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These chronographs, produced by the likes of Heuer, Leonidas, Zenith and others in the 1960s and 1970s, were meant for use by German (hence “bund” for “Bundeswehr,” the German military) and Italian military pilots. Although numerous iterations of these watches were produced by different brands, all were dual-register chronographs equipped with Valjoux flyback movements and rotatable timing bezels.
Vintage Military Watch
Interestingly, Sinn was the brand that had an early contract to service many of these watches, and replacement Sinn service dial-equipped Bund watches can still be found floating around the vintage market. Additionally, Bund chronos originally shipped on the iconic 2-piece leather strap that now bears the “Bund” name as a generic moniker.
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Guinand makes several modern versions. This cinematic moniker describes a group of watches from 12 different Swiss brands produced under contract to the British MoD and delivered in 1945. Although each company's model differed slightly, the watches featured 35-38mm cases in either stainless steel or plated base metal, black dials.
with radium lume, mechanical movements regulated to chronometer grade, screw-down case backs (with the exception of the IWC model) and military markings. In total, about 150,000 pieces were produced, so it's still possible to nab a Dirty Dozen watch for a few thousand dollars.
Sale Price AU$210.04 AU$210.04 When buying vintage, you must remember that these watches are not factory fresh. Watch movements tend to be fairly hardy, but even the most pampered watch will succumb to the ravages of age and wear.
In addition, every watch has an Achilles heel, and on these it is the two-piece design of the crown stem. By now, many a stem has split for good, so it is not uncommon to find these watches with missing or damaged crowns.
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I would recommend purchasing your first vintage piece from a reputable seller like ClassicWatch.com that services the watches before sale. This will not guarantee a lifetime of trouble free service, but it will keep you from spending good money on a dud.
If you decide to buy from a classified ad or eBay, consider the cost of an overhaul when making your offer. Some of the technologies we use are necessary for critical functions like security and site integrity, account authentication, security and privacy preferences, internal site usage and maintenance data, and to make the site work correctly for browsing and transactions.
Following on the heels of the monopusher chronographs, the British MoD utilized asymmetric-cased chronographs produced by four companies: Hamilton, CWC, Newmark, and Precista. These were issued in the late 1970s/early 1980s and featured dual-button chronographs based on the Valjoux 7733 movement, steel cases, black tritium dials and military marking indicating which service they were issued to (RN, RAF or Royal Australian Navy).
CWC makes a handsome modern reissue of its original version. Although numerous Rolex Submariners (beginning with the first Sub reference in 1954) were supplied to the British Ministry of Defense for testing and issue, it's the modified civilian reference 5513, the “double-reference” transitional 5513/5517, and the dedicated military reference.
The Watches
5517 that are perhaps collectively the best-known military watch model in the world. These special "Milsubs" were fitted with a circled "T" on the dial to indicate the presence of tritium lume; fully-marked dive bezels for accurate timing underwater;
sword hands; and fixed spring bars. Expect to pay six figures for an original (only 1,200 or so were made), but some companies, such as Steinhart, make tributes. Sale Price AU$126.41 AU$126.41 Sale Price AU$161.57 AU$161.57
Seikosha, a branch of the famed Seiko company, originally produced clocks, watches and other devices, one of which is sometimes referred to as the “Kamikaze watch.” While the Seikosha division produced numerous watches during the 1930s and 1940s for the Japanese military, the “Kamikaze” watch is notable for having supposedly been issued to Kamikaze pilots during their last fateful flights, which accounts for why there are so few of them still in existence.
existence. Whether the watches were actually utilized in this specific capacity or not is difficult to confirm, but they're interesting for their oversized cases, much like the German B-Uhren of the same time period. Sale Price AU$150.30
Whether You Are A Military Enthusiast In General Or Specifically A Military Watch Collector Our Collection Of Military Watches For Sale Is Sure To Pique Your Interest
AU$150.30 Sale Price AU$292.68 AU$292.68 These watches date to WWII and were produced by Omega, Longines and JLC for use by RAF navigators. They received the Mk 7A (6B/159) designation and followed a spec calling for a watch with a white dial, black Arabic numerals, central seconds, non-luminous, blue steeled hands and chrome or stainless steel case.
Despite seeing wartime action and many examples receiving replacement dials over the years, many of these timepieces still exist on the market in decent condition. (That they were fitted with excellent movements, such as the venerable hand-wound Omega 12.68N, certainly helps.) The modern Longines Heritage Military recalls the design of the original.
Reliability: A military watch, whether it features a mechanical or quartz movement, must be reliable at all times. Movements must be able to function in cold, heat, and at high altitudes, and, if battery-powered, they should feature batteries that are extremely long-lasting and efficient.
Sale Price AU$225.10 AU$225.10 Originally designed by American Lieutenant Commander Philip Van Horn Weems, the Second-Setting watch was a patented Weems invention for use in celestial navigation. In order to synch the watch with a signal emitted via radio that gave a pilot a precise time reference, Weems developed a movable bezel controlled via a secondary crown.
This way, the user could monitor the margin of error between the watch's timekeeping and that of the radio signal, thereby minimizing possible navigational mistakes. This concept was later expanded upon by Charles Lindbergh with his Hour Angle watch.
Sale Price AU$204.68 AU$204.68 Sale Price AU$195.74 AU$195.74 The MIL-W-46374 and the GG-W-113 are two watches developed for use by (mostly) American military personnel beginning in the 1960s and have become well-known as the timepieces often issued to G.I.s during the Vietnam War.
Myriad iterations of these models have been created in the decades since their debut, to the extent that a simple eBay perusal yields watches with steel or plastic cases, 7-jewel or 17-jewel mechanical movements, and even quartz variants.
Thankfully, as of this writing, because of their relative abundance, you can pick up a MIL-W-46374 or GG-W-113 from companies like Benrus, Hamilton and Marathon for less than $200. If you'd prefer a modern homage, Military Watch Company makes a tribute to the GG-W-113.
Beginning in the 1950s, Tudor began supplying several of the world's navies with its Submariner dive watches. Although several different iterations of the Sub were used, the most famous is probably the 7016/0, the so-called “Snowflake” Submariner.
It is widely understood that the French Marine Nationale requested a special hand design that was more visible underwater, and the resulting hands and indices were put into production (they later trickled down into civilian production of the watch, which saw a second reference debut in the
form of the 9401). When a Snowflake Submariner with confirmable military provenance can be found, it commands an enormous premium over the civilian variant. Modern versions could be said to live on in Tudor's Black Bay line.
Sale Price AU$155.35 AU$155.35 Produced by Elgin, Waltham and Bulova, this 30-32mm watch was made in several different iterations to a standard called for by the U.S. military (although versions were also issued to other Allied forces under the “6B” designation).
A simple, time-only watch with a black dial (though rarer white versions exist), white Arabic numerals and hands and 60-minute graduations, so many A-11s were produced that the watch is sometimes referred to as "the watch that won
the War.” The Mk II offers a modern, updated version called the Cruxible for $649. MIL-W-46374 was issued in October 1964 to provide a low cost, disposable alternative to the MIL-W-3818B. The spec provided for either metal or plastic cased watches with minimal shock or water protections, and a lower accuracy, non-hacking movement.
The cases were sealed, so any maintenance must be done by accessing the movement through the front. Remember, these were designed to be used until destroyed and replaced, but their hardy mechanical movements will respond to servicing.
The MIL-W-46374 entered service in September 1968 and production continued with various revisions through the late 1980's when quartz movements became the norm. These watches were made by Benrus, Belforte, Westclox, Hamilton, Timex, and Stocker and Yale.
All of these watches will bear case back markings with contract type, federal stock number, manufacturing part number, contract number, manufacture month and year, and serial number. US military watches from this era are not as common as they once were, but there are more than enough out there to warrant careful shopping.
There is no reason to settle for a damaged watch or an unsympathetic restoration. Better to hold out for a properly served survivor. In fact if you are, shall we say, of a certain age, you can use the manufacture date on the back to hunt down a watch that shares your birthday.
Whatever you choose, a good mil-spec hand winder like these will be a fine addition to your collection, with a rich history and decades of service still ahead. What follows is a selection of some of the world's most famous military watches and a brief history and explanation of each.
The list is by no means definitive, but we've tried to include examples from as many different militaries and countries as possible. Thankfully, there's a wealth of information out there on most of these, so should you feel inclined to explore more deeply, there's plenty of opportunity to do so.
Sale Price AU$198.85 AU$198.85 Ease of Use: The timepiece should be easy to read and operate and devoid of clutter and extraneous elements that impede its functionality. A cluttered dial, for example, makes the time difficult to read, and a special dive bezel that doesn't turn easily can make use underwater almost impossible.
Although developed in 1957, it wasn't until 1967 that the British MoD began using the Semaster 300M, which replaced for a time the Rolex Submariner as its primary dive watch. With a depth rating of 300 meters, twisted lugs, a caliber 552 self-winding movement, fixed spring bars and a bezel with hash marks for every minute, the 300M is an iconic military diver on par with the Milsub.
When one with genuine military markings comes up for sale that was used by a member of the elite Special Boat Squadron, the watch is almost guaranteed to fetch five figures. Omega makes a modern version.
Perhaps the most iconic of all pilot's watch designs, the Beobachtungs-Uhren ("observation watch") was developed in the late 1930s as an instrument for German bomber crews, who were then preparing for war. A specification was put forth by the Luftfahrtministerium (air ministry) and answered by five companies (IWC, A. Lange & Söhne, Wempe, Lacher & Company/Durowe (Laco), and Walter Storz (Stowa), which produced the watches under identical
specifications. Two types were specified, the A and B, which had slightly different dial layouts, but each featured a hand-winding movement in an oversized 55mm case that was meant to fit over a flight jacket (or, supposedly, to be strapped to
the pilot's or navigator's leg for hands-free use). Serviceability: It should be relatively simple for a watchmaker to service a military watch and to change or upgrade parts as necessary. Parts can (and do) break during use in adverse conditions, and if a watch features say, a movement that is difficult to work on, this will prevent the watch from being quickly put back into rotation.
All watches have been carefully selected for their quality and preservation with the customer in mind and are excellent examples of watches which have stood the test of time. You'll find our range of vintage military watches for sale including British WW2 Watches from brands such as Omega below, and remember to check out our wider selection too.
Developed by famed British clock- and watchmaker Smiths, the W10 was built from the late 1960s through the early 1970s and is unique as a military watch for having been manufactured in England, with an in-house, English-made movement, to boot.
The W10 is roughly 35mm in diameter and features a hand-wound movement with an integrated anti-magnetic dust cover, a tritium-illuminated black dial and hands, fixed spring bars and a prominent “broad arrow,” marking it as Crown property.
Versions were made for both the Army and the Royal Air Force, which are marked “6B” on the case back. Keep collections to yourself or inspire other shoppers! Keep in mind that anyone can view public collections - they may also appear in recommendations and other places.
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