Nota bene: All products in this article are independently selected and vetted by InsideHook editors. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.
The history of watches is inextricably intertwined with military history. Some of the best and most beloved models today were once government-issued timepieces; many still are. Take for example the Rolex and Tudor Submariners which have, in various guises, been issued to British, American, French and Israeli soldiers and sailors, among others. Hamilton’s field watches were produced for American forces during both the Second World War and the Vietnam War, while CWC and Marathon divers are still issued to British and Canadian personnel. We could go on.
Watches and warfare — the two go hand in hand. Ever since the First World War, when soldiers in the trenches in France needed a way to coordinate their movements while keeping their hands free, there has been a need for dedicated wrist-worn timepieces made to withstand harsh environments. Sometimes watch companies simply provided their current-generation models to units or governments who had need of such timepieces; in many instances, however, said entity would provide a tender with a strict set of requirements for a watch, and companies would bid for the contract. This is the same process by which the Omega Speedmaster became NASA’s official timekeeper for manned space flight, beating out several other prominent firms.
While such requisitioning is rare nowadays — many militaries don’t provide a watch as standard kit despite the need for one across all ranks — the idea of the mil-spec wristwatch remains a captivating one in the minds of collectors. To that end, several companies exist whose sole remit is to create dedicated homages to military watches long since out of production, while others that once produced such models reissue them in modern guise with glee and enthusiasm. There are also companies that, while they don’t pull directly from any one mil-spec timepiece, clearly take inspiration from military watches more broadly within their design philosophies. Regardless of one’s feelings about homage watches or reissues, there’s no doubt that there’s never been a better time to collect “modern” military wristwatches.
Whether you fancy a pilot’s chronograph, a hardy dive watch or a practical field watch, there’s a military-inspired timepiece out there for you. The best part? Many of these designs sell for well under $2,000, and some of them for under $1,000. You can certainly spend more money if you’d like a more complicated or original design, but the beautiful thing about these modern tool watches is that they’re largely meant to be used as tools — i.e., to be banged up and abused!
Check out the assortment of compelling models below, and be sure to read up on their vintage inspirations in this guide.
Mk II Fulcrum 39
Bill Yao’s Mk II has been building homages to some of the most famed, long-since-discontinued military watch classics for over two decades — long before the “microbrand” craze took off. (Heck, long before the watch craze took off.) The Fulcrum 39, a love letter to the Rolex “Mil-Sub” of the 1970s, turns that beloved Special Operations-issued diver into an affordable piece of EDC. Measuring 39.5mm in brushed stainless steel, it comes on metal, rubber or nylon; with 12-hour or elapsed time bezels; and with or without a date window. Powered by the Miyota 9015 (date) and 90S5 movements (no date), it’s the perfect piece of travel and adventure kit. (Just be sure to sign up for Mk II’s emails — these babies sell out quickly.)
- Diameter: 39.5mm
- Movement: Miyota 9015/90S5 automatic
- Water Resistance: 200m
Sinn 156.1
Beginning in the 1960s, Heuer began providing its specially built 1550 SG flyback chronograph to the German Bundeswehr as well as to several other European militaries. Helmut Sinn, founder of the eponymous German watch brand, purchased decommissioned 1550 SG stock in the 1980s and reissued them as Sinn watches. Today, his namesake brand offers a spiritual successor to that watch in the form of the 156.1, a 43mm steel chronograph whose SZ01 automatic movement provides a centrally located, elapsed chronograph minutes hand in addition to a running seconds counter, a 12-hour totalizer, a central chronograph seconds hand and a date window.
- Diameter: 43mm
- Movement: Sinn SZ01 automatic
- Water Resistance: 100m
Unimatic Modello Uno UT1
Italian microbrand Unimatic has long offered a singular blend of Brutalism and militarism — at least as far as aesthetics are concerned. The Modello Uno UT1 takes its flagship dive watch a step further in a practical direction by rendering it MIL-STD-810H certified — that is, the watch has passed rigorous testing in accordance with a standard for military equipment developed by the U.S. government. Equipped with a “360° protection system” that utilizes a TPU movement housing within the steel case, it can withstand drops, shocks and adverse conditions, making it a perfect modern military watch. (Using a Seiko meca-quartz movement, rather than a mechanical one, goes a long way toward this realization.)
- Diameter: 40mm
- Movement: Seiko VH31 meca-quartz
- Water Resistance: 300m
CWC Military Pilot’s Chronograph 6BB-WR
Cabot Watch Company has long been a contractor to the British Ministry of Defence, but in more recent years, it’s expanded operations to offer special versions of its wares to civilians. The newly reissued Military Pilot’s Chronograph ref. 6BB-WR, available in black- and white-dialed versions, reimagines one such 1970s mil-spec classic for the modern wearer. It wears its Super-LumiNova proudly on its (proverbial) sleeve with its circled “L” insignia, which is joined by a dual-register chronograph layout and the “broad arrow” (pheon), a symbol of British Crown property. Paired to an MOD-approved grey NATO strap, it’s a steal at roughly $2,400.
- Diameter: 42mm
- Movement: Sellita SW510 BH b hand-wound
- Water Resistance: 100m
Bulova A-15 Pilot
Based upon a rare watch produced at the tail end of the Second World War in just a few hundred examples, the Bulova A-15 Pilot displays the advanced design sensibilities at work at the American watchmaker some 80 years ago. Housed in a 42mm stainless steel case, it features triple crowns: one for controlling time-setting and winding, another for setting the inner elapsed-time bezel, and a third for controlling the inner 12-hour bezel — which is handy for keeping track of a second time zone. Powered by an automatic 21-jewel movement, its military-approved dial is a picture of 1940s influence, with a cool “cathedral” handset and an inner 24-hour chapter ring in yellow printing.
- Diameter: 42mm
- Movement: Miyota cal. 82S6 automatic
- Water Resistance: 30m
Doxa Army
Issued to elite Swiss military divers in the 1970s, the Doxa Army is a rare bird. In order to replicate its black coloring — achieved over 50 years ago by heat-treating the stainless steel watch cases with oil — Doxa used black ceramic in a special edition created with James Lamdin at Analog:Shift for Watches of Switzerland. While this version is sadly long sold out, the watch is currently available in stainless steel with either a steel or bronze bezel, as well as with either black or dark green bezel inserts. Measuring 42.5mm and water resistant to 300m, it’s functionally a special version of the brand’s Sub 300 family, complete with a cool tan and black color scheme and unique logo.
- Diameter: 42.5mm
- Movement: ETA 2824-2
- Water Resistance: 300m
Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical 38mm
Upon its release in 2017, the Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical took the watch world by storm. Based upon the brand’s vintage mil-spec field watches from the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s, it features a brushed 38mm stainless steel case with a black dial, luminous dart indices, an outer minute track in white, an inner 24-hour track and a luminous syringe handset. Powered by a hand-wound Swiss movement and paired to a one-piece fabric strap, it’s a dead-ringer for the timepieces the brand built for the American government during (and after) the Vietnam War — only this time, its upgraded components, 50m of water resistance and robust movement ensure a lifetime of service.
- Diameter: 38mm
- Movement: Hamilton H-50 hand-wound
- Water Resistance: 50m
Timor Heritage Field WWW
Though you may be unfamiliar with the name, Timor was one of the original 12 contractors — lovingly referred to by the collector community as the “Dirty Dozen” — that provided mil-spec watches to the British MOD at the tail end of the Second World War. Recently revived, the brand builds a modern version of its beloved WWW watch with either a hand-wound or automatic movement, a black dial with luminous dot indices and sub-seconds, and a black nylon one-piece strap. (We’d personally choose the hand-wound version for the extra shot of nostalgia.) Measuring 36.5mm, it’s perfectly sized for the modern wrist, while its robust Sellita movement will keep accurate time through all sorts of adventures.
- Diameter: 36.5mm
- Movement: Sellita SW216
- Water Resistance: 50m
Marathon 41mm OSAR-D
Family-owned Canadian firm Marathon has been making mil-spec watches for Canadian, American and other forces since World War II. It’s particularly famed for its SAR dive watches, which are used by some of the world’s best search and rescue units. The new OSAR-D pays tribute to one of the first such SAR watches in the Marathon oeuvre, which debuted in the early 2000s. Measuring 41mm in stainless steel, it features a tall unidirectional dive bezel with a fully graduated insert, a knurled, screw-down crown, and a black dial with oversized dot-dash-triangle indices and a magnified date window at 3 o’clock. It’s powered by the Sellita SW200-1 automatic movement and available on steel or rubber.
- Diameter: 41mm
- Movement: Sellita SW200-1 automatic
- Water Resistance: 300m
Longines Pilot Majetek
Produced by Longines, Eterna and Lemania in the 1930s, the Majetek is a military design made for pilots. The modern version from Longines maintains the original’s signature coin-edge timing bezel, but also adds plenty of improvements and adjustments: Upsized to 43mm, it features crown guards, a sapphire crystal, a black dial with sword hands and sub-seconds, and luminous Arabic indices featuring a healthy coating of Super-LumiNova. Where the original featured a hand-wound movement, this one uses the L893 automatic caliber with a silicon balance spring and 72 hours of power reserve. While it’s available in several configurations — including with a titanium case — we personally dig the steel execution on a green leather strap.
- Diameter: 43mm
- Movement: Longines cal. L893 automatic
- Water Resistance: 100m
Tudor Pelagos FXD GMT
Developed in partnership with French naval aviation, this cool dive-inspired Tudor GMT allows pilots to keep track of multiple time zones. The “FXD” designation comes from the “fixed” spring bars inspired by vintage mil-spec models that can only take a pass-through strap — no bracelets allowed, folks — while the color scheme features vintage-colored lume and a pop of orange for visibility. All in all, this 42mm titanium watch, with its in-house master chronometer-certified automatic movement and handsome design, is not only an excellent military watch, but the perfect modern daily driver. Water resistant to 200m and paired to a cool green fabric strap, it’s also perfect for the frequent traveler.
- Diameter: 42mm
- Movement: Tudor manufacture cal. MT5652-U automatic
- Water Resistance: 200m
More Like This
We've put in the work researching, reviewing and rounding up all the shirts, jackets, shoes and accessories you'll need this season, whether it's for yourself or for gifting purposes. Sign up here for weekly style inspo direct to your inbox.
