The Watch
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Introduced in 1939 just before the outbreak of WW2, the Army Trade Pattern (ATP) Wristwatches were the first official, general-purpose field watches commissioned by the British Ministry of Defence (MoD). To fulfill this massive wartime contract, the MoD sourced roughly 133,000 timepieces from 17 Swiss manufacturers: Buren, Cortebert, Cyma, Ebel, Enicar, Eterna, Font, Grana, Lemania, Leonidas, Moeris, Reconvilier, Record, Revue, Rotary, Timor, and Unitas. These hand-wound, 15-jewel watches featured fixed strap bars and luminous dials designed to survive heavy combat across all wartime theatres, serving as the direct operational precursors to the famous post-war "Dirty Dozen" collection.
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Following the conclusion of World War II, rather than destroying its surplus military gear, the resource-strapped British government chose to recycle and reallocate functional equipment. This particular Timor ATP watch was formally transferred to the RAF, where it was re-catalogued under the dedicated aviation stores code 6E/385.
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Once modified, these 6E/385 Wristwatches were issued directly to the RAF Mountain Rescue Service, an elite, all weather search and rescue unit formed in 1943 to locate and save crews from aircraft that crashed in the UK's most rugged and mountainous regions. Operating in freezing, zero-visibility blizzards and scaling treacherous rock faces, these rescue teams relied entirely on manual navigation tools in an era long before GPS. These Watches were used by crews to calculate precise dead-reckoning navigation timings, coordinate critical ground search patterns, and strictly monitor survival windows for injured pilots in life-or-death scenarios.
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This Particular example has the most uncommon (and attractive) Black and Gilt Dial Variation. You can read all about these ATP Watches by visiting this excellent blog by Bobsy: here.
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The Specs
Age: c.1943, reissued around 1950.
Reference: ATP, 6E/385.
Movement: Manual Winding with Sub Seconds.
Calibre: Timor 99.
Timekeeping: Good.
Service History: Unknown. Inspected and Regulated June 2026.
Dial: Original Black and Gilt Dial.
Case: Chrome with Stainless Steel Caseback.
Measurements: 31mm.
Bezel: Solid.
Water Resistant?: No.
Hands: Original.Â
Crystal: Original Crystal.
Crown: Correct Original unsigned Crown.Â
Strap/Bracelet: On an old period correct Leather fold over strap. In good vintage condition.
Lug Width: 17mm.
Getting Acquainted
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Bits that stand out:
- Rare Black and Gilt Dial.
- All Original and Correct.
-Full of History.
-Chrome in good order for age and nature.
Nitty Gritty:
-Markings to the Case & Bezel.
-Crystal scratched, with markings throughout.
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Overall the Mountaineer is in nice condition.
The Dial is in good condition.
Case is in ok shape.
Caseback markings are nice.
Original Crown.
Original Crystal, with lots of wear.
Hands are in good shape.
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Photographed on a 7in Wrist.
