In the 1940s Omega was one of the "Dirty Dozen", which was a selection of 12 watch brands worn by WWII British soldiers. The "Dirty Dozen" brands were commissioned by the British Ministry of Defense, which needed as many watches as possible produced for the British soldiers. Manufacturing capacity at the time allowed for roughly 145,000 watches to be produced. Approximately 25,000 of these timepieces were manufactured by Omega.
The arrow seen on the dial which is regularly seen on military watches marks the watch as "crown property"; the British monarch's sovereign public estate which was considered neither government property nor part of the monarch's private estate.
The cal. 30T2 is a time-only manual wind movement that Omega created in 1939, and became a large benefactor for building Omega's early reputation of making accurate and quality timepieces. The cal. 30T2 is essentially a robust but simple base movement that is very versatile in its adaptability, in fact, variations of the cal. 30T2 was produced until 1963. This legendary movement wasn't only for civilian use either, as the British military issued a massive contract with Omega to produce timepieces for their soldiers that all housed a modified cal. 30T2 movement.
| Stock # | ODD30T2 | |
| Brand | Omega | |
| Style | Military | |
| Model | Dirty Dozen | |
| Serial | 103XXXXX | |
| Size | Men's | |
| Material | Stainless Steel | |
| Dial | Matte Black | |
| Millimeters | 35 | |
| Bracelet | NATO Strap |
CASE & BRACELET
The stainless steel case is beautifully preserved given its 80 years of age. The watch retains fixed strap bars between the lugs that remain in excellent condition. The case back retains all of its original military markings in deep and legible condition. The watch will come supplied on a NATO strap.
DIAL & HANDS
The matte black dial is in wonderful vintage condition and exhibits some age which is expected given the age of the watch. The dial shows some light age spots and some minor loss of the white printing. It appears that the dial luminous material was restored early in the watch's life, likely by a military watchmaker, this is very common in early military watches. The original hands received the same treatment as the dial and match the light green tome of the dial luminous as well.
ACCESSORIES
None. The watch is keeping time, previous service history is unknown.
