What are the World’s Most Iconic Military Watches?

Military watches have been around for a long time. Documentation of these significant utilitarian instruments is dated as far back as the 1880s. Evidently, these timepieces acted as an indispensable tool in effectively coordinating troops and accurately timing combat manoeuvres. We could take you all the way back to the very early days of military watches, but instead, we will take you back to a dark historic period that led to vast improvements in the development of these instruments – the First and Second World Wars.

The start of the First World War saw military troops relying on pocket watches for accurate timekeeping. In order to make these pocket watches readily accessible, troops began strapping them to their wrists. By 1916 however, wristwatches were being developed with luminous markers and unbreakable glass. Towards the final years of WWI, partly due to harsh trench conditions, military watches were developed with resistance to water and dust. When combat missions began utilising aviation tactics, the development of pilot's watches began to take flight with improvements in visibility and the inclusion of rotating bezels.

When war broke out once again in Europe in 1939, governments began setting standards for their military issued watches. The United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force, for example, started issuing watches which had to have a dark dial, luminous indicators, and an accurate 15 jewel movement according to the British Government’s W.W.W standards.

The United States Army Air Force released specifications called the A-11 for the production of a navigation hack watch during the Second World War. These military watch standards led to the production of highly functional, durable, and reliable timepieces that would serve troops throughout the army for the rest of the war.

Another famous military watch, the “Beobachtungsuhren” or B-Uhren, were aviation hacking watches produced by the Third Reich in Germany. Due to these specifications, military watches became an extremely reliable combat tools that troops continually relied on in countless settings and environments.

So what were some of these iconic military watches and why are they so famous today? Let’s have a look.

Rolex MilSub

In the 1970s, the British Ministry of Defence needed a specially created watch for their personnel. Rolex was commissioned with this task and the MilSub came to be. This special Submariner didn’t have the usual Mercedes hour hand and instead it had been exchanged with a Roman sword hand, as it allowed for more surface area the luminous paint could be applied to. There were three types of MilSubs finally created – the reference 5513, 5517 and a 5513/5517 double-reference Submariner. The reference 5513 is the most sought after of the MilSubs, as they were specifically created for the Royal Navy and there were likely no more than 1,500 of them.

The Panerai Radiomir for the Italian Navy

Panerai had already been providing the Italian Navy with timekeeping instruments before supplying the first Radiomir watch for the infamous Italian frogmen. It was when a special diver’s watch was requested for Italian frogman commandos, that Panerai created the Radiomir to match the harsh underwater and lighting conditions they faced. An interesting fact – Rolex initially produced these Radiomir models for Panerai. The name “Radiomir” is derived from the special luminous and radioactive radium paste (Radium Barium carbonate with Zinc sulfide) that glowed and made the indices highly legible. Later, this paste would be replaced by a new substance patented by Panerai, and thus the Panerai “Luminor” was born. To this day, Panerei manufactures their watches with the same dinstinct and unmistakable cushion-shaped case. The Panerai Radiomir 1936 California Dial limited edition model is created from the exact same design-DNA as the first Radiomir.

A. Lange & Söhne and the B-Uhr

The "Beobachtungsuhren", meaning “observation watches” in German, are well-known Flieger type watches of the Second World War. One brand that supplied the German forces with these aviation instruments is A. Lange & Söhne of Glashütte. The legibility, durability, and accuracy of the "Beobachtungsuhr" was of utmost importance to the pilots of the time, and that is what the German watchmaker provided. IWC’s Big Pilot watches draws inspiration from the B-Uhr of the Second World War, which they themselves manufactured as well.

IWC Mark Series

The Mark series by IWC have reached legendary status with watches being inspired by their Flieger design to this day. The first Mark Flieger watches that were supplied to military aviation units were actually manufactured by various watch companies. Amongst these, IWC played an important role. In 1944, IWC Mark X watches were supplied to the military and used by the British Royal Air Force as well as the Royal Australian Air Force. The trust the military placed in the IWC Mark X, as well as the Mark XI that would supersede it in 1949, is a testament to the quality and reliability of IWC’s watches.

Understandably, modern iterations of the IWC Mark series are quite popular, as the classic design, together with modern touches and technology, make them very appealing.

The Hamilton Watch Company

Hamilton is well known for manufacturing precision timepieces as far back as the late 1800’s and especially for the American railroad industry. Because they were so well regarded, Hamilton became a supplier to the United States Military in 1914 and was tasked to supply one million watches! Prior to this enormous undertaking, Hamilton had sold watches to the public, which they ceased when they were called to duty. They also supplied marine chronometers, which were the first of their kind to be created by modern manufacturing. Of these, they produced 10,902 pieces! Below you can see an example of one of these naval instruments.

An example of later wristwatches by Hamilton is the one seen below. It is signed G.S, which stands for "British Military General Service Division".

Unfortunately they have stopped using the mechanical military watches of the past - partly because of budget restrictions. Mechanical watches are relatively expensive to produce as compared to the cheap yet reliable battery watches of today.

In fact, armies only issue watches to some units while the rest of the troops are left to purchase timepieces out of pocket. Many soldiers in the U.S. Army, for example, choose to wear a Timex, G-Shock, or Suunto thanks to their robust case yet comparably low price tags.

For us watch lovers however, the iconic military watches of the past decades will forever hold a dear place in our hearts. The pure utilitarian purpose of these instruments lends a unique aesthetic to these military watches, which have continued to inspire the design of high-quality watches to this day.