Historical Military Watches

All military watches have a strong collectors market and are highly sought after. Many companies have dabbled in military watches including IWC, Omega, Westclox, Hamilton, Smiths, Rolex, Timex and Breitling among others. Some still make watches for elite aerobatic teams such as Breitling and of course Omega make watches for NASA so they tend to keep their hand in! As a general rule if the watch has been issued and carries military markings on the back cover, it is more collectable.

Chronographs are usually issued to airmen or officers. The chronographs would usually have a tachometer or telemeter scale. Sometimes however they may not have either. Military watches nearly always have a black face, a tough dark strap, easily legibly characters and hands - usually luminous or white, and non reflective surfaces.

Many military watches have to meet stringent durability standards including resistance to impact and magnetism, accuracy, water resistance, crystal, case, band and dial strength. The UK is very rigid as far as specifications are concerned but other countries are often more relaxed. Of course governments are all driven by price!

Lots of people wear a military watch for everyday use either because they have served in the military or because they like the functional appearance. Of course some manufacturers make hideous pseudo military watches with words on the dial like special forces, elite unit, F16, Seals and god knows what else on them and these are made primarily to appeal to part time Rambo’s!  For the actual military the design principles remain practical and simple, this is to ensure that the watch will fulfil the requirements for which it was designed.  The applications of the watches also remain of a practical nature.  This is because military forces often depend on highly accurate watch functions and features such as the tachometer and telemeter on a chronograph.  

The telemeter for instance allows you to measure the speed of sound in relation to the speed of light. For example, to judge how far away a gun or mortar bomb is being fired, you activate the counter when you see the detonator flash. You stop the counter when you hear the missile impact. The indication on the telemeter scale that the chronograph hand is pointing to is the distance in kilometers at which the enemy force is located. 

If you are looking for a rare military watch try Neal at Chronomaster in the UK. He is well know as a knowledgeble and reputable dealer with lots of connections. Good for many upmarket non military models too.

Contact Information

Chronomaster Ltd

PO Box 195

BL1 9AT

United Kingdom

Telephone:   0044 (0) 1204 45 96 36

Fax:              0044 (0) 1204 45 96 36

Cell:              0044 (0) 7747 19 25 26

e-mail:          neil@chronomaster.co.uk



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