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 25,000 Records issued to troops during the Second World War, who knows how many survive.
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To make this Watch even more interesting, Originally this Record came equipped with a radium dial whereas this example has an uncommon Tritium dial. The Ministry of Defence replaced these dials to safer tritium dials sometime in the 50's and are seldom seen.
View this Soldier in a video: here
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The Specs
Age: c.1945 (Dial 1950s)
Reference: W.W.W
Movement: Manual wind with Sub Seconds.
Calibre: 022K
Timekeeping: Very good.
Service History: Last Known Service 2020 by John Senior.
Dial: Original MoD Tritium Replacement Dial.
Case: Chrome Plated with Stainless Steel Caseback.
Measurements: without/with Crown: 35.8mm/39.1mm End to End: 46.7mm
Bezel: Solid.
Water Resistant?: No.
Hands: Original.
Crystal: Correct Acrylic crystal.
Crown: Correct Original unsigned Crown.
Strap/Bracelet: Used 18mm Genuine Military Issue Phoenix 90's strap with Brushed Steel fixtures.
Lug Width: 18mm
Getting Acquainted
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Bits that stand out:
- Hard to find Tritium Dial.
- Hard to find in good order.
-Crisp Military markings to the back.
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Nitty Gritty:
-Some minor marks to case and some minor wear throughout the Chrome plating.
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Overall the Record is in very nice Vintage condition.
The Dial is in lovely condition.
Chrome Case is in good nick, the Record case is amongst the most vulnerable for wear to the plate, however the wear on this case is fair and is in good order for its nature.
Caseback markings are very nice.
Original Crown.
Crystal in good shape.
Hands are in lovely shape.
Photographed on a 7in Wrist.
