Back to the Forties: IWC Big Pilot’s Watch 43

IWC downsized the case of its Big Pilot’s Watch from 46 to 43 mm, thus making this watch more wearable. But the most important change took place on the dial, where the Schaffhausen-based manufacture omitted both the date display and the circular power-reserve indicator, making this watch more minimalist, more symmetrical and, above all, more similar to the original model from 1940. The changes also downsize the price from $12,900 to $8,400. These savings might well persuade potential buyers to accept the shorter power reserve, which has been reduced from the previous seven days to a still-above-average 60 hours. Manufacture Caliber 82100 with automatic winding provides the power and upholds IWC’s high standards. The movement can even be viewed through a sapphire crystal in the back of the case, while its big sister has a solid steel back. The new pilots’ watch is also available with a blue dial and with a stainless-steel bracelet or a rubber strap.

Power Gauge: Omega De Ville Trésor Power Reserve

Instead of eliminating an additional function in this watch, Omega simply omitted a window in its dial. A date window would have marred the perfect symmetry created by the vertical arrangement of the two subdials. The upper subdial displays the power reserve (with a maximum of 72 hours or more), while the lower subdial shows the passing seconds. These displays are powered by manufacture Caliber 8935, which also opts to make do without automatic winding. However, the essential characteristics of a Master Chronometer caliber remain. The movement keeps time with chronometer-worthy accuracy, and thanks to exclusively antimagnetic components in the movement such as a silicon hairspring, it can withstand magnetic fields of up to an intensity of at least 15,000 gauss. The 40-mm watch in yellow or Sedna gold costs $17,500; the stainless-steel version is priced at $7,600.

Mechanical Minimalist: Hamilton Intra-Matic Chronograph H

Hamilton dispenses with commonly seen additional features to create a coherent retro watch. This 40-mm steel model not only lacks a date display but also an automatic winding mechanism. ETA, which manufactures the movement, achieved this functional reduction by deriving hand-wound Caliber H-51 from automatic Valjoux Caliber 7753. In this way, Hamilton comes as close as possible to replicating its own Chronographs A and B from 1968. The “A” version had dark counters on a light background and the “B” variant used the opposite color scheme. The new Intra-Matic Chronograph H is available in both versions; the “H” means hand-wound. The wristbands also fit well with the overall concept. Buyers can chose between a model with a monochrome, subtly grained leather strap priced at $2,045 that has the sporty elegance of the late 1960s, or one with a steel-mesh Milanese bracelet at $2,095.

Material Miracle: Rado Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic

In 2021, Rado not only spiced up its popular Captain Cook with a ceramic case, but also introduced a new caliber that follows the no-date trend, thus creating attractive symmetry. The R734 automatic caliber is a version of ETA’s Caliber C07 with skeletonized surfaces, decorative finishes, more elaborate adjustment and a new type of Nivachron hairspring made from a titanium alloy that resists magnetism. The movement is an essential part of the design because it is not only visible through the sapphire crystal in the caseback, but also through the tinted sapphire crystal dial. Here, the omission of a date display makes a positive contribution: a date window and a fully visible date ring would have obstructed the view of the partially skeletonized movement. Rado upholds tradition and puts a little anchor at the dial’s 12 o’clock position to show that an automatic movement powers this watch. The freely swinging balance, which is elegantly regulated by two weights, oscillates behind the anchor-shaped symbol. Rado’s 80-hour power reserve and water resistance to a depth of 300 meters add to the usefulness of this newcomer. The practicality is further enhanced by the use of scratch-resistant and hypoallergenic ceramic, a material that Rado pioneered when it first made ceramic usable for watchmaking in the 1980s. The bezel and crown are rose-gold PVD-coated stainless steel, which in combination with black ceramic creates a sporty and elegant two-tone look. This eye-catching version of the 43-mm retro divers’ watch costs $3,700.

The Elegance of the Thirties: Longines Heritage Classic

Longines is a pioneer of the retro trend in watches. As early as the 1980s, this Swiss brand brought back pilots’ watches from the 1920s and ’30s with great success. And today Longines continues to maintain its Heritage collection with tasteful expertise. But Longines’ designers didn’t always have the courage to eliminate a date display, which had long been regarded as a necessity for a watch to be saleable. But lately, Longines has been more consistent in its retro design, as shown by this newcomer and several other models inspired by Longines’ models from the 1930s, a decade when watches didn’t have date displays. And to be honest, a dial would never look as handsome as it does here if it had a window at 3 o’clock or in the subdial for the seconds at 6. The 38.5-mm steel case houses high-performance automatic Caliber A31.501 with silicon hairspring and three-day power reserve, which is supplied exclusively by Longines’ sister company ETA. In exchange for a purchase price of $2,150, the Heritage Classic stylishly carries its wearer back to the 1930s.

Expedition Participants: Rolex Explorer

The Explorer has always done without a date display and, therefore, also Rolex’s Cyclops magnifying lens. But the classic model looks different in 2021 because Rolex has downsized its case from 39 mm to 36 mm, which was common until a few years ago, and has equipped it with a latest-generation manufacture movement. Automatic Caliber 3230 delivers 70 hours of power instead of the previous 48. The Chronergy escapement teams up with an optimized blue Parachrom hairspring to provide increased protection against magnetic fields. The steel version of the new Explorer costs $6,450, while the two-tone version in stainless steel and yellow gold is available for $10,800. The Explorer lettering has been repositioned from the 6 to the 12 o’clock position on the black dial. The case size corresponds to the dimensions of the first Explorer from 1953, which was launched in the same year as the first successful ascent of Mount Everest by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay. Rolex supplied the watches worn by the climbers who participated in that historic expedition.

A version of this article appears in the WatchTime 2022 Special Design Issue, on sale now.

Distinguishing itself from a typical chronograph that requires the seconds hand to be stopped, reset, and restarted, the flyback function allows the hand to instantly return to zero and recommence measuring time with a single press of the push-button. This functionality is particularly advantageous in scenarios where precision and speed are paramount, such as in aviation.

Expanding on this line, a new titanium version of the Spirit Flyback is now being introduced, featuring a case made of grade 5 titanium— an alloy known for being both lighter and more robust than steel. The 42-mm case, water-resistant up to 100 meters, showcases a satin-polished finish that masterfully plays with the interplay of dark shades and subtle shine.

The watch houses the Longines exclusive L791.4 caliber, with a high resistance to magnetic fields thanks to a silicon-balance spring. With a power reserve of up to 68 hours, this self-winding movement receives a chronometer certificate from the C.O.S.C. for its precision. A transparent case back offers a captivating view of many detail of the inner works, with its oscillating weight adorned with a globe—the emblem of the Longines Spirit collection.

Another emblem of this collection can be found on the anthracite dial that is furnished with gilt hands and numerals that are coated with Super-LumiNova for optimal legibility in all light conditions, the five stars that speak of the highest quality of a Longines timepiece. The Longines Spirit Flyback boasts a bidirectional rotating bezel with a black ceramic insert with luminescent markers.

Pricing is marked at $4,850 for the NATO-strap version and at $5,200 for the bracelet execution.

To learn more, visit Longines, here.

At first only acceptable for women, the wristwatch finally gained currency among men during the American bicycle craze of the late 1800s when a bevy of clever devices for strapping watches to the wrist – then called “wristlets” – were developed and marketed for hands-free time telling. During the second Boer War (1899-1902) and World War I (1914-1918), soldiers began buying these wristwatches because they believed, quite accurately, that a watch could help keep them alive by synchronizing movements at the front with the larger artillery blasts happening behind them. When service ended, some survivors of these wars began to use their wristwatches for hunting, fishing, hiking, bicycling and driving the occasional automobile. Watch manufacturers in Europe and America were quick to catch both the military and civilian trends, and advertisements readily conflated both uses into one message: rugged men doing rugged things needed a rugged wristwatch.

A first-series Rolex Oyster Perpetual Ref. 6350 with honeycomb dial from 1953 that sold for CHF 68,750 at Christie’s Geneva on May 16, 2016. The time-only Rolex Explorer was a rebranded Oyster with numerals on the dial that debuted in 1953 as a rugged tool for the era’s most aggressive adventurers.

In 1903, Dimier Frères & Cie. issued a patent for a watch case with attached lugs to hold the wrist strap, and as early as 1913, the New York-based mail order company Ingersoll – capable of churning out as many as 8,000 watches a day – was advertising these new wristwatches to “outdoor folks” and “husky sportsmen.” Other companies dubbed similar watches the “Skirmisher,” the “Campaign Watch” and the “Territorial Wrist Watch.” Before long, “Khaki” began to appear in ads for watches with straps made of beige webbing, and as early as 1917, the American company Depollier was selling moisture-proof wristwatches with luminous dials and Waltham-built movements as the “Khaki Watch.” The field watch as we know it today was thus codified over 100 years ago.

Shedding Victorian Values and Embracing the Great Outdoors

While these new wristwatches appealed to soldiers for obvious reasons, they also appealed to a whole generation that was shrugging off the high decoration and strict etiquette of the Victorian and Edwardian eras in favor of stripped down, functional designs and increasingly relaxed social norms. Between the World Wars, wristwatches also aligned with a rising obsession with the great outdoors, epitomized by the legacy of John Muir’s conservationism, Teddy Roosevelt’s formation of the American National Parks and the vast popularity of Ernest Hemingway’s stories about the contemplative WWI veteran and trout fisherman Nick Adams. This was a context within which a rugged tool watch could begin to capture the hearts of civilians.

Rolex, Tudor and the Civilian Roots of the Field Watch

In 1919, Hans Wilsdorf moved Rolex from London to La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, where he began to perfect his waterproof Oyster case, and in 1946, he formed Tudor in order to offer similar but more affordable watches. A brilliant marketeer, Wilsdorf would exploit headline-grabbing explorers and athletes as watch brand testimonees, cementing the idea that a wristwatch could act as a symbol of one’s ruggedness and bravery. That symbolic power was – and still is – one of the core appeals of the field watch.

Even though Rolex took on only limited military contracts, many World War II soldiers – especially pilots – would buy Oysters for themselves because the legibility and accuracy far exceeded that of mil-spec watches. Wilsdorf couldn’t have asked for a better promotional lift, as these Rolex-wearing military personnel were fast becoming folk heroes and style icons. Capitalizing on that marketing opportunity, Wilsdorf rebranded the Rolex Oyster as the Air-King in 1945, a move that dovetailed perfectly with the emergence of the Jet Age after WWII. In 1953, Wilsdorf rebranded an Oyster with numerals on the dial as the Explorer, this time capitalizing on an Oyster having made it to the top of Mt. Everest with Sir Edmund Hillary’s team. Though neither the Air-King nor the Explorer were military issues, they brought straightforward aesthetics and battle-ready durability to the wrists of countless civilians.

The Tudor Ranger was an affordable version of the Rolex Explorer.

Reissued as the 41-mm Heritage Ranger in 2014, this watch helped Tudor achieve the vast popularity of their current line of vintage-inspired tool watches.

The Air-King raises questions about the differences between pilots’ watches and field watches. Though many watches were designed with pilots in mind (e.g., Charles Lindbergh’s clever Longines Hour Angle, Zeniths with billboard-sized dials, various chronographs and eventually GMTs), many WWII mil-specs covered watches for both air and ground divisions, making it difficult to draw a clear line between the two categories. Because most civilians never become pilots, commercial marketing of these watches focused on “the field,” a term which likely derives from ‘battlefield’ but which has long since become synonymous with the great outdoors. In the case of Rolex – as well as many other brands – the distinction between a pilots’ watch and a field watch may come down to naming conventions and marketing, neither of which deliver a definitive distinction.

Nonetheless, the Rolex Explorer was popular enough during the 1950s that Tudor brought out the Ranger as an affordable alternative in the early 1960s. With its black face, bold luminous markers and an impenetrable Rolex Oyster case, the Ranger epitomized the simple aesthetics and functionality of the field watch. In 2014, Tudor reissued it as the Heritage Ranger, a 41-mm field watch with a camouflage strap that helped shuttle the company back to the top of Swiss watchmaking. That camouflage strap suggests a military connection that was never really there while also capitalizing on the recent revival of camouflage in popular fashion; one can imagine that Hans Wilsdorf, the clever marketeer, would wholly approve.

The Rise of the Hamilton Khaki Field Watch

Why would a WWII-era watch design still hold sway over the popular imagination during the 1950s and ’60s, a time when fast-paced futurism promised to put the war as far behind as possible? Part of the answer is the endurance of military men as sex symbols in WWII-themed films after the war – especially 1951’s Oscar-nominated film The Frogmen, which helped cement Hamilton’s military watches into the popular imagination as symbols of masculinity and bravery.

Like most American manufacturers, Hamilton stuck to WWII-era military specifications after the war, but in 1964, the U.S. Department of Defense issued watch specification MIL-W-46374A, the template for Hamilton’s 33-mm Ref. 9219, a time-only watch with a 24-hour inner track that Hamilton would readily produce millions of. Predictably, those numbers swelled during the Vietnam War.

Today’s 38-mm Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical is larger than its predecessors from the 1970s and ’80s, but the field-watch aesthetics and durability remain largely unchanged.

By the end of the 1960s, Hamilton had partnered with L.L. Bean to sell co-branded versions of the 9219 through the Maine-based mail order company’s catalog. Offered alongside Swiss Army knives, compasses, thick wool socks and other outdoorsy goods, Hamilton would repeat this co-branded marketing strategy with Orvis and Brookstone, as well as selling countless Hamilton-branded Khaki Fields to other commercial outlets. When the MIL-W-46374A specification became defunct in the 1980s – leaving massive manufacturing capability potentially inert – Hamilton began to hit the civilian market even harder with the Hamilton Khaki Field Watch, effectively transforming this military icon into an outdoorsy lifestyle accessory.

Mil-Spec Becomes Mil-Chic

In a stroke of good luck for Hamilton and other companies selling field watches, the military-influenced style was undergoing a complex journey into high fashion during the 1970s and ’80s. In 1971, Yves Saint-Laurent unexpectedly turned camouflage prints into runway chic, a gesture in perfect sync with anti-war protesters in the U.S. who sported combat uniforms with studied irony. By the 1980s, politically minded punk bands like The Clash helped make army jackets as common as blue jeans, while Andy Warhol started painting huge canvases with camouflage patterns. Camo had become a fashion statement, which in turn fueled a significant uptick in army surplus stores at the time.

It was in this milieu that the preppy weekender look – which has always borrowed liberally from military garb – would ascend to great heights. Paul Newman and the ever-outdoorsy Robert Redford sported aviator sunglasses, khaki pants and field jackets with effortless aplomb and massive sex appeal. Meanwhile Andy Warhol – somewhat confusingly as a glamorous, gay, urban art star – complemented his Levi’s, Chelsea boots and horned-rimmed glasses with a red L.L. Bean down-filled puffy vest. Passing away in 1987, this would be one of Warhol’s last looks, one so elemental and iconic that’s it’s been a men’s fashion staple ever since.

CWC has been selling field watches to civilians since the 1990s. The 38-mm General Service model pictured here is just one of many mil-spec models CWC offers today.

These outdoorsy styles became so widespread and have endured for so long that today we hardly notice the military origins of camouflage-print Louis Vuitton handbags, $500 Prada aviators, or the epaulets and ammunition holders on a Ralph Lauren jacket. Following yet another resurgence of the preppy outdoorsy look, today’s so-called heritage brands (L.L. Bean among them) are reissuing items from their back catalogs as the latest styles. Accordingly, in 2018, Hamilton was able to bring out the Khaki Field Mechanical, a hand-wound version that’s become a hit all over again – including, for the first time, fashionable camouflage straps.

Today’s Khaki Field series ranges from blacked-out 50-mm giants to svelte 38-mm steel versions with aged lume and olive green NATO straps. The latter are largely faithful to the aesthetics of the early Khaki Field Watch, and – following current trends down into the sub-40-mm zone – some of the most popular. The resurgence of the Hamilton Khaki Field proves once again that, while technology marches more or less forward, fashion will perennially circle back on itself.

The Mechanical Field Watch in the 21st Century

Beyond Tudor and Hamilton, the field watch is seeing a broad resurgence among many brands, old and new. Below are a few examples that demonstrate how brands today are playing with field-watch style, mixing up various features to create new models that scratch that old itch for durability, simple design and the symbolic power of sporting a tough little tool watch.

CWC General Service (£199-£449) – In the 1970s, the Cabot Watch Company, or CWC, established itself in order to snatch up newly available contracts with Britain’s Ministry of Defense as Rolex and Hamilton relinquished these shrinking partnerships. By the 1990s, CWC was starting to sell mil-spec watches to civilians, and today, CWC’s blocky, utilitarian General Service models are available in a range of compelling and affordable models. The CWC W10 GS, for example, sports an ETA 2824 automatic mechanical movement, a rounded, 38-mm stainless-steel case and a classic mil-spec dial that could easily pass for a WWII-era watch. Other CWC GS models recreate the quartz units of the 1980s and ’90s in a number of military-inspired colorways.

No two of the Longines Heritage Military’s “aged” dials will be the same. With its simple 38-mm steel case and minimal dial text, it captures the stripped-down appeal of a classic field watch.

At just 38 mm across, the Bell & Ross BR V1-92 Black Steel is one of the smallest watches in the Bell & Ross catalog, but its striking, straightforward dial gives it massive wrist presence.

Longines Heritage Military Watch ($2,150) – Despite its somewhat ordinary name, the Longines Military Watch was one of the most alarming watches in all categories for 2018 because it included an intentionally “aged” dial. That aging was achieved by randomly splashing flecks of dark paint onto the cream dial, creating what many call “fauxtina.” That dial may look a little odd against the otherwise unblemished case and the brand new blued steel hands, but these speckles add depth and warmth to the simple elegance of this 38.5-mm time-only field watch. The L888 movement (built on an ETA A31 base) beats a little slower than today’s standard, but in so doing offers up a robust 65-hour power reserve.

Bell & Ross BR V1-92 Military and BR V1-92 Black Steel ($1,990) – Where CWC and Longines can draw on their own heritage, younger brands don’t let that stand in the way of producing some of today’s most compelling field watches. Consider the Bell & Ross BR V1-92 Military and BR V1-92 Black Steel, two 38.5-mm automatic mechanical field watches released in 2017. Bell & Ross excels at playfully patching together preexisting design elements to create their own concoctions, and with the BR V1-92 Military they’ve done so with characteristic grace: aged lume, a minutes track around the dial (no hours), a “mouse pip” at noon, a red “MT” logo (stands for Military Type) and a decidedly plain brushed steel case. For those seeking something more straightforward, the Black Steel’s monochromatic dial offers eye-grabbing legibility and classic military style. Though neither model resembles any historical reference, both the Military and the Black Steel look just like field watches ought to; as such, they are brilliant examples of how functional military design elements have become fashionable aesthetic cues over time.

Weiss 38-mm Standard Issue Field Watch ($950-$1,995) – Another interesting riff on the field watch comes from California-based Weiss Watches, a recent phenomenon in the American watch scene. We might catch a bit of irony in the name Standard Issue Field Watch, as this design is neither standard nor issued; instead, like the Bell & Ross, Weiss has combined classic field-watch details to excellent effect. With a 38-mm steel case, a subdial for running seconds at 6 and a railroad minutes track, this watch exudes classic field-watch style. Meanwhile, the “Los Angeles, CA” label across the dial announces that there’s no bona fide military connection whatsoever. Two movements are available: the manually wound Caliber 1005 built on an ETA 7001 base and the automatic Caliber 2100 built on an Eterna 39 base. Those looking for a bigger watch will want to jump up to the 42-mm model that features Weiss’s in-house manually wound Caliber 2005 (starting at $2,250 for steel and going up to $8,950 for the solid 18k yellow-gold models).

Seals Model C Field Explorer ($640) – Affordable, funky and inspired by seemingly everything from WWII at once, the Seals Model C Field Explorer combines various field-watch elements into a wholly original-looking watch. The blocky case and wire lugs are reminiscent of a Panerai Radiomir, while the generously lumed numerals and markers, broad hands and high contrast outer track offer classic field-watch legibility. Inside is a Swiss Technology Production 1-11 automatic mechanical movement capable of storing 44 hours of power. For the funkiest version, go for the aged stainless-steel finish with the blue dial.

Weiss Standard issue Field Watch

Seals Model C Field Explorer

The Future of the Field Watch

Where complicated watches draw us into nuanced engineering feats and bejeweled watches dazzle us with diamonds, the field watch must stick to the simplest design formula without succumbing to banality. Witnessing and judging attempts by watchmakers to meet that design challenge is surprisingly rewarding, enough so that over a century after its inception, simple field watches are some of the most highly anticipated iterations each year. Despite the slow pace of their evolution – or perhaps because of it – we can count on field watches to hold our imaginations, not only as companions for life’s various adventures, but as symbols of who we’d like to be as we explore, scout, range and traverse whatever it is we consider to be the field.

While also offered in 24 and 29mm, I focus in this article on the larger 36 and 38mm models. Both are available in quite a few varieties, always in stainless steel, although some combine this with a PVD coating in red or yellow gold. In particular combined with a black leather strap, silver dial, and Roman numerals, these represent the La Grande Classique in its most classic shape. The watch looks almost completely different when you opt for a blue dial with a metal bracelet. While I don’t want to use the term sportive, as it doesn’t go that far, it becomes more of a contemporary dress watch.

The strap or bracelet debate is challenging with the La Grande Classique, as this Longines looks good with both. As we are used to from the brand, the bracelet is well constructed, comfortable to wear, and good-looking. It also does quite a bit with the perception of the watch, making it more sportive for the stainless steel models and more luxurious looking for the gold PVD-coated models. Unless a version on a strap captures your heart, I would advise buying it on a bracelet and getting a strap as well. This allows you to enjoy the La Grande Classique with a wider range of looks. As is traditional with this model, the leather straps have no stitching, as it should with a classical dress watch.

While I am normally the first to suggest the mechanical movements when they are an option, with La Grande Classique, things are slightly different. While the automatic version with display back is desirable, also because of its beautiful shape, it is also substantially thicker than its quartz-powered sibling. The automatic version of this Longines is 8.1mm thick, while the quartz is a mere 5.4mm. While this is not a world of difference, the La Grande Classique is a watch that looks more in place with a thinner case. That combined with the fact that the automatic has more writing on the dial, and that there is no seconds hand to tell the difference, might make the quartz version the better choice. However, that is a personal decision to take, as in both versions, the La Grande Classique shows an incredible timeless appeal that is already lasting over three decades in the Longines catalog, and that says something.

Prices for the Longines La Grande Classique start at $1,300 for the stainless steel model with quartz movement on a metal bracelet.

For more info, visit Longines, here

The HydroConquest GMT boasts a 41mm stainless steel case with a height of 12.9mm, which features alternating polished and satin-finished surfaces. It is equipped with a new unidirectional ceramic bezel. As for the dial, Longines offers four intriguing color choices – green, brown, black and blue, all enhanced with a sunray finish. The gilt or silvered polished hands and hour markers are coated with Superluminova. The second time zone is indicated by a central hand with an arrow-tip and a 24-hour scale on the periphery.

At the heart of the HydroConquest GMT beats a new, Longines exclusive automatic movement. The caliber L844.5 comes with a power reserve of 72 hours and is equipped with a silicon-balance spring and other components made of non-magnetic materials. According to the brand, it is ten times more resistant to magnetic fields than the ISO 764 standard requires.

Also newly designed is the stainless steel bracelet with H-sphard links. It features a micro-adjusting clasp, which is a first for Longines. Complementing the colors of the dial, the HydroConquest GMT is also available with rubber and NATO straps.

Pricing starts at $2,675.

To learn more, visit Longines, here.