Military issued wristwatches are one of the coolest subsets of vintage timepiece collecting, if for no other reason that they were literally built to kick ass.

While purchasing military-issued Rolexes and the like can require a second mortgage (or the sale of several vital organs), there are more affordable ways to enter into the realm of military watch ownership, such as with the Hamilton & Benrus Vietnam-era GI watches we so often curate for sale. But American-made military watches aren't the only point of entry into the field of military collectables, as evidenced by pieces such as this: a British MoD issued Record.

Record was founded in 1903 in Tramelan, Switzerland, and operated as an independent company producing a wide array of consumer grade pocket and wrist watches for nearly 60 years before being purchased and becoming part of the Longines family in 1961.  Prior to their purchase, Record was contracted by the British Ministry of Defense to manufacture military-grade timepieces during the Second World War, and their version of the WWW (Watch, Wrist, Waterproof) saw wide distribution amongst the British Armed Services in the second half of the 20th Century.

Less common, but equally cool, were these central-seconds versions, nearly identical in dial design minus the subsidiary seconds feature.  Featuring a 36mm steel case with fixed spring bars and a manual winding Calibre 652 movement, these versions saw use in African Campaigns in the 1950s and 1960s, specifically in Kenya.  Unlike the WWW versions, these models have a plain case back, and the only military marking is on the dial at 12:00.

This particular example is in very good condition over all, with a sharp case and a nicely patinated dial.  The original hands are missing their luminescent elements, which we have opted to leave as is - the "skeletonized" look is pretty damn cool.  This is a great example of an uncommon and entirely affordable vintage military watch with loads of history to boot!