War destroys things. It’s a simple, ugly truth. We talk about the heroics and the maps and the generals, but we rarely talk about the gear that just didn't make it back. When collectors hunt for "trench watches" from WWI or "Dirty Dozen" pieces from WWII, they’re looking at the statistical anomalies. The survivors. Most of these tools became watch casualties of war—smashed against the side of a landing craft, drowned in a foxhole, or simply stripped for parts when a mainspring snapped under fire.
The mortality rate for military timepieces was staggering. Honestly, it makes sense when you think about it. If a soldier is diving into the mud or handling heavy artillery, a tiny mechanical machine on their wrist is basically a liability. These weren't luxury items back then. They were disposable government property.
The Mud and the Glass: WWI's Hard Lesson
Before 1914, most men carried pocket watches. But you can't check a pocket watch while holding a rifle. This shift gave birth to the "trench watch," which was essentially a pocket watch movement welded into a case with wire lugs. They were fragile. Most of the early watch casualties of war occurred because these pieces lacked "shatterproof" crystals. They used glass. One stray pebble or a hard knock against a trench shovel and the crystal shattered, the hands bent, and the movement was exposed to the damp, corrosive air of Northern France.
Collectors today often find these pieces with "shrapnel guards"—those metal cages that look like tiny grills. They weren't a fashion statement. They were a desperate attempt to keep the watch alive for more than a week. Even then, the radium paint used for luminosity was often applied poorly, and moisture ingress would turn the dial into a rusted mess within months. Many soldiers just threw them away. Why keep a broken three-ounce weight on your wrist when you're trying to stay alive?
The "Dirty Dozen" and the Price of Accuracy
By WWII, the British Ministry of Supply realized they needed something tougher. They set the W.W.W. standard (Wrist, Watch, Waterproof). This led to the famous "Dirty Dozen"—twelve companies like Omega, IWC, and Longines producing rugged black-dial watches. But "waterproof" in 1944 meant something very different than it does today.
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Basically, it meant "it might survive a rainstorm."
If a soldier went overboard or had to swim a river, the gaskets—often made of lead or simple cork—would fail. Water is the ultimate killer of mechanical movements. Once saltwater gets inside a steel case, the movement starts to oxidize almost instantly. Thousands of these watches ended up at the bottom of the English Channel or buried in the sands of North Africa. They are the silent watch casualties of war that never made it to the vintage market.
Real Stories from the Front: When Gear Fails
Consider the case of the A-11, often called "the watch that won the war." Produced by Elgin, Waltham, and Bulova, it was a workhorse for Allied pilots and navigators. But it was small. And it was chrome-plated brass, not stainless steel. Over time, sweat and friction would literally eat through the casing.
I’ve talked to veterans who mentioned that the most common reason for a watch "dying" wasn't a bullet. It was the vibration. If you're a tail gunner in a B-17, the constant, high-frequency vibration of the airframe acts like a jackhammer on the delicate balance staff of a mechanical watch. The pivots would snap. Without a watchmaker in the barracks, that watch was done. It became scrap.
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Then there’s the issue of the "radium girls" and the dial painting, which is a different kind of casualty. But on the battlefield, the radioactive lume was actually a tactical risk. There are documented accounts of snipers seeing the faint glow of a watch dial in the dark. Soldiers started using leather "flaps" to cover the face of their watches. If you forgot to cover yours, you didn't just lose the watch; you lost your life.
Why So Few Survive Today
If you go on eBay right now, you'll see "military" watches everywhere. Most are fakes. The real ones are rare because the military didn't want them back if they were broken.
- Maintenance was impossible: In a combat zone, you aren't cleaning and oiling a movement every three years. You run it until it stops.
- Decommissioning: After the wars, many governments literally bulldozed surplus gear. It wasn't worth the cost of storage.
- The "Sweep": Post-war, many soldiers kept their watches, but since they were "tool" watches, they wore them for gardening, construction, or car repairs until they were destroyed.
The watches we see in museums are the 1%. The others? They're buried in the silt of the Pacific or sitting in a landfill in Germany. We call them watch casualties of war because they served their purpose until they literally fell apart.
Identifying a Real Survivor (and Avoiding the Junk)
If you're looking to own a piece of this history, you have to be careful. The market is flooded with "Frankenwatches"—pieces put together from three different broken watches.
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- Check the Case Back: Real military pieces have specific engravings (like the Broad Arrow for British watches or the "Part No." for American ones). If the engraving looks too fresh or "laser-cut," run away.
- Movement Patina: A watch that actually saw combat will have a movement that looks... tired. You want to see some darkening of the brass or steel, but not heavy rust.
- The Lume Test: On WWI and WWII pieces, the radium should have a "burnt" look. It sometimes even leaves a dark ghost image on the dial where the hands sat for decades.
What You Can Do Now
If you own a vintage military piece, stop wearing it on the original strap. Those old leather pull-throughs are brittle. If the strap snaps, your survivor becomes a modern casualty. Switch to a modern NATO strap—ironically named, as it’s a descendant of these wartime designs—to keep it secure.
Also, don't "restore" the dial. Every scratch on a military watch is a record of a moment where it didn't become a casualty. Cleaning off the "dirt" often removes the very history that makes the watch valuable. If the movement is seized, find a specialist who understands vintage horology. Don't take it to a mall kiosk. They'll ruin it.
To truly understand watch casualties of war, you have to stop looking at them as jewelry. They were equipment. Like a canteen or a bayonet. The fact that any of them still tick is a miracle of engineering and a testament to the people who wore them.
The next step for any serious enthusiast is to research the specific "Contractor Codes" for the era you're interested in. For American WWII watches, look into the MIL-W-46374 specifications. For British pieces, study the "Defense Standard" (Def-Stan) documents. Knowing the technical requirements the government actually asked for will help you spot the difference between a genuine veteran and a civilian lookalike that never left the factory.