Vintage military watches are one of the most desirable timepieces for watch collectors. Their functional design becomes more beautiful over time, and it’s their efficiency and simplicity that makes them stand out against modern watches.
Military watches have been developed by many great watchmakers, usually under contract from the various departments of the armed forces. They must be reliable, and excel in adverse conditions. Their design and form often goes on to inspire regular civilian watches. Military watches are becoming increasingly rare, with most departments just opting for high-spec off-the-shelf models. That makes these unique vintage military watches all the more interesting and desirable.
The Military Watch Museum website redirects here. This page will be the future archive and showcase of the best vintage military watches.
Blancpain Fifty Fathoms
This French designed dive watch almost didn’t exist, but eventually the design was approved and produced by Blancpain. To this day the Fifty Fathoms remains a top military dive watch, and modern versions of this classic military watch are available.
Smiths W10
Produced by Smiths in England during the late 1960s to early 1970s. Famous for and the “broad arrow” marking this vintage military watch features a 35mm diameter, hand-wound movement, anti-magnetic dust cover, and a tritium-illuminated dial.
Monopusher Chronographs
Produced in the mid-1900s by Lemania, Breitling, and Rodania for the British armed forces. The various models featured stainless steel cases, Lemania movements, radium dials, and an asymmetric variant with a manually-wound movement.