What We Fancy

Watch, Wrist, Waterproof. This was the code established by the British Army to distinguish these from all other military equipment. The MoD (Ministry of Defense) expected for each wristwatch to be waterproof, luminous, chronometer regulated & a hardy case. Like most other military watches, these had to have black dials, Arabic numerals & subsidiary seconds for maximum legibility. All 12 of the Dirty Dozen were ordered by the MoD during WWII & delivered roughly 145,000 of them in 1945. Jaeger made roughly 6,000 during the war, making it one of the rarer of the Dozen. This example comes straight from the original owner’s granddaughter who mentioned it had been sitting in a drawer in England since the 1960s! Just how you want to find these.

Brand: Jaeger-LeCoultre

Model: W.W.W. for the Ministry of Defense

Case: 35mm wide (excluding crown), 46mm tall, chrome-plated, steel screw-down case back, original unsigned crown, mineral crystal, fixed lugs

Movement: JLC caliber 479, manual winding, recently serviced

Bracelet/ Strap: Dark brown open-ended leather, 17mm lug width

Features: White Arabic hour markers, cathedral handset, subsidiary seconds, screw-down case back, mineral crystal, radium lume, circa 1945

Box & Papers: No

Condition: In overall very good all original condition. The dial is good with some defects such as lume loss and speckling. Totally normal for a watch of this age. The case has some plate loss but is overall minimal for this model so overall very good. The movement has been recently fully serviced and runs like new.

Backed by our one-year repair warranty. To trade in your watch towards this purchase or to make arrangements for purchase via wire, check/ cash to save on fees, please send us a message or email. Accompanied by a free Suede Travel Pouch.