The History of the Smiths W10 Field Watch
By James Mulvale.
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When it comes to collecting watches issued to the British military, there are certainly many options to choose from. There’s the fabled dirty dozen, the Rolex Milsub, and more recently the various watches made by CWC to name but a few.
However, one of the most iconic of all British military watches is the Smiths W10. What’s special about the Smiths W10 is that it was the last British-made mechanical watch issued to the British forces.
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Background On The Smiths Company
However, before we talk about the W10 itself, let’s explore the history of the brand that made it. The company was founded in 1851 by Samuel Smith under his own name. It seems that in the company’s early years it focused initially on jewellery and later precision instruments. In 1900 it produced the first British speedometer and odometer, and in 1904 it supplied a speedometer to none other than King Edward VII.
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Over the next three decades, the company diversified and produced instruments for both aircraft and motor vehicles. It wasn’t until 1931 that Smiths would start manufacturing clocks and later pocket watches under a new division called Smiths English Clocks Ltd.
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In 1947, Smiths began manufacturing Wristwatches for the Civilian market, and it quickly found great success in this endeavour. However, the brand’s greatest achievement would occur in 1953, when Sir Edmund Hillary wore a Smiths watch during his successful summit of Mount Everest. Hilary would donate the watch to the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers later that year, and today it resides in the Science Museum in London.
Hilary's Smiths Deluxe that went to the top of Everest. Credit: Science Museum.
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It is a common belief that Hillary wore a Rolex to the summit of Everest. And, whilst Rolex did issue watches that were carried on the expedition, there is evidence that it was a Smiths he actually wore to the top of the mountain.
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The Origins Of The Smiths W10
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In 1966, Smiths was fortunate enough to win the contract to supply wristwatches to the Ministry of Defence, and thus the iconic Smiths W10 was born, with production running for four years from 1967 to 1970.
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The watch itself is a diminutive 35mm but has a sizeable 47mm lug-to-lug measurement, which allows it to wear larger on the wrist. The case is made from stainless steel and, as it’s a military watch, it features fixed spring bars that prevent the watch from being lost in the field due to spring bar failure.
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The dial of the Smiths W10 follows the specification laid out by the MoD, and as such it’s very similar to previous watches ordered by the British military. It’s a design that follows a now familiar field watch layout, with big Arabic numerals, sword hands and a railroad minute track. This layout is designed to be highly legible and easy to read at a glance, which is just what you want in a field watch.
For legibility in the dark, the Smiths W10 has a heavy application of tritium paint on the hands and minute track. This is denoted by the encircled T beneath the Smiths name, and over time the tritium on the W10s will have aged to a creamy yellow. Above the 6 o’clock mark is the pheon or “broad arrow” used to signify that the watch is the property of the British military. All this is protected by a domed acrylic crystal that was easily replaced or polished if it was broken or scratched during use.
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The screw-down case back features several engravings. First, there’s the “W10” to denote that this was a watch issued to the army, followed by the NATO Stock Number. Pieces issued to the RAF are engraved “6B” and pieces issued to the Royal Navy are engraved with "0552" instead, both with a different stock number. The case back also features a broad arrow mark, and a serial number, the last two digits of which can be used to identify the year the watch was made.
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1970 Army Issued W10.
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The Smiths W10 uses Smiths' own calibre 60466E. It’s a high-quality 17-jewel manual movement with a hacking feature. The movement is decorated with simple but attractive frosted gilding, and it’s protected by a dust cover that provides protection against magnetic fields.
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Inside the Caseback.
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The End Of Smiths Watches
Whilst the Smiths W10 is a very well-made timepiece, it featured a fairly short production run of just four years. As the 1970s began the British Government sought to reduce its costs, and so the contract for W10 watches was handed over to Hamilton instead, who began to produce their own version of the W10 in a tonneau case.
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Thus ended the production of the last British-made military watch. However, Smiths still had some surplus stock of W10 watches, and these were offered to the civilian market. These civilian models are identical to the military versions, apart from the removal of the broad arrow symbol on the dial that denotes MoD equipment. These Watches were marketed to the Public as Skin Divers.
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Original Smiths Advert for the Civilian "Skin Diver" Credit: John Senior.
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The Rare Civilian Model.
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However, whilst production of new Smiths W10s had ended, there were still thousands of issued watches still on the wrists of serving personnel, and there are anecdotal stories of them still being worn right up until the Falklands War in 1982.
Unfortunately for Smiths, the 1970s also marked the start of the infamous Quartz Crisis and, unable to compete with quartz-powered timepieces, the brand ceased making clocks and watches in 1979. Despite this, the Smiths company still survives today, where it specialises in technical sensors and detection equipment amongst other high-end electronics. As of 2021, it has an annual turnover of over £2.4 billion.
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You can also still buy new watches with the Smiths name on them, as that trademark is currently owned by Timefactors. They even produce a modern interpretation of the Smiths W10, though it arguably lacks the charm of the original model.
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The modern interpretation by Timefactors. Credit: Timefactors.
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Like all military watches, today the Smiths W10 is highly collectable and prices have risen sharply in recent years. However, it’s still relatively affordable when compared to military watches from more recognisable brands such as Rolex and Omega. Furthermore, the Smiths W10 holds a special place amongst military watches as the last to be manufactured in Britain, and this fact, combined with its classic looks, make it a must-have addition to any collection.
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You can purchase the Smiths W10 Army Issued 1970 Wristwatch shown in this Article: here
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You can purchase the Rare Civilian Model shown in this Article: here