Dear All

For sale is this Longines COSD British Military Wristwatch c.1945

Originally, the “Tuna Can” variant of these very rare and unique timepieces was thought to have been produced for British WW2 special forces and paratroopers for use during D-Day and Operation Market Garden.

However, this long-established theory now seems unlikely and it is now believed these watches may have been designed and issued for use by specialist underwater demolition teams.

COSD stands for “Combined Operations Stores Depot”.

The Combined Operations Command was established in 1940 by Winston Churchill immediately after the evacuation of Dunkirk and its sole objective was to undertake offensive operations against the enemy via a combination of land, sea and air forces.

The example for sale features a fabulous original dial and handset with stainless steel Dennison case. Interestingly, the watch was later re-issued to British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) personnel. This is confirmed by the markings on the reverse of the case back.

The watch comes complete with an extract from the Longines archives and will no doubt be of great interest to any serious military watch collector or Longines enthusiast.

The Longines C.O.S.D. is in wonderful overall condition having been recently serviced by our highly skilled and experienced horologist.

The original factory dial is in wonderful condition with no obvious flaws or blemishes.

The hands and crown are all correct to the original specification of the watch.

The stainless steel Dennison case is in excellent condition with very few noticeable scratches.

The 12.68N calibre movement is in excellent condition and is currently running well and keeping good time.

The watch diameter is 34mm.

Please see photos below:

The watch is currently listed for sale on our website for £6,995. The watch comes complete with two new NATO straps.

All our items are guaranteed to be completely genuine and authentic examples of their kind. We offer a fourteen-day "no quibble" money-back guarantee on all the items we sell together with a full six-month warranty on all our wristwatches and clocks. This means that you can buy from us with complete confidence.

For further information on the watch for sale please feel free to call us on 0207 117 2807 or email us direct via [email protected]

Many thanks and regards

Finest Hour

www.finest-hour.co.uk