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Record W.W.W. Dirty Dozen, Military Watch, Caseback Markings L34360, 552207, circa 1945 — view 1 of 6
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Wristwatches · Wristwatch

Record W.W.W. Dirty Dozen, Military Watch, Caseback Markings L34360, 552207, circa 1945

DocumentedDocumented from a dealer's listing; attribution and date as stated by the dealer.
Maker / attribution
Record (maker)
Date
c. 1945
Country of origin
Unrecorded in source
Object type
Wristwatch
Stock no.
VWS2855cs
Credit line
Dealer listing, Vintage Watch Specialist (VWS2855cs)
Catalogue title (original)
Record - W.W.W. Dirty Dozen - Military Watch - c.1945 - Caseback Markings L34360 - 552207 (English)

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Record summary

Catalogued by Vintage Watch Specialist (dealer), United Kingdom (stock number VWS2855cs), this is a wristwatch by Record, 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

Original Military Issued Record Dirty Dozen Watch c.1945 with Caseback Engravings W.W.W. L34360 552207 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 is a Historic Record Dirty Dozen issued around 1945 by the Ministry of Defence to the British Military. This watch has seen some wear over the years as shown in the pictures but is still a great example. The nickel-plated brass case has mostly worn off revealing the colour underneath but there are still remnants of the factory plating. The watch also still has its fixed lug bars from when made to ensure durability in the field. The dial is fully original and in very good condition considering the other aspects of this piece all numerals are in good shape and weathered to a lovely cream colour over time. Unfortunately, the radium lume plots have decayed this is only normal with long periods. The caseback is manufactured from stainless steel and is also in good condition with only light scratches and blemishes showing. Caseback engravings read W.W.W. L34360 552207 with the military arrow also showing. Unfortunately, this watch doesn't have matching lug and case numbers.

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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