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Rotary was on British wrists before the Dirty Dozen

An official Ministry of Defence collection lands later this year, built around a 33.5mm reissue of the Army Trade Pattern watch Rotary supplied during the Second World War.

Hen & Mills Editorial · 3 min read · 9 August 2026

Three watches from the Rotary x Ministry of Defence collection laid on an old map: a cream-dialled ATP reissue on a khaki strap, a blue and bronze diver, and a black chronograph on a bracelet — Image: Rotary Watches

Rotary has signed an official collaboration with the Ministry of Defence, announced on 5 August. At the centre of it is the Army Trade Pattern watch. Rotary supplied ATP wristwatches to the British Army during the Second World War as issued kit, and that's the watch coming back.

The collection covers the British Army, the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. Rotary says it arrives later this year and hasn't published a single price.

The ATP came before the Dirty Dozen

The usual shorthand for British military issue is the WWW specification, the twelve makers now traded as the Dirty Dozen. The Army Trade Pattern watches came first, and Rotary was supplying them in the early years of the war, before WWW existed. It's a narrower claim than the Dirty Dozen carries, and a much easier one to check, which counts for something in a category where most brands are working from a mood board.

An original Rotary Army Trade Pattern wristwatch with a cream dial and running seconds sub-dial, lying on dark wood with its khaki fabric strap unbuckled — An original Rotary ATP. Image: Rotary Watches

Thirty-three and a half millimetres takes some nerve

The reissue holds a 33.5mm case with a running seconds sub-dial, luminous hands and indices, and a khaki military-style fabric strap. Plenty of brands would've called 38mm faithful and gone home. Underneath there is single-dome sapphire, a screw-down crown and 100 metres of water resistance, so the modern engineering is where you cannot see it and the diameter stays honest. A British Army insignia sits on the caseback.

Rotary is hedging, mind. The same design is coming in 37mm and 40mm, and there will be an automatic three-hand edition alongside them.

An AMOLED screen in a Second World War collection

The British Army range does not stop at the reissue. It also takes in a connected watch: an all-black case around a 1.43-inch always-on AMOLED display, dual-band GPS, an altimeter, a barometer and a compass, plus health tracking, sports modes, Bluetooth calling and message alerts. Putting that in the same collection as a 1940 field watch is quite the swerve, and I suspect it's the one paying for the rest.

A black Rotary connected watch with a digital display resting on a rock, a military helicopter silhouetted behind it at dusk — The connected British Army model. Image: Rotary Watches

The Navy and the Air Force both get a Miyota 8215

The Royal Navy watches are divers, 200 metres, with sapphire, screw-down crowns and 120-click unidirectional bezels. Matte blue dials, applied indices, and navy fabric straps with a contrasting central stripe. The automatic runs a Miyota 8215 and the chronograph is quartz with several luminous counters.

The Royal Air Force pair goes the aviation route: bold Arabic numerals, textured dials, date displays and 100 metres. The Pilot Automatic puts the 8215 in a 42mm case, the chronograph is quartz with sword-style hands, and both come on a bracelet or genuine leather. Each service gets its own insignia on the back.

The 8215 is a workhorse and nobody buying at Rotary money should feel short-changed. It's the right movement for a watch you'll wear hard and get serviced cheaply.

P7350 is a real aeroplane

The commemorative Spitfire set is the one I would actually want. Cream dial, blue hands, blue military-style fabric strap, and a diecast model of Spitfire Mk IIa P7350 in the box with it. P7350 was built at Castle Bromwich in 1940 and flew operationally during the Battle of Britain. It survived the war, survived a sale for scrap, and was restored to flight for the film Battle of Britain. Rotary says it remains the only airworthy Spitfire to have fought in the campaign, and it wears the commemorative colours of the fighter ace Alan Deere.

What's missing is the money. A faithful 33.5mm ATP at the right price would be one of the more interesting British reissues of the year. At the wrong price it's a licence fee with a watch attached. Rotary says the full range and pricing follow soon, and Australian availability hasn't been mentioned at all.