The "Dirty Dozen" is the title of a 1960s movie that chronicles the misadventures of twelve fictional soldiers during World War II. In watch-collecting circles, however, it refers to a group of twelve watches that were worn by actual British soldiers during the conflict. These timepieces were commissioned by the British Ministry of Defense (MoD) during World War II.

During World War II, Switzerland exported large quantities of watches and pocket watches to both the Allied Forces and the Germans. However, these were civilian market orders that predated the war. The British Ministry of Defense (MoD) deemed these timepieces unsuitable for the needs of British soldiers and decided to place an order for custom-built wristwatches. These watches needed to be accurate, reliable, and durable, which, in watchmaking terms, meant they had to meet chronometer standards and be waterproof and shockproof.

The specifications required 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. Twelve companies were selected to fulfill this brief: Lemania, Vertex, Buren, Cyma, Grana, IWC, Eterna, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Longines, Omega, and Timor.

This Omega example features a 35mm stainless steel case with military markings intact on the case back. The dial adheres to the MoD specifications with black Arabic numerals, luminous hour markers, and the distinctive Omega “sword” hands. These watches were designed for functionality and often saw updates, such as reluming, during post-war service by MoD watchmakers. In this example, the hands have been relumed, but color-wise, they still match nicely.

Fully serviced by our watchmaker, this watch comes with the pictured single-pass strap and is ready for a new chapter of adventures. Get in touch!

Specifications:

- Omega WWW “Dirty Dozen” military wristwatch
- 35mm steel case with fixed lugs
- Movement serial 102xxxxx dating to the 1940s
- Screw-down case back with WWW /|\ WWW/ Y13xxx/ 10577xxx military engraving
- Black dial with Arabic numerals, relumed sword hands, small running second hand
- Omega manual-wind movement cal. 30T2
- Comes with the pictured single-pass strap
- One-year mechanical warranty
- Fully serviced by our watchmaker
- Free worldwide FedEx Priority shipping