A Very Rare Military Issued Longines in Fantastic Condition with an Original Military Dial and Stainless Steel Case, c.1945

The background to this watch is a little mysterious – initially believed to have been crafted for British WWII special forces and paratroopers to wear during D-Day and Operation Market Garden but also there are whisperings of the watches being used by underwater demolitions teams – this seems unlikely as it doesn’t appear a particulary water tight case.

There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding these remarkable timepieces, as their detailed background and intended use are still unknown. What is definite, however, is that they are extremely uncommon and quite hard to locate.

What’s on Offer

The dial is an original longines military dial, as denoted by the MoD arrow, it also has the synonymous bold Arabic numerals in black underwritten by the 24 hour clock in red. The hour plots boast their original lume which has aged beautifully and corresponds with the lume in the hands. The dial is encapsulated underneath shatterproof Plexiglas and encased in stainless steel. There are very few of these watches in circulation and one I have located does have markings on the caseback but they are not military-based – our case back is blank which would be unusual for a military-issued watch however, as I mentioned before, there is little known about the intended use of these pieces.

The watch is in great shape and has been serviced by the revered military watchmaker, John Senior, so it is in the best shape possible for a watch of this age.

This is sure to pique the interest of any military watch collector and would make a very substantial asset in their collection.