The traditional sub-dial of the Record Dirty Dozen - Image Credit: WatchGecko Online Magazine That was when Commander Alan Brooke ( later Field Marshal 1st Viscount Alanbrooke) realised the importance of having a purpose-made general-use military wristwatch – the first non-civilian watch specifically commissioned for the British military.
They were stalwarts of British military timekeeping from the 1930s to 1943. Earlier ATP watches are more likely to come with such provenance. Thirdly, current Vertex Watch Company boss, Don Cochrane, says: ‘ The very first of these timepieces were delivered late in 1944.’ In reality, few watches are likely to have seen the kind of action that characterised the movie.
Internet horology club 185 archive#
With VG Day in May 1945 and VJ Day in August ( with official cessation of hostilities against Japan in September), some could have seen action.Īnother clue to wartime service comes in a reference to an IWC archive extract confirming that an IWC Fliegeruhr, Mark X, was originally sold on February 21, 1945. Weselowski suggests that some Timors and Omegas were available c. Most watches were reportedly delivered between May and December 1945, though Z. However, after looking into this, I find it hard to rule out the possibility that some of the 12 saw wartime service. The Dirty Dozen: fact and mythįrom £58.00My briefing for this article included the idea that, despite popular belief, it’s a myth that these watches actually saw wartime action.
Instead, think of this as a jumping-off point to other works with some of our ideas thrown in – including, whether any of the group actually saw action. Not to forget Konrad Knirim’s acclaimed British Military Timepieces: Uhren der britischen Streitkräfte – the sister volume to his earlier Militäruhren. That probably exists already among a body of work on many esteemed watch websites. So what are these 12 watches? And to what, apart from their wartime associations, does their appeal owe its origin? We’re not going to try to write the definitive online ‘Dirty Dozen’ article here. However, their growing appeal to military watch collectors and WW2 connection means the ‘ Dirty Dozen’ label later stuck fast. No association with the 12 watches was planned. Robert Aldrich’s now-classic war movie, The Dirty Dozen was released to massive commercial success. Then, in 1967, something happened that would eventually give the watches their sobriquet.
The identifier came from British War Office Specification R.S./Prov/4373A " Watches, Wristlet, Waterproof" ( W.W.W.) for Service wristwatches. found on the Dirty Dozen - Image Credit: ACollectedManįor nearly 20 years, they went under the descriptor “ Watches, Wristlet, Waterproof" ( W.W.W.). The irresistible collectability of watches exemplified Do you aspire to one example? Or do you have the budget ( currently around £40k) to acquire all 12?Įither way, The Dirty Dozen appeals to many military watch collectors. Despite this, some of the group remain relatively accessible. The rarity of complete sets of 12 original condition watches is clear from the fact that only around 20 complete sets are known to exist worldwide. This is due to the relatively few originals that remain and the different production volumes across the 12 brands. Since then, they’ve grown in collectability. Decades later, as these watches became increasingly collectable, they acquired the sobriquet of ‘The Dirty Dozen’ – after the 1964 war film of the same name. To source the numbers required ( estimated at just under 150,000), 12 manufacturers produced the watches, which were delivered in 19. From £58.00At the end of WW2, the British Ministry of Supply ( part of the War Office not today’s Ministry of Defence, which was formed in 1964) commissioned a basic, carefully specified watch for its armed forces.
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