We are very pleased to offer this exceptional 1967 Smiths W10 British military issue wristwatch, and in our opinion this is quite possibly one of the finest examples currently available in the UK. The Smiths W10 has become one of the most desirable post-war British military watches, and this particular watch is especially interesting as it dates from 1967, the first year that Smiths supplied this General Service wristwatch to the British Armed Forces. The military case back is clearly engraved W10/6645-99-961-4045, together with the Broad Arrow and individual issue number 2602/67, confirming its 1967 date. Black Bough What really separates this watch from the majority we see is its outstanding overall original condition, particularly the dial, hands and luminous material. Military watches were tools rather than jewellery and many surviving W10s have understandably suffered hard use, moisture damage, replacement parts or considerable ageing. This one is remarkably well preserved. The original matt black dial is superb. The white Arabic numerals, outer railway minute track, SMITHS signature and MADE IN ENGLAND printing remain wonderfully sharp and clean. At 12 o'clock is the familiar luminous triangle, with matching luminous hour plots around the dial. The warm cream/yellow colour of the original-style aged lume gives the watch exactly the appearance collectors hope to find, while avoiding the heavily degraded or mismatched look so often seen on military watches of this age. Particularly pleasing is how well the lume in the sword-shaped hour and minute hands matches the dial markers. The hands themselves remain in superb condition, and together with the clean white centre seconds hand they give the watch an unusually fresh appearance for something approaching sixty years old. The circled "T" below the Smiths name denotes the use of tritium luminous material, while the government Broad Arrow above 6 o'clock immediately identifies the watch's military pedigree. The stainless-steel case is equally impressive. It retains its purposeful brushed military appearance with strong case shape and excellent definition to the long, downturned lugs. Importantly, it has not acquired the soft, overly polished appearance that can spoil these watches. There are of course small signs of use appropriate to a genuine service watch, but overall this is an exceptionally sharp example. The W10 was designed with fixed steel strap bars rather than conventional spring bars, allowing a military pass-through strap to remain attached even if one section failed. We have paired this watch with a khaki/brown military-style webbing strap which suits it perfectly and completes the utilitarian appearance. Under the domed acrylic crystal sits the hand-wound Smiths calibre 60466E, a 17-jewel English-made movement incorporating hacking seconds, allowing the seconds hand to be stopped while setting the time so watches could be synchronised accurately in military service. The watch has been fully serviced through our workshop and is being supplied with our extended 2-year NON-waterproof service cover. Supplied on the Green Nato by https://www.watchgecko.com/collections/all-watch-straps - Other strap options available on request.
The watch has been fully serviced by our on-site workshop. My father who started AWC in 1973 worked in the smiths watch department during the early years and is very familiar with the quality and history. We still stock most parts for vintage smiths English watches today. This watch comes with our extended 24month, non-waterproof service cover for total purchase confidence.
The Smiths W10 occupies a particularly important position in British watchmaking history. Smiths had been awarded the Ministry of Defence contract by late 1966 to manufacture General Service watches for the Armed Forces, with personnel including helicopter pilots, paratroopers and tank crews among the intended users. The W10 subsequently became one of the last mechanical military wristwatches to be manufactured in England rather than imported from Switzerland. Black Bough Smiths itself has a fascinating history. Originally founded in London in 1851 by Samuel Smith, the company developed from watch and clock making into automotive instruments, aviation equipment and precision engineering. During the twentieth century Smiths became one of the great names of British manufacturing, with its Cheltenham operation responsible for some of the company's most important mechanical watches. The W10 is arguably one of the purest expressions of that history. Everything about it was dictated by function: the highly legible black and white dial, luminous markings, hacking centre seconds, strong stainless-steel case, fixed bars and anti-reflective brushed finish. There is very little decoration because there simply did not need to be. Smiths supplied the W10 during a comparatively short period at the end of the 1960s and into 1970, making the 1967 examples particularly desirable as first-year pieces. Later British military watches were supplied by makers including Hamilton and CWC, making the Smiths an important closing chapter in genuinely English mechanical military watch production. Condition is everything with these watches. Plenty of W10s survive, but finding one where the dial, printing, hands, luminous material, case and military engravings have all survived this well is another matter entirely. The case-back markings on this watch remain beautifully clear, and the combination of the crisp black dial with wonderfully even creamy lume makes this particular example stand well above the average.
What we think
There is something truly amazing about wearing a military watch, never knowing what it may have seen or been through throughout its life, whose wrist it was on etc... That is what I think people are drawn to with military watches - the unknown, but the potential. An all English example ,serviced by us established 1973 - Maybe my father assembled this movement in 1967 who knows.
For somebody looking for a Smiths W10 to simply tick the box in a collection, there are cheaper and more worn examples available. For someone wanting an exceptional 1967 first-year example, where condition and originality really matter, we think this would be extremely difficult to better. Quite possibly one of the best Smiths W10 examples available in the UK today, and certainly one of the nicest we have had the pleasure of offering.
Smiths W10s have seen a steady increase in value over recent years and it doesn’t show any signs of slowing down as more people are discovering this underrated brand. Originality is important and this is a real honest example.
Spec Stuff
Reference : W10 / 6645-99-961-4045
Movement : Manual Wind Cal. 60466E 17 Jewels + Hacking Age :1961/1970 Specific Age :1967 Case Size : 36mm Case Thickness :11mm Lug to Lug : 47mm Lugs :18mm Condition : Pre-Owned Box & Papers : No Case Material :Stainless Steel Service History : 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty
