The wording of the watch hints at its historical background, with “FXD” referring to the robust “FiXeD” strap bars of the case. Directly machined into the main body, they increase robustness and reliability and were part of the requirements of U.S. military specification for diver’s watches. Shaped as an extension of the lugs, they are key to the model’s characteristic silhouette.

An essential feature inspired by other famous Tudor watches of the most notably early Submariners, the crown guards have a pointed shape. It goes without saying that the characteristic square hour markers and angular hands, known as “Snowflake”, on the black luminescent dial are also inspired by Tudor’s rich history of diver’s watches. They were introduced in 1969 to increase the intensity of the luminescence of its watches in poor light conditions. 

The manufacture caliber MT5602 that powers the Pelagos FXD boasts a power reserve of 72 hours. Designed to ensure robustness, longevity, reliability and precision, the self-winding movement features a non-magnetic silicon hairspring and variable inertia balance, which is maintained by a sturdy traversing bridge with a two-point fixation. Certified as a COSC chronometer, it has a precision rate between -2 and +4 seconds per day.

Water-resistant to 200 meters, the new Tudor Pelagos FXD Black comes on a one-piece forest green fabric strap with a red center stripe. A black embossed fabric-motif one-piece rubber strap is also included.

Pricing for the Pelagos FXD is marked at $4,150.

To learn more, visit Tudor, here.

Tudor is one of the few brands whose desirability has increased significantly in recent years. This is mainly due to the attractiveness of its models, most certainly including the Black Bay and the smaller version, the Black Bay Fifty-Eight, launched in 2018. The version we tested here came on the market in 2021 in a silver case with a taupe-colored dial and bezel.

The name Fifty-Eight refers to 1958, the year in which Tudor introduced its first dive watch. French Navy divers turned to the brand to develop an ideal dive watch, designed especially for their needs, and Tudor consequently became the outfitter for French combat divers. The 39-mm case size is the same as its historical predecessor. The rotating bezel and smaller dial give the watch an understated look that is in line with current trends.

The vintage appearance is heightened by a domed, scratch-resistant sapphire crystal, which replaces the original acrylic glass. The dial also has a slight retro-style curve. The narrow lugs and the typography on the rotating bezel also cite Tudor’s history. Even the date was omitted for a more historically accurate impression. The traditional “snowflake” hands have been in use at Tudor since the late 1960s.

In contrast to previous models, the Black Bay Fifty-Eight 925 that was introduced in 2021 has a taupe-colored bezel and dial. The color, which could also be viewed as a faded black, goes well with the vintage design. While on the other hand, the gray-brown tone is also a modern trend color, especially in current interior design.

A Secret Silver Alloy
The taupe color harmonizes well with the warm tones of the 925 silver case. The designation “925” means the case is made of 92.5 percent silver and 7.5 percent other materials. Conventional sterling silver also contains this amount of pure silver with the rest being primarily copper, which gives the metal a reddish hue. However, sterling silver has a tendency to tarnish, as anyone owning sterling silver flatware can attest to. It is the result of a chemical reaction between the silver and sulfur-containing substances in the air, darkening the silver over time. To prevent this, Tudor has used a different alloy that is touted as being non-tarnishing. Although Tudor has not revealed the other materials, there are known alloys containing palladium and germanium that prevent tarnishing and can even be hardened. This material’s hardness is still more comparable to gold than to steel. The Tudor case shines with a bright luster and is warmer in color than stainless steel or platinum.

While the aluminum scale on the diving bezel is not as resistant to scratches as a ceramic alternative, its matte surface goes better with the watch’s vintage look. All in all, our test watch impresses, with an attractive design and very harmonious colors.

Happily, functionality did not fall victim to design here. Large luminous markers and a generous application of luminous material on the hands provide excellent legibility both day and night. The screw-down crown is easy to grasp; it decouples itself from the winding mechanism to reduce wear. The inclusion of a hack mechanism, plus no date display and no pulled-out crown position for that function, make time setting simple. The unidirectional rotating bezel ratchets in one-minute increments and is easy to grasp and turn thanks to its coined edge. Its clicking operation feels almost as rich as that of a Rolex timepiece. A luminous marker shows dive time, even in the dark. Thanks to the case, which is waterproof to a depth of 200 meters, the Black Bay is truly suitable for diving, at least when you wear the NATO textile strap.

Strap Options
Our test watch came with an attractively textured dark-brown leather strap with contrast stitching and a rubber lining, which extends the life of the strap. A very well-constructed, practical pin buckle is made of brushed silver, which matches the case. Visually, we liked the taupe textile strap with a silver central stripe better than the leather strap because it doesn’t taper toward the buckle as much. However, the textile strap obscures the caseback, which is especially unfortunate here since this is the first Black Bay model in regular production with a transparent window that permits a view of automatic Caliber MT5400. The caliber is produced by the movement manufacturer Kenissi, which is also a supplier to Chanel, Breitling, Fortis, and other watch brands.

A Robust Caliber
The movement boasts both sturdiness and precision. Its considerable height of 4.99 mm makes it robust to avoid functional disturbances, even in the case of the smallest tolerance fluctuations that may have occurred in production. In addition, the balance is secured by a full bridge rather than on just one side. The silicon hairspring maintains centricity, as it is resistant to deformation caused by impact or other disturbances. Other high-quality features of this in-house movement include the extended 70-hour power reserve and free-sprung balance wheel with four regulating screws — so the rate is not adjusted by changing the active length of the hairspring, as is usually the case with most ETA calibers. Decorations to the movement are modest but the rotor is skeletonized and has a sunburst finish and a Tudor engraving.

Rate precision is certified by COSC, the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute, where Tudor sends a majority of its movements to be checked (the MT5602-1U used in the new Black Bay Ceramic comes with a Master Chronometer certificate from METAS). In addition to other criteria, the rate results are guaranteed to remain within a range of -4 and +6 seconds per day. Results shown on the electronic timing machine confirm this level of accuracy: the values in different positions remain quite close, while the average deviation was almost perfect: only +1 second per day. On the wrist, we saw a gain of 2 seconds per day, which was likely due to the fact that the watch was placed “dial-up” overnight, the position that showed the greatest gain of +5 seconds.

The technical features of the Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight 925 put it on the cutting edge, and its execution and finishing make it a standout. The design mix of retro elements and warm gray tones knows how to inspire, and the additional cost of $950 above the base price for the silver version feels moderate and appropriate.

SPECS:
Manufacturer: Tudor, Rue François-Dussaud 3-5, 1211 Geneva 26, Switzerland
Reference number: M79010SG-0001
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds
Movement: Caliber MT5400, automatic, COSC-certified chronometer, 28,800 vph, 27 jewels, stop- seconds mechanism, silicon hairspring, free-sprung balance with four regulating screws, Incabloc shock absorber, 70-hour power reserve, diameter = 26 mm, height = 4.99 mm
Case: 925 silver, domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on both sides, screw-down crown, threaded caseback with sapphire crystal viewing window; water resistant to 200 meters
Strap and clasp: Calfskin strap with rubber lining and silver pin buckle
Rate results (deviations in seconds per 24 hours):
Dial up +5
Dial down +1
Crown up +1
Crown down −1
Crown left −1
Crown right +1
Greatest deviation 6
Average deviation +1
Average amplitude:
Flat positions 291°
Hanging positions 255°
Dimensions: Diameter = 39 mm, height = 12 mm, weight = 90 grams
Variations: With textile strap (Ref. M79010SG-0002, $4,300)
Price: $4,300

SCORES:
Strap and clasp (max. 10 points): The calfskin strap with rubber lining is well made, as is the practical silver pin buckle. 8
Case (10): Excellent finishing of the case made of a special silver alloy 8
Dial and hands (10): Domed dial, applied markers and cleanly polished hands give the watch a high-quality overall impression. 9
Design (15): An attractive retro design with well-matched warm gray tones 14
Legibility (5): The generous application of luminous material on the displays and the high contrast between the hands and the dial make for excellent legibility, both day and night. 5
Operation (5): The screw-down crown is easy to use, a stop-seconds mechanism facilitates accurate time setting, and the grooved rotating bezel turns easily. 5
Wearing comfort (5): The watch sits comfortably on the wrist with a supple leather strap 5
Movement (20): The movement is robustly constructed and has a long power reserve. Decorations are modest. 15
Rate results (10): Low average deviation and no excessively high beat error in the various positions. 8
Overall value (10): Moderate additional cost for a silver case at an appropriate price; good overall value 8
Total: 85 POINTS

This article originally appeared in the September-October 2021 issue of WatchTime.

1. ORIS BIG CROWN PROPILOT DATE ($1,550)

Oris Big Crown ProPilot Date

This pilots’ watch from Oris achieves optimal legibility thanks to its matte dial and impossible-to-overlook hands and numerals, which are coated with plenty of luminous material. The big crown can be operated while wearing gloves. The textile strap is steplessly adjustable thanks to a clamping system; the clasp works like the buckle on a seatbelt aboard an aircraft. With a date display on its dial and a time- tested automatic movement inside its case, this watch offers everything you need. Stainless steel, 41 mm, Sellita SW 220, automatic

2. TUDOR PELAGOS LHD ($4,400)

Tudor Pelagos LHD

The letters “LHD” in the name of this divers’ watch stand for “left-hand drive,” like a car with its steering wheel on the left. For a watch, LHD means that the crown is located opposite its usual position. This is convenient for a southpaw who wears the watch on his right wrist. But this watch can also be worn on the left wrist, thus keeping the crown especially well protected against impacts. Tudor’s own auto- matic movement has earned a chronometer certificate and accordingly runs with great precision. The titanium case is extremely resistant to salt- water and can resist water pressure to a depth of 500 meters. A helium-release valve rounds out the professional equipment. Titanium, 42 mm, manufacture Caliber MT5612, automatic; click here for more details.

3. CERTINA DS ACTION DIVER AUTOMATIC ($895)

Certina DS Action Diver Automatic

The DS Action Diver Automatic upholds the ISO standard for divers’ watches. The stainless-steel case is water resistant to 200 meters and has a rotatable bezel with a diving scale. The dial has luminous indexes, along with plenty of luminous material on the hands to assure that the face is always clearly legible, even underwater and in the dark. The time-tested automatic movement and the robust stainless-steel bracelet equip this timepiece for every mission. The price is appealing, too. Stainless steel, 43.2 mm, ETA 2824, automatic.

4. SEIKO PROSPEX AUTOMATIC DIVER’S ($495)

Seiko Prospex Automatic Diver’s

Nicknamed “Turtle” because of the shape of its case, the Prospex Automatic Diver’s was introduced in the 1970s. With an indestructible urethane wristband, a case that resists water pressure to a depth of 200 meters, and a unidirectional rotatable bezel, this watch is optimally equipped to accompany a diver underwater. And despite its low price, it has a self-winding manufacture movement. Seiko makes the crystal from Hardlex, which isn’t quite as scratch-resistant as sapphire, but nonetheless harder than ordinary mineral crystal. Stainless steel, 44 mm, manufacture Caliber 4R36, automatic.

5. TAG HEUER AQUARACER 300M CALIBRE 5 ($2,800)

TAG Heuer Aquaracer 300M Calibre 5

This classic divers’ watch from TAG Heuer has a trendy military look with a black titanium case, sand-colored textile strap, and sand-colored elements and gray luminous material on the dial. The watch has plenty to offer from a functional standpoint, too: Black titanium-carbide coating resists scratches and the screwed crown contributes toward achieving pressure resistance to a depth of 300 meters. The nonreflective treatment on the sapphire crystal helps assure good legibility. Titanium coated with titanium carbide, 43 mm, ETA 2824 or Sellita SW 200, automatic.

6. BREITLING AVENGER BLACKBIRD ($5,105)

Breitling Avenger Blackbird

The militarily inspired Avenger Blackbird has a distinctive 48-mm case made of DLC-coated titanium. The coating helps prevent reflections from light, which could betray its wearer’s location. With a unidirectional rotatable bezel, screwed crown, and water resistance to 300 meters, this timepiece is also suitable for diving. In addition to the case, the dial and textile strap are also black. The luminous material on the hands and indexes is beige in daylight conditions. Breitling’s Caliber 17 is based on an ETA 2824 movement and has earned a chronometer certificate to confirm its accuracy. DLC-coated titanium, 48 mm, ETA 2824, automatic; for more on the Blackbird, click here.)

7. ROLEX EXPLORER II ($8,100)

Rolex Explorer II

This watch, which debuted in 1971, is made for adventurers, researchers and expedition members. Equipped with a second time zone, the continually updated design has become iconic. This model epitomizes a tool watch, although its high price might make its wearer feel annoyed if the case should suffer a scratch or two. The 904L stainless steel that Rolex uses is more resistant to saltwater than ordinary 316L steel. And Rolex’s manufacture caliber is regarded as the sturdiest and lowest-maintenance automatic movement. Rolex’s famous accuracy is assured not only by a chronometer certificate, but also by the brand’s in-house standards, which specify that the watch be so finely adjusted that it neither gains nor loses more than two seconds per day. Stainless steel, 42 mm, manufacture Caliber 3187, automatic.

8. ALPINA ALPINER 4 AUTOMATIC ($1,395)

Alpina Alpiner 4 Automatic

Developed for rugged excursions and mountain climbing, the Alpiner 4 is equipped with a sturdy, 44-mm stainless-steel case and a unidirectional rotatable bezel. A soft-iron inner case protects the automatic movement against magnetic fields. The hands and indexes are coated with white luminous material for good legibility. The screwed crown helps keep the case water resistant to 100 meters. Stainless steel, 44 mm, Sellita SW 200, automatic; more details here.)

This article appears in the July-August 2017 issue of WatchTime Magazine.

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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.

Here’s a quick look at how the watch looks in its natural habitat (more precisely the Hovercraft salt water dive site located in Panama City Beach, at a depth of 71 to 80ft):

Tudor and the US Navy

“As early as the mid ‘50s, Tudor diving watches were being tested and evaluated by a number of outfits inside the US Navy, and by 1958 they were officially adopted by the Navy and purchased for the purpose of issuing them to divers operating in various units. This Pelagos FXD model is the spiritual successor of those watches. The nomenclature hints at the background of the watch, with FXD referring to the incredibly robust FiXeD strap bars of the case. The model represents a modern, high-performance and robust take on the famed “Milsub” (short for Military Submariner) of yesteryear. Visually, it’s most in line with a late ‘60s-era Tudor Oyster Prince Submariner reference 7016; it incorporates elements from the US military specifications for diving watches, such as fixed spring bars, as well as details inspired by other generations of issued Tudors, like pointed crown-guards typically found on early Tudor Submariners.”

Tudor

The US Navy issued Tudor diving watches for decades starting in the latter years of the ‘50s. The watches were used by SEAL teams from their commissioning in 1962 all the way the late ‘80s. They have also served Sailors in all types of underwater roles, including UDTs, Seabees and Navy dive school instructors. Throughout the decades, Tudor has supported the US Navy as a supplier of issued watches. In the 1965 “First Edition” of the Underwater Demolition Team Handbook, for example, a Tudor Oyster Prince Submariner ref. 7928 is pictured next to the “Diving Watch” paragraph. The handbook was an essential piece of literature for new operators as they studied UDT operational procedures. Later, in 1973, the US Navy Diving manual lists the Tudor Oyster Prince Submariner references 7016 and 7021 as “Navy-approved” diving watches. In 1974, the National Stock Number system was introduced to track the supply system of the US Department of Defense. From 1978, under code 6645-01-068-1088, a supply officer could purchase and issue a Tudor Oyster Prince Submariner reference 9411, or later 76100, to an approved sailor or operator in need of a reliable Navy-approved dive watch.

This specific supply catalog entry was only retired in 2004. Watches issued to members of the military are typically engraved with specific inventory codes, but the US Navy-issued Tudor watches didn’t follow this pattern. There was never a force-wide, consolidated marking system. Instead, the issued watches were either sterile, or marked at the unit level, with many different coding typologies, most of which were used for inventory purposes. Since many of these watches issued by the US Navy remain unmarked, it makes it quite difficult today to determine the military provenance of a given Tudor, even though official records indicate that very large quantities, in a number of references, were delivered over a span of multiple decades.

Fast forward to 2023:

The Pelagos FXD’s satin-brushed case (42mm in diameter, 12.75mm thick, 52mm from lug to lug) has fixed strap bars, which are directly machined into the main body of the titanium case, a key to the model’s characteristic silhouette. Another feature of this variant is the 60-notch rotating bezel, here unidirectional with a luminescent material-filled 60-minute-graduated ceramic insert with a traditional dive scale.

Historically, the US Navy oftentimes had their divers fit their Tudor watches with fabric straps, typically one-piece ones in black or green made out of nylon. The Pelagos FXD comes with two straps: A one-piece green fabric strap with red central thread and self-gripping fastening system, and an additional dark grey embossed fabric-motif one-piece rubber strap. The 22-mm one-piece fabric strap has become one of the hallmarks of Tudor. It is produced in France on 19th century Jacquard looms by the Julien Faure company in the St-Etienne region. Movement is the Calibre MT5602 with a non-magnetic silicon hairspring and certified as a chronometer by the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC). Another notable feature is the power reserve of about 70 hours when fully wound.

More photos (on dry land):

The Pelagos FXD is priced at $4,150 and available immediately.