
Wristwatches · Wristwatch
Record Dirty Dozen, WW2 Military Issued WWW, Soldiers Watch, circa 1944
- Maker / attribution
- Record (maker)
- Date
- c. 1944
- Historical period
- Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking (1900 – 1945)
- Country of origin
- Unrecorded in source
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Stock no.
- vws3967
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, Vintage Watch Specialist (vws3967)
- Catalogue title (original)
- Record Dirty Dozen - WW2 Military Issued WWW, Soldiers Watch - c.1944 (English)
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Record summary
Catalogued by Vintage Watch Specialist (dealer), United Kingdom (stock number vws3967), this is a wristwatch by Record, 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 beautiful Record Dirty Dozen WW2 military issued watch with a very unique dial, a real collectors piece, c.1944 The Record Dirty Dozen is one of the most admired members of the famous WWII military-issued watch set, prized for its reliability, clarity and classic military styling. Produced to the British Ministry of Defence’s strict WWW specifications, Record delivered one of the most robust and beautifully balanced designs of the twelve. With its crisp Arabic numerals, recessed seconds sub-dial and distinctive military arrow, it remains a cherished piece of wartime horological history. What's on offer This Record Dirty Dozen example stands out immediately thanks to its extraordinary dial, which has aged into a stunning a 'cracked ice' patina — something collectors rarely encounter. Underneath the shimmering surface sits the classic W.W.W layout: bold Arabic numerals, a recessed 6 o’clock seconds sub-dial, and the all-important military Broad Arrow. The lume remains intact on both the hands and hour plots, now matured to an attractive warm tone. Its stainless steel case shows honest wear appropriate for a 1940s military tool watch yet remains remarkably well preserved, with strong lugs and a clean crown. The watch is powered by the correct 15-jewel Calibre 022K — the standard movement Record supplied to the British Ministry of Defence. Paired with a new brown military style strap that complements the dial’s unique texture, this piece is not just a Dirty Dozen — it’s one with real character and collectable charm, which does not translate in our photos, you have to see this dial in the flesh to really appreciate it!
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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