DESCRIPTION:
WW - Longines WWW, affectionately nicknamed the "Greenlander" due to rumored use during an expedition to Greenland in the early 1950s, reference 23088, manual wind, 38mm x 46mm to lug tips, 18mm lug width, original stainless steel stepped bezel case with screw back marked with Ministry of Defence stock numbers and reference numbers, leather military style strap, original black dial with white Arabic numerals and white painted broad arrow insignia, radium lume plots, 15J, Ministry of Defence case s#F4292, KNIL case s#4641, movement s#6933426, triple signed. This watch is one of the "Dirty Dozen," a group of twelve different Swiss watches commissioned by the British Ministry of Defence in the closing stages of World War II. This particular model was sold after the war to the KNIL or "Koninklijk Nederlands Indisch Leger," an army run by the Netherlands to reassert control and dominion over Indonesia after the second World War once the area had been vacated by controlling Japanese forces. Very few WWW model wristwatches were sold to the KNIL making this truly a rare sight for the Dirty Dozen or British military watch collector.
CONDITION:
Mvt: GRO, excellent cosmetic mvt condition overall, light oxide to steelwork, light discoloration to plates; excellent-plus dial with only light spotting, still retains original luminous radium plots; excellent cathedral hands with original radium luminous paint; lightly polished case shows very little wear, still retains some of its original factory finishing, no dents or dings; original crown shows very little wear; good plastic crystal.
ESTIMATE:
$6000
-
$9000
PRICE SOLD:
$4200
"
"
"
"
"