I always wake up on Veterans Day with thoughts of the men and women I served with right after 9/11. While I had my favorites, the ones I connected with due to standing at a gate for 18 hours checking IDs, patrolling the base for drunks and, sometimes, more serious crimes, and sleeping on the ground on field training exercises, every one of them stays with me. Brave, generous, and ready to give anything they are asked of, these people deserve to be remembered on Veterans Day. That is why I immediately thought of my favorite military-inspired watches. A reminder of the times I spent with them: both chasing drunks and being one of the drunks. If you feel inclined to get a start on holiday shopping for that brave veteran in your life, here are the watches that will make them think fondly of their time in the service.
A watch is a tool, but it’s also a symbol — a symbol of precision, responsibility, and the weight of time. – 18th-century English watchmaker and inventor
Benrus Type 3X Zulu
Benrus traces its military roots back to Vietnam, where it developed watches for the special forces operators in the 1970s. Now, they are a staple in the watch world, and this particular version is a callback to the Type I and Type II worn by those men in the jungle. Designed around the same principles of legibility, durability, and function, it reinterprets the original military formula for modern use while preserving its clean, purpose-driven character.
There aren’t many better ways to honor the soldiers in your life, or more stylish ways.
Luminox Volition America Continuum 250
Speaking of tracing back to making watches for soldiers, Luminox has been doing that very thing for SEALs since 1992. When they were chosen to make a watch specifically for the Navy SEALs to wear on missions, their legacy changed forever. Now, they still make the watches for the men and women who defend our nation, and the SEALs still flock to the watches that can hold up to the harsh environments required by the job.
This collaboration with Volition America combines multiple organizations dedicated to Veterans and the lives they build after service.
Praesidus A-11 LMUV
Switching gears from the watch you wear in the field to a watch inspired by what the men before us wore in the field, Preasidus makes a living on remembering the past. Designing watches to look and operate the same as the ones worn by The Greatest Generation, these watches are recreations of military-issued pieces from World War II. From this version with pieces of steel from planes flying missions on that fateful day in Normandy to sand pulled directly from Utah Beach, each watch has a built-in story and a way to remember service.
My first watch from the company was a recreation of a watch worn by Marines in Vietnam, but their WWII collection will always be my favorite and will always find its way onto my wrist on Veterans Day or Memorial Day. If you have a father or grandfather who served in Vietnam, you may be able to find a recreation of the exact watch he wore.
Panerai Submersible Marina Militare GMT PAM01758
We don’t have to stay in the United States to find great military-inspired watches. The Italian Navy has been treated pretty well in their watch supply by luxury watch brand Panerai. From the creation of luminescent tools to the development of diving watches that excelled in precision, durability, and toughness, Panerai proved itself an essential partner in the Navy’smost daring endeavors since the early 1900s. For this Veterans Day, they released a new submersible, perfect for your wrist whether you’re underwater or not. For the former naval officer or diver, this is a watch they can believe in. On the new release, Alessandro Ficarelli, Chief Marketing and Heritage Officer of Panerai, says.
“The new Submersible Marina Militare timepieces are a profound homage to our Brand’sstoried past and an affirmation of our future. From the Destro configuration to the practical GMT function, they blend Panerai’s historical design codes with uncompromising technical innovation, further enhancing our legacy and enduring partnership with the Italian Navy, a relationship that began in the 1910s and remains a cornerstone of our DNA.”
MTM Watches Special Ops Gray Silencer
Made for the military by the military, MTM was founded nearly forty years ago by a man who knew exactly what a field watch needed to be useful. Built on expertise, MTM is designed to withstand everything the world throws at it while serving as the perfect tool for the man wearing it. With a deep roster of watches, almost all of them are black or gray, giving you the feel of a watch truly worn by the professionals. That makes this the watch for the man or woman who puts their life on the line in and out of uniform, the one that demands craftsmanship in their tools.
Veterans Day may be a holiday for a lot of people. An opportunity to take an extra day off from the office in the middle of the week. But for those men and women in your life who have served, remember they are carrying more than you see. Time feels different for most of them because of their service. Reach out, thank them, and let them know you are there when they need you. And if you are shopping for them this holiday season, a watch is the perfect way to show them you care and that you acknowledge the choice they made.
