What do we think about this 30T2 please

[chezqui]

I like it but it doesn't seem to have the indented second dial.

How much does this matter to you collectors in the know?

[Cicero]

I'm happy that its the genuine article, so would consider it suitable for my collection of issued military stuff.

We have to accept that issued watches will have had a hard life, been serviced many times, and redialled (possibly more than once) whilst in service, in this case, with the RAF. We also have to accept that there was some variation to dials and handset leaving the factory to fulfill the RAF's order during 1940s.

It is a particular feature of collecting issued watches that each one tells its own story, and this one's story is just as valid as one that retains its original dial; which makes it just as valuable in my eyes.

[RABbit]

These WWW watches were army, not RAF.
Whilst re-dials will have occurred during service life (and the example above is one such), there is nothing I have ever seen that suggests there were factory variations in the dials or handsets; do you have a reference for this?

[chezqui]

These WWW watches were army, not RAF.
Whilst re-dials will have occurred during service life (and the example above is one such), there is nothing I have ever seen that suggests there were factory variations in the dials or handsets; do you have a reference for this?

The chap offering it to me is a reputable dealer. My worry as a newby here, is that it seems almost essential to have the recessed second dial. I normally buy something for top price and then find out the item isn't top spec as far as collecting goes. There must be something written on my forehead, sucker maybe.

[o u t a t i m e]

My understanding is that both dials with and without the recessed subdial can be "genuine" dials. So you shouldn't necessarily worry about the flat one not being genuine. The ones with the recess tend to be the early/original factory ones. The ones without tend to be MOD radials. Also note how the later dials don't have the white circle painted around the subdial, which is present in the earlier ones.

[RABbit]

@Chezqui:
Sorry, my comment was directed at Cicero.
The watch pictured has an MOD redial, so it is a valid variation and is "real". Original factory dials are reasonably rare, it seems, so you will have to decide how important that is to you.