Military Watches

FEATURE

Field Ready: The Complicated Story of the Simple Field Watch

How the field watch journeyed from saving lives in the hellish trenches of World War I to decorating the wrists of fashionably rugged-looking civilians a century later is a rather befuddling tale. In this feature from the WatchTime archives, correspondent Allen Farmelo takes us through it.

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Jul 27, 2021 by Allen Farmelo

WATCH REVIEW

Borrowed Time: Panerai Submersible Marina Militare Carbotech – 47MM

The Submersible Marina Militare Carbotech is at the technical vanguard of Panerai’s re-branded Submersible collection. We found this rugged timepiece, engineered for combat diving, makes a sharp statement on dry land as well.

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Jul 20, 2021 by Mark Bernardo

The History Channelers: Inside the Longines Heritage Collection

The vintage-look trend continues apace, and one watch brand has devoted an entire family within its portfolio to resurrecting timepieces from its long and creative history. In this feature from the WatchTime archives, we explore the origins, inspirations, and varied offerings of Longines’s ever-expanding Heritage Collection.

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Jul 12, 2021 by Mark Bernardo

New Material, Same Grit: Introducing the Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical Bronze

Hamilton is not a watch brand you often think of when it comes to using alternative or luxurious case materials. Best known for producing hardy steel sports watches and field watches, Hamilton has garnered a reputation for its utilitarian design codes and manufacturing, usually eschewing gold and even gold tones for its most popular collections....

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Jun 27, 2021 by Caleb Anderson

FEATURE

Flying Ace: Tracing the History of the IWC Big Pilot’s Watch

IWC's Big Pilot’s Watch became an instant classic when it was re-released in 2002. But its history stretches much further back in time. In this feature from the WatchTime archives, we explore the Big Pilot and its many evolutions over the decades.

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Jun 8, 2021 by Jens Koch

FEATURE

Windmill in a Storm: The Turbulent Timekeeping History of Mühle Glashütte

German watchmaker Mühle Glashütte turned 150 years old in 2019, looking back on five generations of family stewardship through turbulent times for both Germany and the watch industry. In this feature from the WatchTime archives, we explore the company's history of time measurement, from instruments to wristwatches.

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Jun 3, 2021 by Mark Bernardo

Military History: Testing the Sinn Model 158

With Model 158, Sinn has revived a little-known facet of its history: the Bundeswehr Chronograph. Presented in a refreshed, limited edition, how well does this retro chronograph perform? Sinn is known for making watches for police and military forces. The EZM 1, for example, was the first mission timer Sinn designed in 1997 for special...

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May 28, 2021 by Jens Koch

TIMEPIECE TIMELINE

The Evolution of the Men’s Wristwatch: A Decade-by-Decade Guide

World War I coincided with the breakthrough of the wristwatch. New and trailblazing designs followed in each subsequent decade. From the WatchTime archives, here are our highlights, from the beginning of the 20th Century to the present day.

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May 19, 2021 by Ruediger Bucher

Mission Timers: Five Modern Watches with MIL-SPEC Origins

Like Jeeps, GPS, and the Internet, some of today’s popular wristwatch models started out as military projects. Here are five modern timepieces whose ancestors were made-to-order for soldiers, sailors, and airmen.

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May 5, 2021 by Mark Bernardo

Perpetual Pilots: IWC Launches Perpetual Calendars in Big Pilot’s Watch and Top Gun “Mojave Desert” Collections

As it does most years, IWC used its time in the watch trade-fair spotlight in 2021 to refresh one of its six major collections. At the recently concluded Watches & Wonders virtual event, the company expanded its ever-popular Big Pilot’s Watch series with the release of the first 43-mm, blue-dialed Big Pilot models as the...

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Apr 28, 2021 by Caleb Anderson

Introducing the Montblanc 1858 Monopusher Chronograph Origins LE100

Throughout 2020, Montblanc launched new releases from all of its various watch collections in rapid-fire fashion — from a limited-edition Heritage Pulsograph and an expansion of its Star Legacy line to an updated smartwatch and a growing blue focus in its 1858 collection, among many others. Heading into the new year, the brand needed a...

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Mar 4, 2021 by Caleb Anderson

Luminox Rounds Out its Bear Grylls Survival Collection with New AIR Series GMT Watch

Luminox began its partnership with survival specialist and “Man vs. Wild” TV star Bear Grylls in 2020 and has subsequently launched the Luminox X Bear Grylls Survival Series of tough, outdoor adventure-oriented watches. So far, we’ve seen a “LAND” chronograph, a “SEA” dive watch, and a compass-equipped “MASTER” model. This year, Luminox completes the series...

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Feb 21, 2021 by Mark Bernardo

Hands-On: Benrus Type I Limited-Edition Reissue

Benrus, an American watch manufacturer founded in 1921, is probably best known by enthusiasts these days for the now-rare and highly collectible field watches it produced for the U.S. military back in the 1970s and ’80s. Relaunched in 2020 after a long hiatus from watchmaking, Benrus already looks to be embracing that aspect of its...

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Feb 19, 2021 by Mark Bernardo

Tutima Glashütte Expands Grand Flieger Airport Series with Four New Models, Two Colorways

This past fall, Glashütte-based Tutima revitalized its Grand Flieger Airport series, unveiling four new models in two new colorways. The expansion, which includes two new Grand Flieger Airport Chronographs and an additional two Grand Flieger Airport Automatics, breathes new life into the 1940s-pilot-watch-inspired collection, promising to bring “traditional reliability and legibility with a new bidirectional...

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Jan 18, 2021 by Caleb Anderson

Bulova Partners with Veterans Watchmaker Initiative for VWI Edition Hack Watch

Bulova has added to its historically inspired collections the new Special VWI Edition Hack Watch, which is being launched in partnership with the Veterans Watchmaker Initiative (VWI). A modern re-edition of the 1960s MIL-W-3818A (pictured below, via MyBulova.com) — the last official military-issued watch produced by Bulova— it joins the family of Hack watches that Bulova...

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Dec 6, 2020 by Caleb Anderson

Christopher Ward Teams Up with Worn & Wound for Limited-Edition C65 Sandstorm and Sandstorm Blackout Chronometers

Christopher Ward continues to pump out news in this busy autumn for the watch industry, today unveiling the new C65 Sandstorm and Sandstorm Blackout Chronometers, produced in collaboration with Worn & Wound’s Windup Watch Shop. The two models boast a completely new design resulting from extensive collaboration between the retailer and the British watchmaker, with...

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Nov 17, 2020 by Caleb Anderson

Bremont Extends its Armed Forces Collection with New Broadsword Bronze Editions

Bremont this week unveiled the latest additions to its growing Armed Forces collection, rolling out three new bronze-cased variations of its Broadsword watch. The Broadsword Bronze models, which use the original steel Broadsword as their design foundation and pair the trendy metal with three distinct dial colors, are the British watchmaker’s first step into bronze...

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Nov 2, 2020 by Caleb Anderson

Jet Black: IWC Launches Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Top Gun Edition “SFTI”

IWC extended its partnership with the U.S. Naval Aviation community in 2018 with the development of its first “Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor” watch, which was awarded exclusively to graduates of the Navy Fighter Weapons School “Top Gun” program. Today, the Schaffhausen-based brand unveils a version of the “SFTI” for the rest of us — with...

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Oct 15, 2020 by Mark Bernardo

A French Navy Design Resurfaces: Introducing the Longines Heritage Military Marine Nationale

Longines has dipped into its archives to revive a watch design, once exclusive to the French Royal Navy crews, borrowing the warm colors, subdued subdial, and counterweight second hands from a vintage classic. The Longines Heritage Military Marine Nationale is the latest edition to join the brand's Heritage collection, following an array of updates to its aviation and military-inspired references.

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Sep 5, 2020 by Corey Vlahos

FEATURE

Vintage Eye for the Modern Guy: Timor Heritage Field

Field watches are one of my favorite categories of timepieces. Purpose built, utilitarian, and aggressively no-frills, these watches were designed for specific jobs, and have a long and storied history of facing down each. The last time we covered a field watch in this series was over a year ago, when we examined the Weiss...

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Mar 15, 2020 by Caleb Anderson

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