Here we have a good-looking example of a 1945 Vertex ‘Dirty Dozen’ WWW, British Army Issue military watch. It has a well sized 35.8mm case, which is a chrome plated brass composition with the bevelled bezel design. It has the brushed finish to the bezel, tops of the lugs and the sides of the case. It also has the original broad crown to the right.
The dial is very good for the age, it still has a good black tone. The luminous plots are good and clear, with an aged pumpkin tone. It has bold arabic numerals which are a bright white tone. The railroad track sits around the outside, with the sunken sub-second dial above 6. The dial is signed ‘Vertex’ below 12, with the Broad arrow.
The luminous Syringe hands indicate the time and have the aged pumpkin tone lume. The screw back is signed with broad arrow and ‘W.W.W.’ marking, with the two serial numbers. It is also stamped inside. The serial number on the lug, does not match the case back. Inside is the manual wind Vertex calibre 59 movement. It is in good condition, keeping time to within +/- 20 seconds a day.
The Vertex is the only British member of the Dirty Dozen. The company has a history of supplying to the British military since 1915. Vertex is now led by Don Cochrane, who relaunched the brand in 2016. The WWW watch inspired the M100 and M100B, which acted as a modern interpretation of the Dirty Dozen Vertex.
It is estimated that around 15,000 Vertex examples were produced. The case is chrome plated brass and the model is known for its distinctive Syringe style hands. It has a good case diameter of 35.8mm. The dial maintains its deep black tone. The white signing is bright and clear. The case is in pretty good condition for the age. The brushed finishes are still visible, with limited brassing.
History of Dirty Dozen:
They are affectionately known by collectors as the Dirty Dozen, after the 1960s film, which depicted the misadventures of 12 fictional soldiers during WW2. It is also a neat reference to the 12 different examples.
During the 1940s the MOD in Britain required watches to be issued to the military during WW2. They needed to be reliable, accurate and durable. The specification required that they have a black dial, clear Arabic numerals, luminous hour/minute hands, luminous plots, a railroad minute track, a sub-second dial and a shatterproof crystal.
They invited Swiss brands to build watches to these specific criteria. 12 brands were chosen. These were; Buren, Cyma, Eterna, Grana, jaeger LeCoultre, Lemania, Longines, IWC, Omega, Record, Timor and Vertex.
They were the first watch specification designed for military use, rather than the military using watches adapted from civilian design.
They were delivered in 1944 and into 1945, which meant that many of the watches may not have seen action. Comparatively, ATP issue watches were worn throughout the second world war. Despite this, the WWW watches are desirable and widely collected due to the larger sizing of the cases, the black dials and for some examples, the full Stainless cases.
They were issued under the classification of ‘General Service’, but they were issued to special units, including radio operators and artillery staff members.
The watch has the Broad Arrow (pheon) which indicates that it was British Government issue property.
The watches carry the W.W.W. stamp to the rear, which was a code established by the British Army. It simply stood for ‘Watches.Wristlet.Waterproof.’ Two serial numbers were engraved, one being the manufacturers and the second with the letter, from the military store.
Less than 20 collectors in the world have a complete set. Even though over 150,000 were produced in total, one example in particular, the Grana, has a very low production number and subsequently, a high value.
Good examples are hard to come by. They were sent back to the Corps of Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers (R.E.M.E), which dealt with all mechanical equipment. They had little interest in preserving originality and with so many watches needing work, the concern was to get them back on the wrist as soon as possible. This means that on the models with serial numbers on the case back and the lugs, not many match due to other backs being put on. Post war, examples were also replaced with non-radioactive dials.
Please see the images as these compliment and aid the description provided below. A further condition report is below.
Dial:
The dial is original and is in good condition. It has a pleasing light and even speckled patina. The numerals and signing are bright and white. The railroad track is clear without wear. The lume plots have aged and are a dark tone.
Hands:
The hands are original and are in good condition for the age. They are silver, of syringe style with the aged luminous paint.
Glass:
The acrylic crystal would appear to be an older replacement. It is in good condition but has one scratch in line with the broad arrow to the underside.
Crown:
The crown is stainless steel and is original, with neat coin edge finish. It has slight marking to the face associated with ageing.
Case:
The case is chrome plated and is in good condition for the age. The case has a light brushed finish to the top of the bezel, the lugs and the sides of the case. There are small scratches all over, as expected with age and wear. The fixed bar lugs are good and strong. There are areas of brassing.
Caseback:
The screw on case back is original Vertex. It is in good condition with clear engraving and the original brushed finish. It does have light surface scratching and some deeper marks from poor opening attempts.
Strap:
The watch comes on a genuine leather NATO style strap.
Movement:
The movement is a Vertex cal 59. It is a 15-jewel manual wind calibre, which has a beat rate of 18,000 BPH.
The movement has been serviced. It’s keeping time to within -30 seconds a day, with an amplitude of 245 degrees and a beat error of 0.0m/s.
Case dimensions:
Case width: 35.8mm
Case width with crown: 39.4mm
Case length: 35.8mm
Case length lug to lug: 47mm
Case Depth: 10mm
Lug width: 18mm