Military watches remain as vital today as when they were invented over a century ago

There is a story that a Taliban commander once said, “You have all the watches, but we have the time.” He was right, and not just figuratively: as American troops, we certainly had the watches. These days in a time where smartphones dominate, it’s easy to understand why people assume a watch is more of a fashion accessory than a necessity. However, the military watch has a long history of being an absolute necessity.

I remember in boot camp, we got this little bit of free time around the base after the crucible and right before graduation. Family Day is what they called it. Our drill instructor gave us two orders, be back on time… and buy a watch. We cleaned the PX out of watches, and I purchased a simple Casio. It was my first watch ever (I can’t possibly remember its model). That started my relationship with watches that continues to this day.

If you have served, you likely had some form of a watch, at least on deployment and when in the field. They are invaluable pieces of gear and in fact, the military watch is the very reason the wristwatch came to prominence.

The origins of the military watch

The watch has always been a must-have for tactical operations. (Creative Commons)

Wristwatches have existed since the 16th century, but they were never that popular. By the mid-1800s, the wristwatch was a clock aimed at women and was known as a wristlet. It was seen as a piece of jewelry that told time and a man wouldn’t be seen wearing a wristwatch. It was as feminine as a skirt.

Near the end of the 19th century, things were changing. During the Boer war, the British began to learn the value of the wristwatch. The traditional use of signals for communication was also being interpreted by the enemy, so the British began relying on synchronized times for maneuvers. But whipping out and opening a pocket watch was a hassle, especially when your hands were full.

It wasn’t until World War I that the men’s wristwatch became a staple on the battlefield and beyond. Military officers needed precise measurements of time due to the use of artillery. The use of creeping barrage tactics required infantry and artillery to be synchronized so that the infantry would charge after the barrage had ended. The first military wristwatch was also a trench watch.

Trench watches were developed by soldiers who welded wire lugs to the cases of their pocket watches. They then attached leather straps to strap the watch to their wrist, as there was no time to fumble with a pocket watch. The wristwatch spread from officer to enlisted man, and when the war ended, the men brought these wristwatches home.

The military watch is how wristwatches went from accessories for women to widespread acceptance among men.

The modern needs

Notice the watch on the trooper’s wrist. (Creative Commons)

In the day and age of high-tech solutions, the watches may have changed, but the needs they were created to address have not. The reason why so many Soldiers, Marines, Sailors, and Airmen still wear watches is that they need them.

The phone is basically a modern pocket watch and not a great tool for the average military member to tell time. But on training or deployment, using your phone for a timepiece poses tons of problems as it’s big and bright, and its battery dies quickly compared to a watch’s. So, a military watch is necessary to provide a quick and easy way to check the time.

Time is still key in military operations. If you know you have a surveillance drone to watch your back from 0900 to 1030, you can perhaps conduct a different movement, maneuver, or tactic. Or maybe it’s time to change the guard, or you need to head to a briefing, etc.

We used to coordinate times for two patrols to move into a village from different directions. We could use radios, but planning beforehand to both move in at 0730 is easier than relaying a ton of radio traffic on a potentially heavy-traffic channel. Plus, radios and voice make noise and carry, and they are reliant on a signal that can be blocked by the environment. Even today, synchronized movements are a valuable tactic that cannot be intercepted by the enemy.

The evolution of the military watch

Watches remain a must-have for troops. (Courtesy Casio)

It’s amazing how we are still using watches for the same reason we used them back in World War I, although we live in a day and age where missiles are accurate enough to hit a tank under a bridge without damaging the bridge. Let’s look at a short history of the American military watch.

The A-11

The term A-11 doesn’t necessarily refer to a watch but to a standard: the military set for watches. However, A-11 became the term applied to watches produced and issued by the military in World War II. The A-11 was produced in massive numbers and is generally recognizable by its black dial and white numbers.

The design featured hacking, which is where the seconds hand stops completely when the crown is pulled out. This allowed for greater synchronization. The A-11 was produced in such great numbers and worn by so many soldiers it is often referred to as the watch that won the war.

MIL-W-46374

MIL-W-46374 is another military watch standard that became the go-to designation for several watches produced from 1964 onwards. These watches were designed to be mass-produced and essentially disposable. They were designed to be accurate enough but far from fancy.

Over time there were numerous revisions and these were designated by letters. For example, the MIL-W-46374A meant is used corrosion-resistant steel, and MIL-W-46374B used tritium-painted dials, and so forth, and so on until G the final revision, which came out in 1999.

Marathon TSAR

Coming out of the 1990s and into the Global War on Terror, the Marathon TSAR became one of the more expensive options issued to soldiers. These commercial off-the-shelf watches were often issued to infantry and combat arms officers.

These were designed as Search and Rescue watches and were known to be incredibly well-made, accurate, and built to the MIL-W-46374G standard. These still used a traditional dial with tritium added for low-light use. It’s fairly fancy for a military watch.

Garmin Fenix 3

The Garmin Fenix 3 is a smartwatch. It is a very limited issue watch that has been issued to some Navy pilots, specifically F/A 18 pilots. It’s a Garmin watch, so it’s tough, well-made, and can do a very specific task.

After numerous incidents with the F/A 18s, the Navy chose the Garmin because it could provide an alarm when the cabin altitude reaches a certain threshold. This is useful, because the gauge used on the plane is difficult to see, and the audible alarm couldn’t be heard in the flight envelope. The Fenix 3 offer a very niche military watch.

Casio G-Shock

The Casios are an entire family of watches. We have the DW-6600, the 5600, the 6900, and the 9052. These are rugged digital watches designed specifically to take a beating. Several have NSN numbers, and they have been issued in small numbers via unit purchases.

However, for the modern military, the G-Shock is the watch of choice. It is a relatively affordable and feature-filled watch and even the 50-dollar G-Shock has a backlight, alarm, date, and more.

We have the watches

A good watch is a must-have if you serve in the military. A phone just isn’t an option in most duties, and they are even prohibited by some regulations or laws. The reason why needing a wristwatch hasn’t changed but evolved. If you are ever looking for a good gift for the military member in your life, a good watch goes far.

Author

Travis Pike

View all posts

Military watches remain as vital today as when they were invented over a century ago

The origins of the military watch

The modern needs