Skip to content
Vertex Dirty Dozen, WWW, WW2 British Military Issued, Matching Case Numbers, circa 1944 — view 1 of 6
View 1 of 6 · Image: Vintage Watch Specialist · original image source (opens another website in a new tab)

Wristwatches · Wristwatch

Vertex Dirty Dozen, WWW, WW2 British Military Issued, Matching Case Numbers, circa 1944

DocumentedDocumented from a dealer's listing; attribution and date as stated by the dealer.
Maker / attribution
Vertex (maker)
Date
c. 1944
Country of origin
Unrecorded in source
Object type
Wristwatch
Dimensions
Case 36 mm
Stock no.
vws4279cs
Credit line
Dealer listing, Vintage Watch Specialist (vws4279cs)
Catalogue title (original)
Vertex Dirty Dozen - WWW - WW2 British Military Issued - c.1944 - Matching Case Numbers (English)

View the source record (dealer listing) ↗ (opens another website in a new tab)Suggest a correction

Record summary

Catalogued by Vintage Watch Specialist (dealer), United Kingdom (stock number vws4279cs), this is a wristwatch by Vertex, dated c. 1944. The Atlas places it in the Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking period (1900 – 1945) of its Wristwatches collection. Recorded dimensions: Case 36 mm. 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

Founded in 1912 by Claude Lyons, Vertex became one of Britain's most respected watch brands, renowned for producing reliable Swiss-made timepieces. During the Second World War, Vertex was selected as one of only twelve manufacturers entrusted by the British Ministry of Defence to produce the legendary WWW ("Watch, Wristlet, Waterproof") military watches. The Vertex Dirty Dozen has since become one of the most desirable of the twelve, appreciated for its distinctive design, robust construction and enduring connection to British military history. What's on Offer This Vertex WWW Dirty Dozen is an original British military wristwatch dating to approximately 1944 and represents one of the most sought-after models from the iconic Dirty Dozen collection. Produced for the Ministry of Defence, it features the classic black military dial with subsidiary seconds, housed within the correct chrome-topped stainless steel case. Powered by the dependable Vertex Calibre 56 manual-wind movement with 15 jewels, the watch delivers approximately 36 hours of power reserve. Designed to withstand the demands of wartime service, the movement is renowned for its reliability and straightforward engineering, making it as practical today as it was over eighty years ago. The military caseback retains its correct WWW designation, broad arrow property mark and issue numbers, which are also matched with the lug numbers, which is pretty rare, preserving the watch's authentic military provenance and condition. Measuring 36mm across with a comfortable 47mm lug-to-lug length, the Vertex offers timeless field watch proportions that remain highly wearable by modern standards. Presented on a black NATO-style strap, this is an excellent opportunity to acquire one of the most collectible British military watches ever produced. Combining historical significance with everyday wearability, the Vertex Dirty Dozen remains a cornerstone of any serious military watch collection.

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.

Related records