The WWW British issue wristwatches are perhaps the most desired and collectible watches among all those issued to the British Army. This is perhaps because they were the first to be specially designed and custom made for the British Army.
'WWW' is said to stand for Watch, Wrist, Waterproof and was the descriptive code used by the British Army to identify it as a piece of equipment issued by the government.
These watches began being manufactured and issued to the British Forces in early 1944.
Here we have a proper piece of British military watch history: an original circa 1945 Record Watch Co. W.W.W. wristwatch, one of the famous twelve Swiss-made watches commissioned for British military service at the end of the Second World War and now universally known to collectors as the “Dirty Dozen”.
What immediately appeals to us about this example is that it has not been prettied up. It is an honest old military watch and looks exactly as one should. The original black dial has developed plenty of character over the last 80 years, with age to the printing, luminous plots and numerals, but importantly it still has the unmistakable layout specified for military use: large Arabic numerals, an outer railway-style minute track, luminous hour plots, subsidiary seconds at 6 o’clock and broad, highly legible hands. Beneath the Record name at 12 sits the British Government Broad Arrow or “pheon”, identifying the watch as Government property. The W.W.W. specification called for this sort of highly legible black dial, subsidiary seconds and robust construction for military use.
The wear on the dial is very much part of the appeal here. Some of the numerals and luminous areas have aged more heavily than others, while the black dial itself has softened with time. We would much rather see this than a freshly refinished military dial. There is no pretending this watch has spent its life in a drawer – it has the visual character of an issued piece of equipment.
The case is equally honest. Record's W.W.W. watches used a chrome-plated main case with a stainless-steel screw back, rather than the fully stainless construction found on certain other Dirty Dozen models. Inevitably, after eight decades, there is visible wear to the plating around the bezel, case edges and lugs. Again, we see this as part of the watch rather than something to remove. The case retains its fixed military bars and broad, curved lugs, giving it the familiar purposeful shape that went on to influence generations of field watches. Record examples are generally around 36mm across, a surprisingly wearable size even today.
The case back is particularly nice because all the important military markings remain clearly visible. It is stamped:
W.W.W. Broad Arrow L19198 537045
The lettered number is the military store/issue number, while the second number is the manufacturer's serial. The “W.W.W.” designation is generally understood as “Watch, Wrist, Waterproof” – essentially the British Army's equipment specification for these purpose-built wristwatches.
Inside, this Record model is the company's own manual-winding calibre 022K, a 15-jewel movement specifically associated with Record's W.W.W. watches. Multiple surviving Record military examples with the same case and dial configuration are documented with the 022K,
We have fitted the watch to a khaki military-style webbing/canvas strap from Haveston Watches & Straps. It suits the watch exceptionally well and gives it the right utilitarian appearance without trying to make an 80-year-old watch look new. Haveston specialise in historically influenced field and military straps, including designs based on wartime equipment colours and materials. Haveston Watches & Straps https://www.haveston.com/2-home
Extra Points
There were 12 Swiss manufacturers of the WWW contracted to the forces, and as such, the collection is commonly referred to by collectors and dealers alike as “The Dirty Dozen”. Omega, Longines, Jaeger Lecoultre , International Watch Co, Eterna and Cyma to name a few.
Record is a much more interesting manufacturer than many people realise. The Record Watch Company was founded in Tramelan, Switzerland in 1903, originally to manufacture the unusual patented “Sector Watch”, a triangular pocket watch with a retrograde-style display. Record developed into a genuine manufacture producing its own movements and, by the Second World War, was an established Swiss watchmaker capable of meeting the demanding British military specification.
In 1944–45 the British authorities commissioned purpose-built military wristwatches from a group of Swiss manufacturers. The twelve suppliers whose watches were ultimately accepted were Buren, Cyma, Eterna, Grana, IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Lemania, Longines, Omega, Record, Timor and Vertex. Collectors later gave them the wonderfully memorable nickname “The Dirty Dozen”. The specification called for a robust, accurate manual-winding watch with a black dial, Arabic numerals, luminous hands and markers, subsidiary seconds and a waterproof case. The watches were delivered principally in 1945.
Record is believed to have supplied somewhere around 25,000 examples, making it less scarce than a Grana but still a genuinely historic military watch in its own right. More importantly, it was not simply a generic movement in a government case – Record manufactured the 022K movement used in these watches.
Record's story did not end with the war. The company went on to build an excellent reputation for precision watches and railway timepieces; in 1960 a Record pocket watch was accepted for widespread use on American railroads. Longines then acquired a majority interest in Record in 1961, after which Record watches and movements continued for a period under the wider Longines organisation.
The watch comes fully serviced by our on-site workshop and with our 12 months, non-waterproof service cover.
What we think
This is exactly how we like a military watch.
It is not perfect, and that is precisely the point. The plating has wear, the dial has scars, the luminous material has aged and parts of the printing have faded. To polish the case, repaint the dial or start trying to make this look like a modern reissue would, in our opinion, remove much of what makes it interesting and actually devalue the watch.
There is something particularly satisfying about looking at those W.W.W. numbers and Broad Arrows and knowing that this was not originally sold as jewellery. It was Government equipment. It was designed to tell the time clearly, reliably and quickly, and somewhere during its 80-year life it has quite obviously been used.
We also think the Record is a particularly good way into the Dirty Dozen story. Omega, IWC, Longines and Jaeger-LeCoultre inevitably get a lot of the attention, but Record was a serious movement manufacturer in its own right and the calibre 022K makes this much more than simply a military case with an obscure name on the dial.
The Haveston khaki webbing strap finishes it perfectly. It looks purposeful rather than theatrical and, importantly, still allows the watch itself to remain the focus. We'd leave this one exactly as it is: scratches, wear, faded lume and all. An honest old soldier rather than a restored museum exhibit.
Spec Stuff
Serial : 537045
Reference : L19198
Movement : In house Record 022K 15 Jewels
Age : 1941/1950 Specific Age : 1944-45 Case Size : 36mm Case Thickness : 12mm Lug to Lug : 46mm Lugs :18mm Condition : Pre-Owned Box & Papers : No Case Material : Chrome on Brass - Steel back Service History : Our 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty
1945 Record watch co original British Military WWW Dirty Dozen Wristwatch Army issue Cal 022K
