The watch world is one of the most luxurious and niche-riddled industries in the world. No matter what your life is like, living in the luxurious high-rises of New York City and Dubai, or roughing it off the grid in the countryside, mountains, jungles, or deserts, there is a watch that fits your vocation and your aesthetic. The militaries around the world noticed this centuries ago, and naval captains worldwide used pocket watches to guide their vessels, which were full of soldiers, wherever their honor and bravery were needed. Thanks to the innovation of the wristwatch to aid in civilian flight, that process has developed into some of the most amazing military watches the world has ever seen.
These watches hit the market thanks to big brands worldwide noticing the need for such services and creating tool watches for the soldiers storming beaches, jumping from airplanes, protecting the skies, and defending the oceans. Over the years, some truly iconic military watches have defined soldiers, and these are some of the best and most notable we’ve ever seen.
What makes a military watch?
Ok, before we list out the best watches for land, sea, and air, we should probably qualify what constitutes a military watch. First and foremost, these should be watches made for the military specifically (foreign or domestic). Because of this, you won’t find the Omega Seamaster or the Rolex Submariner on this list. They should also be watches that fall into the category of tool watches. Meaning they are meant to be used to accomplish a very specific goal. On top of those two criteria, here are the things to look for in a military watch:
- Tough – Let’s face it; the soldiers wearing these watches aren’t patrolling streets or putting out fires from the safety of home they are often in the most combative foreign terrains going up against tough and motivated enemies. They need something that is as tough as they are.
- Reliable – Like we said, these guys aren’t at home. They are far away from any support. They are out there putting their lives on the line and they need a watch that will keep up with them…something they can rely on.
- Functional – The watch has to do the job. It has to have all the features needed to help them accomplish whatever goal they set out to do. Precision is key, and so is being useful for more than simply telling the time.
- Readable – No point having a tool if you can’t use it 24/7. You will find that many of these watches are valuable thanks to the luminescence of the dial. Either a back light or luminescent numbers and hands, the sun never sets on battle, and neither should they.
For the land
For the soldier on the ground, nothing is more important than timing. Your fellow combatants have the plans of action. They are ready to commence the assault or the insertion at the same time you are. That is why it is so important that you are ready when they are. In the exact moment they are. When the seconds tick down, and the men and women of history tackled the toughest terrains of warfare, these were the watches worn.
Hamilton Khaki Field
You can’t beat an original. In 1914, Hamilton became the official contractor tasked with providing the military with wristwatches to replace the pocket watch that was the standard before The Great War. These “Trench Watches” became iconic as the go-to for men of battle with their bigger numbers and luminescent hands. Today, Hamilton is still a leader in field watches, and they still hold strong connections to the military.
The Dirty Dozen
We’re cheating. While we talk about the most iconic military watches, one would be remiss to overlook this. However, this isn’t a watch; it is a collection of watches. During World War II, the British Government felt they needed better watches for their soldiers and sent word to the industry that they wanted products with a black dial, Arabic numerals, luminous hour and minute hands, luminous hour markers, a railroad minute track, a shatterproof crystal, and a stainless-steel case. Twelve companies responded to the call: Buren, Cyma, Eterna, Grana, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Lemania, Longines, IWC, Omega, Record, Timor, and Vertex. Now, this is one of the most iconic collections (and rare as only a couple dozen complete collections exist in the world) and definitely deserve a spot on this list. Bremont has an entire collection (pictured) inspired by the specifications of the original Dirty Dozen.
Luminox
Again, this is not a specific watch per se…but if you will allow us to cheat a little once again. This is a bit a of a newer installment as nobody in the history of the American military is more badass than the Navy Seals. 1992 saw Nick North, Assistant Officer to the Development, Test, and Evaluation (RDT&E) unit for the Navy SEALs, searching for a better watch for night missions, and he found Luminox. Lumin (which means light in Latin) and Nox (which means night) display everything needed for the SEALs to be the tip of the spear. To this day, these are still the number one choice for the teams, making it incredibly iconic.
For the sea
The ocean is an alien world only the select few have explored. And even fewer have ventured beneath the surface and defended their country from under the waves. Precision is key…knowing the limits and the length of time your gear is effective. Pressure mounts with every moment, with every foot…these were the watches that answered the call to dive deep beneath the known to battle in the unknown.
Blancpain Fifty Fathoms
At the end of World War II, two leaders of the French Combat Diving Corp set out to find the perfect watch for their troops. What they came up with was a list of specifications that no watch in Paris could hold up to. The initial tests to find a watch ended with most of them unable to be read under water or leaked under the pressure. The solution? They made their own just under a century later, it is one of the most iconic military dive watches ever made. When in doubt, do it yourself.
Marathon GSAR
Soldiers aren’t perfect, and sometimes they need to be pulled out of rough places. That is where Search and Rescue come into play. While there is definitely a civilian search and rescue, the United States Military adopted this Canadian masterpiece for themselves, and it is one of the most iconic watches you may have never heard of. Of course, there is a new Jeep collaboration that brought some attention…but they have been around long enough that they beat out many others on this list.
Tudor MN Snowflake Sub
Tudor has always been the more unknown little brother to the more renowned Rolex, but when the French Royal Navy came calling back in the late sixties for a watch that was easier to see underwater, Tudor decided to step up. With the more recognizable flared watch hands, the watch lovingly became called the “Snowflake.” It was the first time Tudor separated itself from Rolex visually, and it stands the test of time as one of the most iconic military dive watches of all time.
For the air
We all love Pete “Maverick” Mitchell. Tom Cruise made fighter pilots cool again. But the truth is…they never went anywhere. They were always our guardians of the skies. Every second changes at altitude. Every pitch, every turn, and every moment in the air can be the beginning of a legend, or the end of a tragic story. These watches went down (no pun intended) in the history books, along with the brave pilots who wore them.
Seikosha Tensoku
Representing a bit of a darker time in the history of military watches comes the Seikosha Tensoku, or the Seiko Kamikaze as it has become known. You can’t talk about iconic military anything without a tragic story, but one filled with honor and sacrifice. This is the watch that is believed to have been issued to and worn by the Japanese fighter pilots who flew their planes into targets in a suicidal last attempt to defend their country. These are rare (as many of them didn’t make it back) but an honorable addition to our list.
Longines Navigator
Also called the Weems Second Setting, the Longines Navigator adopted Captain Philip Van Horn Weems’ design for a movable disc that allowed pilots to make precision time estimates. Once adopted, Longines was able to provide some of the best pilot watches to the military all through World War II. Today, originals are rare and quite expensive. However, you can still get the Longines Military Heritage watch (pictured above), which invokes much of what the Weems set out to do.
A-11
On the list of famous battles in military history, you can go to the 300 Spartans (give or take a couple thousand depending on the history lesson), you can go to the Battle of Gettysburg, or you can go much more recent to D-Day. Depicted so well in Saving Private Ryan, one of the things not focused on was the watches worn by the soldiers. The A-11 was designed to help the Allies survive in the battlefields of the second World War, but were most prominently used to time the battle of D-Day down to the second, notably for the pilots covering the drop on the beach. Today, you can get numerous recreations like the one above from brands like Praesidus.
