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Vertex WW2 Dirty Dozen, British Military Issued Soldiers Watch, 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
Stock no.
vws4230
Credit line
Dealer listing, Vintage Watch Specialist (vws4230)
Catalogue title (original)
Vertex WW2 Dirty Dozen - British Military Issued Soldiers Watch - c.1944 (English)

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Record summary

Catalogued by Vintage Watch Specialist (dealer), United Kingdom (stock number vws4230), 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. 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 rare and highly collectible 1944 Vertex Dirty Dozen military watch with original British military engravings and beautifully aged wartime character. Vertex was one of the original twelve manufacturers selected by the British Ministry of Defence to produce the legendary Dirty Dozen watches during the Second World War. Founded by Claude Lyons in London, Vertex supplied robust, highly legible field watches built to withstand the harsh realities of military service. Today, the Vertex WWW is regarded as one of the most collectible Dirty Dozen references thanks to its British heritage, relatively low production numbers and unmistakable wartime styling that perfectly captures the era. What's on Offer Presented here is a highly collectible Vertex WWW “Dirty Dozen” military watch dating to circa 1944, one of the rarest and most sought-after references issued to British forces during the Second World War. The matte black military dial remains exceptionally clean and well-preserved, featuring luminous Arabic numerals, matching lume plots, subsidiary seconds dial and the iconic British broad arrow beneath the Vertex signature. The chrome-topped case shows honest wear and ageing throughout, entirely consistent with genuine military use and adding to the watch’s unmistakable wartime character. The screw-down case back retains its original military engravings including “W.W.W”, the British broad arrow issue mark, reference A3994 and serial number 3516910. Powered by the dependable manual wind Vertex calibre 56 movement, this example is fitted to a grey-blue NATO style strap which perfectly suits the utilitarian military aesthetic. An increasingly difficult Dirty Dozen reference to source in original condition, the Vertex WWW remains one of the standout pieces of the entire series thanks to its rarity, British heritage and timeless military design.

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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