
Wristwatches · Wristwatch
Omega Dirty Dozen, WW2 British Military Issued Soldiers Watch, circa 1944
- Maker / attribution
- Omega (maker)
- Date
- c. 1944
- Historical period
- Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking (1900 – 1945)
- Country of origin
- Switzerland
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Stock no.
- vws4043
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, Vintage Watch Specialist (vws4043)
- Catalogue title (original)
- Omega Dirty Dozen - WW2 British Military Issued Soldiers Watch - c.1944 (English)
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Record summary
Catalogued by Vintage Watch Specialist (dealer), United Kingdom (stock number vws4043), this is a wristwatch by Omega, made in Switzerland, dated c. 1944. The Atlas places it in the Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking period (1900 – 1945) 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
A superb Omega Dirty Dozen Military Issued soldiers watch in fantastic original condition with beautiful lume and original markings - c.1944 “Dirty Dozen” watches refer to the twelve military wristwatches commissioned by the British Ministry of Defence during the Second World War. Built to strict specifications, they had to be highly legible, robust, waterproof and accurate. Among the twelve manufacturers, Omega is one of the most respected, producing some of the best-finished examples. Omega Dirty Dozen watches are prized today for their reliability, wartime heritage and clean, functional design, making them a favourite among vintage military collectors. What's on Offer Offered here is a superb example of the legendary Omega WWW , one of the coveted “Dirty Dozen” timepieces commissioned by the British Ministry of Defence during the final years of WWII. Delivered exclusively for military use, these watches are now among the most sought-after vintage field pieces due to their rarity, historical significance, and robust design. This particular example is presented in honest, original condition , featuring the classic matte black dial with Arabic numerals, original lume which has aged to an attractive creamy colour, and the distinctive Broad Arrow marking denoting British military issue. The small-seconds sub-dial sits cleanly at 6 o’clock — a hallmark of the Calibre 30T2 SC movement that helped make Omega’s wartime production so dependable. The stainless-steel case retains strong lines, with correct fixed bars for use with military straps. The caseback is properly engraved with its military designations: W.W.W. (Watch, Wristlet, Waterproof) Issue number: Y12839 Case number: 10677038 Inside beats the legendary Omega Calibre 30T2 , regarded as one of the brand’s most reliable hand-wound movements. This example carries movement number 10296257 , placing it firmly within known production ranges for the MOD contract. Paired with a period-correct grey NATO style strap, this watch embodies everything collectors love about the Dirty Dozen: simplicity, purity of purpose, and historical charm. A fantastic opportunity to acquire a well-preserved WWII-issued Omega — an essential piece of British military horology.
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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