When discussing the most iconic field watches ever made, one style arguably rules above them all: the “Dirty Dozen” watches of World War II.
The Dirty Dozen watches were issued to British soldiers during the war and were produced by 12 different brands according to specifications requested by the British Ministry of Defence.
The watches were slightly different but all shared a number of mandatory features: a small-seconds counter at 6 o’clock, lumed Arabic numeral indices and a chronometer-rated movement among them.
With the rare originals capturing the imagination of vintage collectors in recent decades, a number of modernized takes on the Dirty Dozen field watches have been produced by a wide variety of brands. The latest comes from Bremont, which adds some retro-modern wrinkles to its Dirty Dozen-inspired Broadsword field watch.
Bremont Broadsword Recon Bronze
A Bronze Sandwich
The Broadsword is the British luxury brand’s contemporary take on the Dirty Dozen field watch, translating the original’s water-resistant and anti-shock blueprint to today’s modern luxury watch standards. What’s more, the watches are produced in collaboration with the British Ministry of Defence, effectively making them “official” military watches.
In 2023, Bremont released a special-edition “Recon” version of the Broadsword. Limited to 200 pieces, the now-sold-out watch updated the Broadsword’s style to incorporate a lumed sandwich dial with cutout Arabic numerals in a military-inspired font.