Longines: A stainless steel manual wind military issue wrist...

Hammer

£2,000

Longines: A stainless steel manual wind military issue wristwatch Model: Dirty Dozen Reference: 23088 Date: Circa 1945 Movement: Cal.12.68Z 15 jewel, manual, number 6964208 Dial: Black, Arabic hour markers with luminous dots, white outer minutes track, subsidiary seconds at 6, replacement polished gold pointed hands with luminous inserts Case: Brushed tonneau form, stepped bezel, pull-out crown, screw-down back engraved 23088/1222 ↑ WWW F4946 Strap/Bracelet: Associated stainless expanding bracelet Size: 37mm Footnote:During the Second World War the British Ministry of Defence commissioned 12 watch companies to produce watches that were fit for military action. These companies were Buren, Cyma, Eterna, Grana, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Lemania, Longines, IWC, Omega, Record, Timor, and Vertex. The term 'Dirty Dozen', after the 1967 film, has been coined to describe these watches. It is estimated that approximately 150,000 watches were produced with around 8,000 examples delivered by Longines. Each was stamped with the military broad arrow mark and the initials WWW standing for 'Watch, Wrist, Waterproof'. The Longines model has latterly become known as the ‘Greenlander’, although the watch was never issued for the British North Greenland Expedition and the name derives from an erroneous attribution in a military watch book, as the author believed that the model was worn by soldiers on this expedition. Condition:• Case and back: Micro-abrasions, small scratches and tiny dints, consistent with age and use. • Crystal: Some small scratches. • Dial: Fair to good with some tiny losses to print. Lume possibly re-touched. • Hands: Replacements - fair condition with tip of minute hand slightly bent. • Strap: Minor signs of wear. • Movement: Winds, sets and runs. Unless otherwise stated, all watches are likely to have been serviced and/or repaired in their lifetime and may have had parts replaced. While a watch may be described as 'working' at the time of the report, they are not guaranteed for timekeeping - it is advised that all watches are inspected and serviced by a qualified jeweller or horologist before full use.