Smiths W10, British Military Issued Watch, circa 1970

Dealer description — Vintage Watch Specialist

The Smiths W10 represents an important chapter in both British military and British watchmaking history. Introduced during the late 1960s, it was manufactured in England for issue to the British Army at a time when Smiths remained one of the country's major watch manufacturers. Rather than adapting an existing civilian model, the W10 was produced to meet military requirements. Legibility, reliability and practicality took precedence over decoration, resulting in the wonderfully simple field-watch design for which the model is now recognised. Smiths produced W10 watches for the Army from 1967 to 1970. They were part of a long tradition of watches procured by the Ministry of Defence and can be identified by the military Broad Arrow found on surviving examples. One of the W10's particularly useful features was its hacking seconds mechanism. When the crown was pulled out to set the time, the seconds hand stopped, allowing personnel to synchronise their watches accurately – a simple but important requirement in military use. The W10 is also significant because it appeared towards the end of large-scale mechanical watch production by Smiths in Britain. This combination of British manufacture, genuine military purpose and a relatively short production period has subsequently made the W10 one of the most collectable post-war British military wristwatches. What’s on Offer Here we have a superb Smiths W10 British Army military wristwatch, issued in 1970 and carrying the case-back markings that establish its military provenance. Its black dial is wonderfully purposeful, with crisp white Arabic numerals surrounded by a segmented white minute track. Aged tritium luminous plots mark the hours, complemented by broad luminous-filled hour and minute hands and a slender white centre seconds hand. Beneath the Smiths signature is the circled T denoting the use of tritium luminous material, while the British military Broad Arrow sits prominently above 6 o'clock. MADE IN ENGLAND follows the lower edge of the dial – a lovely detail on a genuinely British-made military wristwatch. The 35mm stainless-steel case has long, gently curved lugs fitted with fixed strap bars, exactly the sort of practical construction expected of a watch intended for military service. It is currently fitted to a green NATO-style strap, which suits the watch perfectly. The case back is particularly important and is clearly marked W10/6645-99-961-4045 together with the Broad Arrow and 0233/70. The latter identifies this particular watch as issue number 0233 from 1970, making it a final-year example of the Smiths W10. Inside is the manually wound, 17-jewel Smiths calibre 129-60466E with hacking seconds. At 35mm wide and 46mm lug-to-lug, the watch retains its authentic period proportions while the strong black dial and long lugs give it plenty of presence on the wrist. It is a particularly attractive example of the W10, but what really makes it special is that nothing about its military character is merely stylistic: the Broad Arrow, W10 designation, NATO Stock Number and 1970 issue number all belong to the history of this individual watch.