original dials, which were radium were replaced with tritium service dials and hands. These are now referred to as MoD dials. The watch in question has been fitted with a tritium dial and hands. The Dial is in a matte black and overall in very good condition. At some point in time, the case for this watch has been re-plated and looks shinier than it should, but this does not detract from it being a great piece if you are looking for a military Jaeger watch without the worry of it having a Radium dial and prefer the look of this case finish! The original cases were plated but finished in a gunmetal grey colour instead of a chrome shine. When looking at the back of the watch the caseback is manufactured from stainless steel and displays military engravings. Inside the case you can find the original 479 calibre movement which came with all Jaeger Dirty Dozens.

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.

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