By now the history of Dirty Dozen military watches is probably familiar to almost anyone who reads an article like this, but here's a quick overview for any latecomers. Over 80 years ago, as World War II raged, the British Ministry of Defense (MOD) recognized the need for a soldier's wristwatch that was more robust than the modified civilian models previously used. As most British watchmakers relied on the production of goods to support the war, a design brief was put together and sent to Switzerland's largest neutral watchmakers outlining their needs. The required specifications included a black dial, small seconds, luminous hands and indices, a robust acrylic crystal and a certain level of water resistance. In a result that would certainly not happen today due to various bureaucracies, twelve manufacturers answered the call: Lemania, Omega, Buren, Timor, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Record, Cyma, Longines, IWC, Grana, Eterna and Vertex (Note: Of these twelve, Vertex was the only one that was of British origin, but their manufacture was in Switzerland, so they were still able to produce watches, unlike most other British brands of the time).
The entire WWW series was created for the UK Ministry of Defense – Image from A Collected Man
The result was a design that was produced in limited quantities by twelve different brands for just a few years, a recipe that results in highly collectible and desirable watches. Some of these brands are big names that you can easily recognize today, others have fallen by the wayside and are all but forgotten in the sands of watchmaking. Vertex would likely have been one of these latter brands had it not been reborn and relaunched in 2015 in the hands of Don Cochrane, the great-grandson of the brand's original founder, Claude Lyons. This new Vertex launched their first watch in 2017 with the M100, a homage to their Dirty Dozen watch but with a more modern 40mm size.
An original Vertex “Dirty Dozen” watch
Fast forward to 2024, and Vertex has released the watch we're talking about today: the M36. It's less of an homage and more of a 1:1 replica of a Dirty Dozen field watch, but still with a few modern updates. I bought one of these in May 2024 and arranged to collect it from the Vertex boutique in London. Mr. Cochrane was a friendly host who met me and showed me the small Vertex boutique. Having had the watch for the rest of the UK trip and the 18 months since, I think I'm in a position to talk about its pros and cons. But let's look at the data sheet first.
The basics of the Vertex M36
As the name suggests, the Vertex M36 is a 36mm field watch, making it the same size as the original Dirty Dozen watch. It is made of brushed stainless steel and has a lug-to-lug diameter of 46.5mm. The thickness is stated to be 11 mm, but about 1 mm must be added for the double-domed sapphire crystal. The dial is matt black and true to the original in almost every respect. The only visibly modern update is that the original's printed Arabic numerals have been replaced with modern Vertex branding, the 3D numerals molded from luminous material. The crown has also been changed to the screw-down version to increase water resistance to a respectable 100 meters. The caseback is screw-down and features the cool WWW engraving of the Dirty Dozen watches, identifying it as “Watch.Wrist.Waterproof”.
The movement beneath the luminous dial is the Sellita SW260-1, an automatic movement that beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour and has a 38-hour power reserve and 31 jewels. We don't normally compare jewels, but comparing the 31 of this fairly standard movement to the original MOD requirement of 15 gives an indication of how much more complicated movements have become over the last 80 years.
The M36 comes with three straps: a sand-colored “over-under” NATO strap, a leather NATO strap, and a cool stretchy expandable steel strap.
Experience on your wrist
The modern appeal of the field watch lies in its objective, practical simplicity. No bells and whistles, no busy bezels, no additional pushers, no chimes or moon phases. Just a tool to tell you the time, nothing more, nothing less. Therefore, I think the 36mm size is really the best choice for this type of watch. Sure, if you asked me five years ago I might have said 39mm is the sweet spot, and if you asked me five years from now I might say 100mm, who knows? But right now, 36mm feels like a real Goldilocks size. There's probably a reason why the queen of all field watches, the Rolex Explorer, has stuck to the 36mm mark for over 70 years – aside from the recent misguided foray into 39-40mm territory.
The Vertex M36 is an extremely comfortable and portable piece of equipment. Having worn it on the street, in boats, in nightclubs and bars, in the forest and in the office, it never looked out of place or inappropriate for the occasion. I would like to reiterate that the 36mm size is almost perfect and the watch sits very comfortably on both the included NATO strap and the expandable vintage strap. Some of these old expansion bracelets have a tendency to pull arm hair, but I don't have any of that with this one… Somehow Vertex has cracked that code.
As befits a proper field watch, legibility is where the M36 really shines, pardon the pun. The large numbers are very easy to read at first glance and the Super Luminova molded into them is incredibly bright. If we could go back in time and swap these with the originals, they would certainly frighten some soldiers and cause them to retreat. Maybe Lume could have ended the war sooner, but I dunno, I'm no Sun Tzu.
I said I would go into the pros and cons, and so far it's only been pros. Really the only downside I have with the M36 is that it's not a watch issue, just personal preference. If you had asked me for advice on the design, I would probably have chosen a hand-wound movement. This would have brought the spirit of the Dirty Dozen watch even closer and saved a millimeter or two in thickness, which is never a bad thing. But unfortunately no one asked me. A very small problem, but there you have it.
Aside from its extreme wearability and readability, the Vertex M36 is a beautiful watch to look at, and that's exactly what I find myself doing several times a day even after almost two years. There is something about the simple symmetry that is very pleasing to the eye. Added to this is the intangible feeling of connection to the past that vintage-inspired watches like these seem to evoke. All of these things come together to create a watch that is just plain cool. It contains all the ingredients of that elusive secret sauce.
A beautiful recreation of a timeless classic watch, the Vertex M36 fits well into the modern brand's catalog by fully embracing its connection to the past without watering it down or doing it a disservice. And as far as wrist wear goes, it's become a favorite in my collection as the long honeymoon period shows no signs of ending anytime soon. Now available from the brand at £2,150 (including taxes) or approx 2,100 euros (excl. taxes). For more information, visit vertex-watches.com.
https://monochrome-watches.com/vertex-m36-compact-dirty-dozen-inspired-military-issued-british-field-watch-review/