W.W.W. "Dirty Dozen"

Toward the end of the Second World War the British Ministry of Defence needed to equip ground personnel with a reliable, legible, water-resistant wristwatch. The "W.W.W." specification — Watch, Wrist, Waterproof — was thus defined, and the supply contract awarded to twelve Swiss manufacturers: Buren, Cyma, Eterna, Grana, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Lemania, Longines, IWC, Omega, Record, Timor and Vertex. Only decades later would collectors nickname this group with the name by which it is known worldwide today, the "Dirty Dozen".

Cyma's example carries the manual caliber 234, a 38 mm steel case with a screw-down caseback, a black dial with Arabic numerals, luminous "pip" minute markers and the broad arrow (or pheon) at 12 o'clock, a mark identifying British government property. The caseback is engraved with the "W.W.W." designation, the manufacturer's serial number and the military stores number. Cyma produced about 20,000 units, many of which reached troops only toward the end of the conflict or in the immediate postwar period, seeing more service in the postwar years than on actual battlefields.

The W.W.W. today represents one of the best-known chapters in Cyma's history, and one of the most accessible entry points for those wanting to collect the "Dirty Dozen" group as a whole. It is also an important piece in the construction of the brand's identity as a maker of rugged, water-resistant watches, a reputation Cyma would continue to build on in the postwar years with lines such as Cymaflex and Navystar.