Pre-Owned CYMA WWW 40990335/AS05603

WHY WE LOVE IT

By World War II, wristwatches had become essential parts of military equipment. 

For the millions of Allied troops scattered across Europe, North Africa and the Pacific, accurate and durable watches served as lifelines on the fast-paced, multi-level battlefield. To fulfill the growing need for accurate timekeeping, a coalition of manufactures was ordained to produce military-grade wristwatches to a specific design. Twelve Swiss companies fulfilled the contracts: Buren, Cyma, Eterna, Grana, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Lemania, Longines, IWC, Omega, Record, Timor, and Vertex. They have since become known to watch collectors as the Dirty Dozen.  

While all the manufactures were confined to basic parameters — a black dial with luminous Arabic numerals, luminous hour and minute hands, a railroad minute track, and shatterproof crystal — each company produced varying numbers and slightly different executions, owing to their varied capabilities. Larger facilities, like Omega, were able to churn out tens of thousands of the W.W.W. timekeepers; smaller ones, like Grana, are said to have only been able to manufacture a few thousand. 

Cyma was one of the more robust producers of the W.W.W., with production estimates nearing 20,000 individual pieces. Additionally, Cyma W.W.W.s were housed in sturdy steel cases, where makers like Record and Buren often resorted to chrome-plated brass cases. While this difference had little effect on the soldiers of WWII, the steel-bodied W.W.W.s have certainly enjoyed a more lasting survival than their brass counterparts.

This particular Cyma is housed in a 38mm stainless steel case with an acrylic crystal, and an oversized winding crown. It features a patinated matte black Radium dial with an outer ‘railroad’ minute track, printed 'Arabic' indices, a sub-seconds register at 6:00, a matching handset, and of course - the ‘broad arrow’ marking that indicates M.O.D. property. Powered by the hand-wound Cyma Calibre 234 movement, its screw-down caseback bears its correct military markings.

Though this ‘Dirty Dozen’ is missing its lume plots, it retains all the character and grit of a true, military-issued tool watch, including fixed spring bars — which is why we’ve chosen to pair it with a regimental NATO strap in black and gray.

Strap this watch on, and you can almost hear Spitfires and Messerschmitts dog fighting in the sky above!

OVERALL CONDITION

Case is in very good condition overall showing normal signs of wear from age and use with no signs of polishing. Matte black Radium dial with printed 'Arabic' indices is in good condition, showing light and even brown tropicalization with stripped Radium plots. Matching Radium handset. Unsigned crown.