The Longines WWW is deemed the second rarest of the ‘Dirty Dozen’. These watches, made by 12 different Swiss brands, were ordered by the British Ministry of Defence during the tail-end of the Second World War for issue to army ground personnel. The acronym stood for ‘Watch, Wrist, Waterproof’. The Longines watch, one of the largest of the Dozen with a case size of 37.5mm, had an estimated production of 5000 pieces (only the Grana with a run of 1500 is harder to find). It houses a chronometer grade movement.
This particular example, above, in good original condition, was offered for sale on June 1 by Hannam’s (23% buyer’s premium) in Selborne where it sold at £4800. The winning bidder, using thesaleroom.com, went way over the estimate of £300-500.