Ahh, the rarefied world of military watches. Often developed under contract, these were timepieces designed to handle particularly adverse physical conditions. And we do mean were; today’s special operator is far more likely to wear an off-the-shelf G-Shock than a mil-spec Rolex Submariner.
Old-school military watches are a seemingly endless source of fascination to civilian watch collectors, despite their subtlety (or perhaps because of it). There are very few extraneous design elements to a military wristwatch. What’s present is only what was absolutely necessary to get the job done.
What follows is a selection of some of the world’s most famous military watches. The list is by no means definitive, but we’ve tried our best to include examples from as many different militaries and countries as possible. Most of the models are no longer in production, but you can still find them on the preowned market, some for pennies on the dollar … and others for astronomical prices.
1. WWI Trench Watch
Though a small number of dedicated wristwatches were issued to the German navy in the late 19th century, it wasn’t until WWI that the men’s wristwatch saw extensive use. Soldiers began soldering on wire lugs to their pocket watches and fitting them with leather straps, freeing up both hands for other tasks.
When soldiers returned home from the Great War with their “trench watches,” the fad took hold, and it finally became fashionable for men to wear wristwatches, which were previously considered distinctly feminine.