Military Jaeger LeCoultre Dirty Dozen MOD Tritium Dial with Replated Case circa.1945 Caseback Ref: WWW 285851

The “Dirty Dozen” refers to twelve military watches produced during World War II for the British Army. These watches were commissioned by the British Ministry of Defence and were meant to meet specific criteria for durability, accuracy, and reliability in the field. The watches were issued to various branches of the British Armed Forces.

Twelve Swiss companies manufactured the Dirty Dozen watches, and each model had similar specifications, including a black dial with white Arabic numerals, luminous hands and indices, a stainless steel case, and a mechanical hand-wound movement. The watches were designed to withstand the harsh conditions of military service.

Whats on Offer

Here we have a Jaeger LeCoultre Dirty Dozen dating to c.1945. These Jaeger watches were part of the 12 watches issued by the Ministry of Defence nearing the end of WWII. When serviced by the Ministry of Defence, quite often, the original dials, which were radium were replaced with tritium service dials and hands. These are now referred to as MoD dials.The watch in question has been fitted with a tritium dial and hands. The Dial is in a matte black and overall in very good condition.

At some point in time, the case for this watch has been re-plated and looks shinier than it should, but this does not detract from it being a great piece if you are looking for a military Jaeger watch without the worry of it having a Radium dial and prefer the look of this case finish! The original cases were plated but finished in a gunmetal grey colour instead of a chrome shine.

When looking at the back of the watch the caseback is manufactured from stainless steel and displays military engravings. Inside the case you can find the original 479 calibre movement which came with all Jaeger Dirty Dozens.

Although the watch is running it has not been properly tested or serviced and is therefore offered for sale as seen, as we are selling it on behalf of a watch collector’s family who has asked us to help sell an entire collection – this is reflected in the price. It is still a very nice watch with great historical significance. The watch however can be serviced by our watchmaker, at additional cost to you, once you have made the purchase please add a note when placing it in your basket and we will contact you to discuss this. Once serviced the watch will be given a 12-month warranty.