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Waltham WW2 Military Issued Watch, circa 1942

DocumentedDocumented from a dealer's listing; attribution and date as stated by the dealer.
Maker / attribution
Waltham (maker)
Date
c. 1942
Country of origin
United States
Object type
Wristwatch
Stock no.
vws4040
Credit line
Dealer listing, Vintage Watch Specialist (vws4040)
Catalogue title (original)
Waltham WW2 Military Issued Watch - Original Condition - c.1942 (English)

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Record summary

Catalogued by Vintage Watch Specialist (dealer), United Kingdom (stock number vws4040), this is a wristwatch by Waltham, made in United States, dated c. 1942. 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 superb WW2 military issued watch in nice original condition, full of character and nice lume, c.1942 Waltham Watch Company, founded in 1850 in Massachusetts, was a pioneer of American watchmaking and the first to mass-produce watches using interchangeable parts. Their precision, reliability, and innovation led to widespread military adoption, particularly during both World Wars, when Waltham supplied aircraft clocks, navigation timers, and rugged field watches to Allied forces. Revered for their robust engineering and historically important designs, Waltham timepieces remain highly collectible today, representing a defining era of American horological excellence. What's on Offer This Waltham WWII wristwatch is a wonderfully honest piece of American military history, dating to around 1942. Its mid-size nickel and stainless-steel case shows the warm brass undertones of age, giving it the unmistakable character collectors love. The stark black dial remains remarkably clean, featuring bold Arabic numerals and a full outer minute track—both essential for quick legibility during wartime. The original lume on the hands has aged to a soft pistachio hue, pairing beautifully with the striking red central seconds hand that provides an instant pop of military practicality. The domed plexiglass crystal has survived its service years well, adding to its authentic period charm. The caseback, originally engraved with military markings, has been scrubbed—something often seen when watches were decommissioned from service. Inside ticks a signed calibre 6/0 ’42 15-jewel manual-wind movement, protected by a dust cover, just as it would have been when issued. Fitted to a vintage-style NATO strap, this Waltham is a compact, wearable reminder of the brave men who once relied on 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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