Longines WWW
The Ministry of Defence in the 1940s developed a specification for military issue wristwatches. The specification is referred to as W.W.W., an acronym which stands for Watch, Wristlet (i.e. not a pocket watch) and Waterproof. W.W.W. is marked on the case back along with the serial number and manufacturer code (F for Longines). In all there were 12 different manufacturers who produced watches to this specification for the MoD, collectively they are referred to as “The Dirty Dozen”, there’s an excellent introduction to these watches here:
Note: often this watch is referred to as a “Greenlander”, this derives from the misapprehension that these watches were supplied to members of the British North Greenland Expedition (1952-54).
The watch has an beautiful Longines 12.68N movement with Breguet overcoil and blued screws contrasting nicely with the gilded plates. This is really the last generation of Longines movements which featured this sort of traditional finishing. The movement also has shock proofing on the balance pivots, designed to absorb the sort of jarring-impacts which can damage or break the staff. The watch has a great solid stainless steel case, which at 38mm is large for a vintage watch, but well suited to contemporary tastes. The watch has fixed lugs to hold it securely to the strap, even in combat. The watch has been fully serviced and regulated and the time keeping is of the highest order.
All in all a charismatic watch in excellent condition.
Case diameter (excluding winding crown): 38mm
Case material: stainless steel
strap width: 18mm
time keeping: grade A+
We aim to dispatch all watch orders within 2-3 working days, where this isn't possible, we will try to inform you via email.
When your order is dispatched your tracking details will be updated.
Please allow extra processing time for watches with a customised engraving or strap, during busy sales periods this can sometimes take an extra 5-10 working days.
If you are in a hurry for your watch, please email us.
Shipping guide for watches:
UK: FREE DPD shipping, 1-2 working days
United States & Canada: FREE Fedex shipping, 1-3 working days
The EU: FREE DHL Express shipping, 1-3 working days
Click here to see the full shipping guide for watches
Shipping guide for straps (unless purchased with a watch):
Free Royal Mail 1st Class / International tracked shipping, 2-14 working days depending on location. You can see a more accurate timescale when you input your address at the checkout.
Shipping guide for t-shirts:
All t-shirts on our website are now printed and shipped by an external supplier inside the UK. This means that if you place an order for both a watch and a t-shirt, they will be shipped separately.
Our supplier uses a Royal Mail tracked service for all shipments and this usually takes a little longer than our watches. You can see an estimated timescale when you input your address at the checkout.
Please note, during busy sale periods dispatch may take a little longer (this is quite rare). These delivery times are a guide based on the carriers terms of service, products may, in some unusual cases take longer to arrive. If this happens, please get in touch.