In-Depth The
'Dirty Dozen,' An Incredible Collection Of 12 (Mostly) Inexpensive Military
Watches
The first
non-civilian wristwatches ever used by British forces, they are some of the
most sought after military timepieces today.
Arthur
Touchot
July 25,
2016
https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/dirty-dozen-twelve-military-watches
The Dirty
Dozen is the name of a movie from the 1960s, depicting the misadventures of 12
fictional soldiers during the Second World War. It is also, in watch collecting
circles, the name given to a group of 12 watches worn by those who actually
fought in it – specifically, British soldiers. They were commissioned by the
British Ministry of Defense (MoD) during World War II, and while they may not
be as highly rated as other military watches when they are presented
individually, as a set, they become some of the most collectible – specifically
(but not exclusively), by British collectors.
The British
military had always been equipped with the most contemporary timekeepers of
their era, from the marine chronometers of Harrison, John Arnold, and other
horological pioneers, which gave the Royal Navy the essential ability to
reliably determine longitude at sea, to "unbreakable glass"
wristwatches advertised by Smiths watches during the First World War. But, when
Great Britain declared war on Germany in 1939, few local watch companies could
compete with Switzerland’s greater production capabilities, and those still in
the business of making components were asked to focus their efforts on building
military parts for the Air Force and the Navy.
Switzerland
would export large quantities of watches and pocket watches during WWII, to
both the Allied Forces and the Germans, but these were civilian market orders
which pre-dated the war. The MoD thought these were not suitable to the needs
of British soldiers, and decided to place an order for custom-built
wristwatches. 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.
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.
Twelve
companies would fulfill this brief: Buren, Cyma, Eterna, Grana,
Jaeger-LeCoultre, Lemania, Longines, IWC, Omega, Record, Timor, and Vertex.
Each
manufacturer delivered as many watches as their production capabilities would
allow. Though official numbers have not been released by the MoD, we believe
the largest companies were able to take orders of up to 25,000, while smaller
manufacturers produced around 5,000 pieces – only IWC, JLC, and Omega kept a
strict record of their order: respectively 6,000, 10,000, and 25,000. Collectively, they would export
around 150,000 wristwatches to Britain during the second half of 1945,
classified for "General Service" but issued to special units,
including radio operators, and artillery staff members.
The Dirty
Dozen are easily identifiable by the engraving on the back. The three Ws, which
stand for for Watch, Wrist, Waterproof, identify the watches as government
property and indicate the type of good in order to distinguish them from
weaponry. Other defining features include Broad Arrow heads, on the dial, inner
case, and at the back, and two more lines of engravings at the back: a military
serial number – a capital letter followed by up to five digits – above a
second, standard civil serial number - some watches have the civil one on the
inner case. (The use of the Broad Arrow for government goods goes all the way
back to Sir Philip Sidney, Joint Master of the Ordnance in 1585, whose family
used the Broad Arrow in its coat of arms.)
Today,
hundreds if not thousands of collectors own military watches commissioned by
the MoD. But very few collectors – some suggest less than 20 in the world – own
a complete set of “The Dirty Dozen” in original condition. Why? Because, even
though so many were made and most can be found relatively easily, others like
the Grana pose a much great challenge.
Not because
it looks any different, or any better than the other eleven – it doesn’t. In
fact, collectors typically point to other watches when you ask them which one
they find most attractive. As ever when rating watches based on looks alone, no
one seems to agree.
However,
most point to the Longines as their favorite. Its contemporary size (38 mm) and
the stepped case make it one of the most interesting. Others swear by IWC’s
version of the W.W.W, also known as the Mark X, which has inspired its own
dedicated following, and spawned a line of successors which continues to grow
to this day – this year’s Mark XVIII being the latest.
But of the
Dozen, none is more desirable than the Grana, simply because it is by far the
most difficult to find. According to Konrad Knirim’s book British Military
Timepieces, less than 5,000, and perhaps even only 1,000, were made for the
MoD, making it the rarest of the lot.
Considering
the scarcity and history behind that watch, it’s perhaps surprising to learn
that it’s still within the realm of the affordable. When they come up, as one
did recently during the Watches of Knightsbridge July auction, they typically
have a minimum asking price around $7,000. That's seven times what collectors
pay for the most common W.W.W, but far, far less than six-figure Milsubs.
Then there
are the other eleven. Funding an entire collection requires deep pockets, and
collecting the Dirty Dozen – especially if you want them in original condition
– is not without its pitfalls. Due to the extreme conditions they were
subjected to, many of them were repaired and restored at some point during
their lifetime. And that meant being sent back to the Corps of Royal Electrical
& Mechanical Engineers (R.E.M.E), which dealt with all mechanical equipment
in need of maintenance or repair, including watches worn by military personnel.
Of course,
the Corps had little interest in preserving the originality of the watches that
came back. Their primary concern was to get them back in the field as quickly
as possible, and they found it much more practical and time efficient to
restore watches using MoD replacement parts of lower quality and in some cases,
with parts from other models. Mistakes were made, especially when changing case
backs. And then there's what happened after the war. In the 1960s, dials
containing radium and promethium were replaced by non-radioactive dials (the
Longines and the IWC in the Watches of Knightsbridge are both examples of this
practice).
Because of
this, collectors should tread carefully when acquiring these watches online or
through auctions, if the originality of the piece is their primary concern.
Besides the
Grana, the most elusive W.W.Ws are those which returned, albeit briefly, to MoD
at the end of the war in Europe. Those that could be saved, or did not need
saving, were sold to other Allied forces still engaged on other fronts, such as
the Pakistani Military, the Dutch Military and the Indonesian military. These
have a fourth line of engraving, identifying the watches’ new owners.
Final
Thoughts
There are
about as many reasons to collect watches, as there are watch collectors in this
world. For some, they are way to connect with an important part of our history.
For others, the motivation comes from the thrill of finding a rare piece. The
Dirty Dozen satisfies them both.
And then
there are those who seek watches of great and undeniable beauty. By their
nature, military watches offer little to that type of collector, though many
find the honesty of their design incredibly satisfying in itself.
Finally,
there’s the straightforward challenge of collecting The Dozen. Twelve. It’s a
number that sounds dangerously attainable, especially when you consider the
prices of the most common models, and large enough to cement the credibility of
the collection by size alone. But it's much, much harder than it sounds.
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