Omega Dirty Dozen WWW British Army Watch, circa 1945

Dealer description — Vintage Watch Specialist

Towards the end of the Second World War, the British Ministry of Defence commissioned a new generation of wristwatches specifically for military service . The specification became known as WWW – Watch, Wrist, Waterproof – and called for a robust, accurate and highly legible mechanical watch suitable for use in demanding operational conditions. Twelve Swiss manufacturers supplied watches to the specification: Buren, Cyma, Eterna, Grana, IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Lemania, Longines, Omega, Record, Timor and Vertex. Decades later, collectors began referring to this group as the “Dirty Dozen”, and today they represent one of the most fascinating areas of British military watch collecting. Omega's contribution combined a stainless-steel case with fixed strap bars and a highly legible black dial featuring bold Arabic numerals, luminous hour markers, a railway minute track and subsidiary seconds at 6 o'clock. The military Broad Arrow on the dial and caseback identified the watch as British Government property. At its heart was Omega's celebrated Calibre 30T2, a manually wound 15-jewel movement from the company's hugely important 30mm movement family. Renowned for its straightforward construction, accuracy and reliability, the 30T2 was particularly well suited to the demands of a military service watch. Issued during the closing stages of the Second World War, the Omega WWW has since become one of the most recognisable and desirable members of the Dirty Dozen family. What’s on Offer Here we have a superb Omega WWW “Dirty Dozen” British Army military watch dating from circa 1945, complete with its original military dial and clearly defined issue markings. The matt black dial is particularly striking, with large cream Arabic numerals surrounded by a crisp white railway minute track. A subsidiary seconds register sits neatly at 6 o'clock, while the Omega signature and emblem are positioned beneath 12. Immediately below the Omega signature is the British military Broad Arrow, one of the defining details of an authentic government-issued WWW watch. The original luminous hour plots have developed a distinctive aged appearance, while the broad military hour and minute hands display plenty of character from their long life. The contrast between the black dial, warm numerals and aged luminous material gives this example exactly the purposeful appearance collectors associate with genuine wartime military watches. The stainless-steel case has the classic proportions of the Omega WWW and remains fitted with fixed strap bars, an important element of the original military specification. The case shows sympathetic marks of wear consistent with its age and history without detracting from its strong overall appearance. Turning the watch over reveals the military caseback with WWW, the British Government Broad Arrow and the Omega Y issue marking. The military issue number Y3761 provides another important piece of the watch's service identity. Inside is the manually wound Omega Calibre 30T2, a 15-jewel movement offering approximately 44 hours of power reserve. It is one of Omega's most important vintage movements and adds considerably to the horological appeal of an already significant military watch.