dirty-dozen ww-2 british military officer forces
royal army

Jaeger-Lecoultre Dirty Dozen VB-10030 watch from 1940, a hand-wound mechanical military watch manufactured by Jaeger-Lecoultre for the English forces. This watch was produced at the beginning of the Second World War in 6000 copies to be distributed as an endowment in the British and Commonwealth armies, mainly to officers and senior officers of the Royal Army.

Jaeger-Lecoultre made this model to a standard of quality well above what the MoD (British Ministry of Defence) requested regarding the invitation to tender for W.W.W. The watch is equipped with the manufacture movement Jaeger-LeCoultre calibre 479 with 16 jewels, a movement of 12,75 lines of an exceptional finish for this type of wristwatch. This movement operates at 18,000 vibrations per hour and has a power reserve after a complete winding of forty hours.

The case of the Jaeger-LeCoultre dirty-dozen is in chromed metal. Its diameter is thirty-five millimetres with a width between the lugs of seventeen. The bracelet that accompanies it is a bracelet from the forties of American origin, many bracelets of this type were sent with weapons and ammunition to England by the famous convoys of Liberty's ships crossing the North Atlantic. The Jaeger-LeCoultre dirty-dozen presented here is referenced VB 10030 in British military stock and manufacturer code F.

The back of this watch is screwed down and bears the markings of military assignment, civilian serial number and M.O.D. serial number. The bottom inside is also stamped with the broad-arrow and W.W.W (like on the outside). The watch also bears the famous star notches on the outer edge of the case-back, which made it easier to maintain during its military career in the armed forces in the Commonwealth. It has illuminated luminous indexes on a circular hour rail, a large small seconds totalizer is housed at six o'clock, and the Jaeger-LeCoultre brand and the broad arrow are located in the upper half of the dial, above the central axis. A Plexiglas glass protects the dial with a black background and small seconds.

The hour and minute hands are cathedral-shaped (fly wings). These hands, very popular with the military because they are very readable in the dark, were generally reserved at the time for aviation watches. Using such needles (much more expensive than those requested) testifies to the desire for quality and the care in the design taken by the Manufacture Jaeger-LeCoultre to produce this rare dirty-dozen model.

In terms of collection, the Jaeger-Lecoultre dirty-dozen vb 10030 is considered one of the rarest watches in terms of availability on the militaria and collectable market. Also very popular with watch enthusiasts, its quality of production, robustness and reputation has made it a rare watch whose rating on the market continues to increase. (Great Britain having made its Brexit, import taxes are also to be added to its value, most of the available parts being returned after the war to the United Kingdom.)

In terms of use, it is one of the most elegant military watches, which can be worn on all occasions as its quality and aesthetics give it a classic vintage look that goes perfectly with a dressy outfit. A watch with a past rich in stories and adventures will accompany whoever wears it with the recognized elegance of Her Most Gracious Majesty's officers.