MWC 1940s/1950s "Dirty Dozen" Pattern General Service Watch with a 24 Jewel Swiss Sellita SW216 Movement and a Domed Vintage Box Sapphire Crystal

Product Details

SKU Code: W10/445-23CH

This classic hand wound 24 jewel 1940s/1950s pattern MWC military watch with a Swiss Sellita 24 jewel SW216 movement and small subsidiary dial second hand is based on the typical designs used by the British military from the 1940s to the 1950s, it retains the appearance of the original watch although the increased water resistance to 100 m (330 feet)  when combined with the shatter and scratch resistant sapphire box crystal greatly increases durability whilst at the same time, the crystal retains the outward appearance of the original plexiglass without any of the drawbacks!

This watch has a heavy stainless steel satin finish case made from Military Grade 316L stainless steel, subsidiary dial second hand, screw down crow, hacking function, black dial and luminous markings. The watch also has a historically accurate canvas strap as used in the 1940s and 50s. 

The final image shows the original 12 watches which were made by 12 companies, Buren, Cyma, Eterna, Grana, Jaeger Le-Coultre, Lemania, Longines, IWC, Omega, Record, Timor and Vertex, MWC were not a manufacturer at this time having been founded in 1974 but this watch is very much in the spirit of the originals.

Specification:


• Case Diameter: 36.5 mm exc crown, 39 mm incl crown
• Lug to Lug 43 mm
• Thickness 12.5 mm
• Lug Type: Solid fixed strap bars
• Dial Colour: Black 

• Case Material: 316L stainless steel
• Caseback: 316L stainless steel

• Crown: Stainless steel screw down locking crown
• Water Resistance: 100m / 330ft / 10 ATM
• Movement: Swiss hand winding 24 Jewel Mechanical Sellita 216
• Crystal: Shatter and scratch resistant sapphire box crystal with anti reflective coating*
• Luminous Material: Luminova
• Serial number on caseback
• Strap: 18 mm 1950s Pattern Canvas 
• Supplied in a box
• 24 Months Guarantee

Photo Credit: Watches Of Knightsbridge

For anyone interested in the history of the Dirty Dozen these links show the 12 original watches and explain the history.

The Dirty Dozen 1

The Dirty Dozen 2

The Dirty Dozen 3

* A lot of people ask us what are the benefits of sapphire crystal over the original plexiglass? The answer is that synthetic sapphire is by far the best material for watch crystals because it is very strong and also shatter and scratch resistant, these characteristics make it very appealing to military and security personnel, police officers and people who lead active outdoor lifestyles, these groups account for over 70% of our customers. The original plexiglass crystals which were made of a plastic/acrylic type material and  were frequently used up until the 1980s suffered the drawback that firstly they were very easily scratched and secondly, it wasn't overly difficult to crack them if they were impacted, the other drawback is that they greatly limited the water resistance of the watch. To get things into perspective we find that when clients manage to crack a crystal over 90% are usually watches with mineral glass or plexiglass crystals, even factoring in that we use hardened mineral crystals in many watches they still do not come close to sapphire for durability under adverse conditions. The reason that sapphire crystals are so strong is that after the sapphire glass is manufactured it is also heat-treated to remove its internal stresses—which can cause weakness—it is then made into the watch crystals and two layers of anti-reflective coating are applied. Of course sapphire crystal comes at a price hence you find that it's normally only fitted to higher specification watches.

• Delivery

  • Europe	UK	Rest of World
    Tracked Mail €11.50 / £9.99 / US$12.75	Tracked Mail  £9.99	Tracked Mail US$22.25 / €20.00 / £17.50
    N/A	Small Item e.g 1 or 2 straps £5.99	N/A
    Express Courier UPS or FedEx  €23.00 / £19.99 / US$25.50	Express Courier  UPS/DPD  £12.95	Express Courier UPS or FedEx  US$44.50 / €40.00 / £34.95

    PLEASE NOTE: The exact shipping cost will vary slightly depending on the weight and dimensions but it will only differ by a very small amount and will be shown at checkout. The above is a very good guide and 85% of parcels will be exactly as shown above.

    You will generally receive two emails after placing an order, the first will be a confirmation of receipt of the order and payment, this will be followed by a notification of shipment  once the goods are dispatched. When an order and payment has been processed, goods will be shipped by the Post Office or Courier within 48 hours. Please note that our shipping centers are closed on Saturdays and Sundays therefore orders placed during this time may take up to 72 hours to be dispatched, this includes orders placed after 14:00 (CET)  European time on Fridays.

    The estimated delivery times in working day are as set out below:

    • Europe UPS: 2 to 5 days
    • Europe Registered Mail: 7-14 days
    • UK DPD or UPS: 24 Hours
    • UK Tracked Mail: 1 to 2 days
    • Rest of World UPS: 3 to 10 days
    • Rest of World Registered Mail: 7 to 21 days *

    * Some countries are prone to be notoriously slow to process goods on arrival among these countries are Israel, Hong Kong, Macau, Mexico, South Africa and some South American countries. We also tend to experience significant delays with other countries in Africa in addition to South Africa, you can always contact us for advice although we do not know with certainty exactly which countries will be slow, and which will be fast but the above estimates are a pretty good guide for most countries, keen in mind remote territories or those with slow customs can also tend to be problematic. We would recommend using UPS, DHL or Fedex, which we offer as an option if the delivery is very time sensitive. 

    All shipping estimates are working days and exclude Saturdays and Sundays when our packing and shipping centres are closed and many postal services do not operate, depending on the country.

    Whilst we make every effort to deliver your order within the above timeframes this is a guide and delivery cannot be guaranteed. We will not accept responsibility for delays caused by our Couriers or any National postal service. If the goods are not delivered within the time we have estimated, please feel free to contact us or email admin@mwc.watch and we will do everything possible to resolve the issue promptly. We will not be liable for any loss caused by late delivery.

    Our delivery charges cover the cost of shipping the goods to you. However, they do not include import charges and administration fees to clear the goods when entering your country if these apply. 

    It is the responsibility of the purchaser to understand that charges may be levied and pay all subsequent import tax and duty on goods shipped to their respective Country. In the instance that items are returned to MWC as a result of a rejected payment, subsequent charges incurred such as Import Duty and processing costs will be deducted from any refund issued. For further information on this please contact accounts@mwc-distribution.com 

    We do not accept any liability for goods that have been lost after delivery to a PO Box. We reserve the right to cancel orders where the delivery address is a PO Box. Furthermore, we also do not accept any liability for goods that have been lost after they are confirmed as delivered to APO or BFPO locations. 

    It is the Customer's responsibility to notify us if the goods have not been received within 21 days of the estimated delivery date or time of ordering. If no notification is made within this time period the buyer shall be deemed to have received the goods.

    Please Note: We also use a variety of other delivery companies in countries where we have distribution arrangements, please keep in mind that some of them will allow you to arrange for delivery of your parcel in a way that will not require a signature, normally the delivery company, for example DPD will agree with you that the item will be left in a shed, garage, porch or other location that you nominate this is what is often termed a "safe place" please note that if you decide to utilise one of these services it is at your own risk because we have initially sent it by a secure service which requires a signature or other proof of delivery and using what is termed "a safe place" is inherently more risky because someone might see it being left by the driver which creates obvious dangers of it being stolen. Our advice is to always have it delivered in a way where the driver obtains a signature or other proof of delivery to remove any element of risk and ensure you receive your parcel safely.

    Failed delivery of an item ordered due to non-acceptance of the delivery

    Please note that if you order an item and the delivery company inform us that the item was refused it would be returned back to us, in many cases especially with FedEx, UPS etc they will also charge a return fee to send it back. Because in these circumstances we have done everything that is required to get the item to you we would refund less both the outbound and Inbound shipping charges once the item was received back at our packing and shipping centre. Unfortunately sometimes if you are having the order delivered to a business location the people receiving inbound parcels are prone to refuse an item without checking with the individual concerned we would strongly recommend being very cautious in this situation and notifying the people who handle the incoming parcels that you are expecting a delivery to avoid this problem occurring. Usually, we would be notified there is a delivery issue and would email you for your instructions, normally these sorts of problems can be avoided if you contact the carrier and tell them there is an error but it's very important to act quickly to avoid the return and associated costs.