WW2 Longines Dirty Dozen Wristwatch c.1945

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The Watch

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W.W.W referred to as Wrist Watch Waterproof.  
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In WW2, under increasing pressure from the Germans, the MoD needed to kit out their Troops with a Wristwatch that would stand the harsh realities of War.
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The MoD put out specifications for this Wristwatch, that many Swiss Companies answered, the MoD whittled this down to 12 Companies hence the term "Dirty Dozen". These needed to be accurate, reliable and durable, which in watchmaking terms meant they had to be regulated to chronometer standards, and also be waterproof and shockproof.
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The watches also had to have a black dial, Arabic numerals, luminous hour and minute hands, luminous hour markers, a railroad minute track, a shatterproof crystal, and a stainless-steel case. Powering them would be 15-jewel movements, measuring between 11.75 and 13 lignes.

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 The 12 companies chosen were: Buren, Cyma, Eterna, Grana, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Lemania, Longines, IWC, Omega, Record, Timor, and Vertex.

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There were only 8,000 Longines issued to troops during the Second World War, who knows how many survive.

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With its contemporary size (38 mm) and the stepped case makes it one of the most interesting of all the Dirty Dozen variants and it's no surprise that it is very high on the majority of the serious Military Collectors wishlist.

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You can read the history of the Dirty Dozen in one of our Blogs: here

View this Soldier in a video: here

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The Specs


Age: c.1945.
Reference: W.W.W
Movement: Manual wind with Sub Seconds.
Calibre: 12.68Z
Timekeeping: Very good.
Service History: Full Service, September 2022.
Dial: Original Longines Military Dial.
Case: All Stainless Steel with Screw Caseback.
Measurements: without/with Crown: 38mm/40mm End to End: 46.3mm
Bezel: Solid.
Water Resistant?: No.
Hands: Original.
Crystal: Correct Acrylic crystal.
Crown: Correct Original unsigned Crown.
Strap/Bracelet: New 18mm Beige canvas NATO Style strap with Steel fixtures.
Lug Width: 18mm



Getting Acquainted

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Bits that stand out:
- Lume has aged beautifully throughout.
-Beautiful Stepped Case.
- Hard to find and to find one in such good order.
- Fully serviced Movement.
-Crisp Military markings to the back.


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Nitty Gritty:
-Small marks and scratches to the case.

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Overall the Longines is in very nice Vintage condition.
The Dial is in lovely condition.
Case is in very nice nick, with two small scuff marks near the Crown.
Caseback markings are very nice.
Original Crown.
New correct Crystal fitted during service.
Hands are in lovely shape.

Photographed on a 7in Wrist.