Top Military-Issue Watches of All Time

From Seiko to Rolex & Tudor, Omega & Casio, Militaries Around the World Have Long Issued Timepieces As Tools of Warfare. These Are Some of the Most Important. 

Starting in the First World War, official government-issued wristwatches became crucial tools in conflict, providing a necessary layer of coordination for missions that often made the difference between success and failure, or even life and death. As warfare developed, so too did watches, evolving to meet the changing needs of practitioners in the air, on land, and at sea, spurring some of history’s most legendary watch designs in the process. 

In this Dispatch, we’ll share our picks for the most important and influential military-issued watches of all time, from the Second World War through the golden age of tool watches and today. As you might imagine, some of these are also highly collectable watches, regularly commanding hundreds of thousands of dollars at auction. 

A Legacy of Military-Issue 

For decades, analog watches were issued by military organizations, yet another necessary piece of gear paid for with government funds alongside uniforms, boots, and weapons. Incredibly, some of the biggest names in watches today—Rolex, Omega, Tudor, and others—all directly provided watches to militaries around the globe.

A Marine wears a Tornek-Rayville TR-900 during the Vietnam War.

The relationship between watchmakers and the military wasn’t one-sided, either, and feedback from military end users influenced the design and development of watches like the Rolex and Tudor Submariner, the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms, and field watches from Hamilton, CWC, and others. 

As analog timekeeping gave way to digital tech both in weapons and watches, the role of timepieces once again evolved, but it didn’t go away. While many watches used by service members today are privately purchased, a few select analog watches and countless digital models are still issued, demonstrating the enduring role of watches in warfare. Presented in no particular order, these are some of W.O.E.’s top picks for military-issued watches you need to know. 

Rolex Military Submariner 

A Royal Navy Clearance Diver wearing a Rolex Military Submariner. (Photo Credit: Bonham’s/diving-watch.net)

There are a few examples of Rolex Submariners issued to the British Ministry of Defence in the 1950s, but Rolex would cement its military dive watch legend starting in 1971 with a watch that would come to be known simply as the “MilSub” or Military Submariner. To equip its growing Clearance Diving Branch, the Special Boat Service (SBS), and other diving units, the MOD reportedly approached Rolex with a specific set of parameters for a new military-specific Submariner based on the existing civilian reference 5513. With fixed lug bars, a fully graduated bezel insert, larger Sword-style hands borrowed from Omega, and a fully-brushed case for lower reflectivity, the modifications were enough for Rolex to grant the Military Submariner its own reference number: 5517. 

Provided to the MOD in several batches during the 1970s to Royal Navy Divers, the SBS, Royal Army Engineer Divers, and a few select helicopter pilots, fewer than 1,500 total MilSubs are believed to have been issued. A testament to the design’s durability and utility, many MilSubs were still in military circulation into the early 2000s, with even more having been “lost” by the operators to whom they were supplied. With one MilSub example hammering at Bonham’s for $240,000 in 2023, we can understand how they would have been misplaced. 

Benrus Type I & II 

A US Air Force Combat Controller (CCT) wears a Benrus Type I in 1981. (Photo Credit: US National Archives/Analog:Shift)

One of only a couple of watches on this list that was never sold commercially, the Benrus Type I and II were produced according to MIL-W-50717, a military standard for a “WATCH, WRIST: SUBMERSIBLE and NAVIGATION”. Capable of 1,200 feet (365 meters) of water resistance, the Benrus Type I and II were issued to Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal, Air Force Pararescuemen, and Combat Controllers, and SEAL Teams. The Type I, which came first, offered traditional rectangular and triangular indices, while the Type II leaned into field-watch-style Arabic hour markers with a secondary 24-hour track printed just within. 

The Type II was also available in two distinct variants, the Class A and the rare Class B, with the B forgoing luminescent material that could disturb sensitive instruments onboard submarines. In either case, the watches utilized a monobloc, top-loading steel case eliminating the need for a removable caseback and therefore aiding in prolonged water resistance. Add to that fixed spring bars, a screw-down crown, and a rotating bezel capped with an acrylic insert, and it’s easy to see why aspects of these designs are still felt in modern military watches such as the Marathon GSAR.

A-11

An Elgin-produced A-11. (Photo Credit: Analog:Shift)

Known as “The Watch That Won the War”, the A-11 was among the most broadly issued watches during World War II, provided in significant numbers to troops from the United States, Britain, & Canada. “A-11” refers to a specification rather than the watches themselves, which meant that various watchmakers, including Bulova, Elgin, Waltham, and others, produced watches conforming to the spec to sell to the government for issue to service members. 

A-11 watches had to meet an exacting set of requirements: A black dial with white Arabic indices, a manual winding movement with center seconds and hacking functionality, and a minute track with ten-minute demarcations. Despite measuring only 30 to 32mm in diameter, the A-11 proved itself throughout all theaters of the war to end all wars. Its biggest benefit was its hacking caliber, which allowed large groups of warfighters to precisely synchronize their watches before a planned combat action where coordination was key. 

CWC SBS 

SBS Sergeant Paul “Scruff” McGough wearing a CWC SBS in Afghanistan in 2001. (Photo Credit: W.O.E./James Rupley & Toby Harnden)

For the British Ministry of Defence, arguably the most important name in military-issued watches has long been CWC or Cabot Watch Company, a business set up in 1972 exclusively to supply military contracts. While the G10 field watch is the brand’s most prolific model by a wide margin, we are partial to the SBS, a PVD-coated day/date variant of the Royal Navy Diver released in 1980 as a successor to the aforementioned Rolex MilSub. The story goes that a UKSF unit in search of a low-visibility timepiece asked for a modified version of the existing stainless steel Royal Navy Diver, and in 1987, the SBS was born. 

41mm wide, now equipped with a sapphire crystal, powered by a Swiss quartz caliber, capable of 300 meters of water resistance, and priced under $1,000, the SBS is a rare Swiss analog watch with military legitimacy that also won’t break the bank. Almost 40 years later, the SBS is reportedly still issued to specialist diving units, including the Royal Marines and Royal Navy Clearance Divers. W.O.E.’s love for the SBS stems from a single photograph of SBS Sergeant Paul “Scruff” McGough, who fought in the battle for Qala-I Jangi Prison on 27 November 2001, in Afghanistan. Around here, that’s what we like to call “the good stuff”. 

Marathon GSAR 

A Marathon GSAR on the wrist of a US Air Force PJ in 2025. (Photo Credit: US Air Force/James Rupley)

The Marathon GSAR (Government Search And Rescue) is one of the last analog dive watches still issued to the military. Introduced in 2001, it was developed in response to a Canadian Armed Forces request for a purpose-built dive watch for Royal Canadian Air Force Search and Rescue Technicians. These operators conduct missions ranging from Arctic rescue and parachuting to diving and mountain operations and required a watch capable of enduring extreme and unpredictable conditions. The result was the original Marathon SAR, with a printed dial that blended functional inspiration from historic military dive watches into a modern, mission-focused design.

Initially issued to Canadian SAR Techs and Clearance Divers, the SAR became the GSAR around 2005 after adding a tritium tube-equipped dial and handset, which allowed the design to expand into US military channels where it thrived. While not widely distributed, the automatic GSAR (and its quartz counterpart, the TSAR) can still be ordered by US government procurement personnel through the General Services Administration catalog. Units including US Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal, US Air Force Pararescue, and US Army Special Forces have all recently placed orders from the now-broad SAR collection, reinforcing the watch’s operational credibility.

Blancpain Fifty Fathoms & Tornek-Rayville TR-900

An early French Navy Commando Hubert operator wearing his Blancpain Fifty Fathoms. (Photo Credit: Marine Nationale/Amsterdam Vintage Watches)

After founding one of the world’s first amphibious special operations units, French Navy Captain Bob Maloubier and Lieutenant Claude Riff reportedly asked Jean-Jacques Fiechter, CEO of Blancpain and a passionate scuba diver, to create a watch specifically suited to the novel combat diving use case. That watch, unveiled in the early 1950s after extensive testing by the French Navy, was the Fifty Fathoms. Housed within a then-gigantic 42mm case, the Fifty Fathoms was packed with a suite of newly patented features including a rotating push-to-turn bezel for tracking elapsed time, a dual-gasket crown system, and a screw-down case back system.

The Tornek-Rayville TR-900 is an interesting historical footnote and one of the rarest and most collectable military-issued watches. (Photo Credit: Hairspring)

Issued to military organizations around the world, including the US Navy, the Fifty Fathoms also led to a subtly modified version of the Fifty Fathoms known as the Tornek-Rayville TR-900, conceived by US Blancpain distributor Allen Tornek in an effort to subvert the Buy American Act of 1933. Never commercially available, the TR-900 was issued to US Navy Divers, Navy EOD Techs, and other maritime special operators starting in 1963. 

The Dirty Dozen 

Dirty Dozen watches, including this example from JLC, were engraved with W.W.W. for “Watch, Wrist, Waterproof”. (Photo Credit: Analog:Shift)

The legendary “Dirty Dozen” watches were a Swiss answer to a British call for a war watch with a black dial with Arabic numerals, a sub-seconds register, luminous hands and indices, and a precise, preferably chronometer-grade movement, all housed within a shock and water-resistant case. Once the specification was established, orders were placed with twelve Swiss watchmakers, with the watches later earning the “Dirty Dozen” nickname from collectors, an ode to the 1967 World War II film of the same name 

For collectors, the Dirty Dozen watches resonate because they represent some of the biggest names in watchmaking: IWC, Longines, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Omega, and others. In addition, many Dirty Dozen watches were larger, up to 38mm, and some were also housed in stainless steel cases (as opposed to chromed brass or base metal) that have withstood the test of time better than many watches from the era. The Dirty Dozen watches were not in circulation for D-Day but potentially saw action during the tail end of the Second World War and beyond while influencing the future of military and field watches for decades to come. 

Omega Seamaster 300 Military 

A MOD-issued Omega Seamaster 300 on the wrist of a Royal Navy Clearance Diver in the Suez Canal in 1974. (Watch Photo Credit: Bulang & Sons)

While the name was introduced by the brand in 1948, Omega’s first Seamaster intended for scuba diving hit the market in 1957. Designed as a direct response to the Rolex Submariner, the Seamaster 300 even managed to turn the British Royal Navy’s attention away from the Crown for the better part of the 1960s. Having utilized the earliest Submariner references in the late 1950s, the Royal Navy reportedly approached Omega, a brand with which the MOD already had a considerable history, looking for a modified version of the Seamaster 300 for its divers. 

Differing from the civilian model with fixed lug bars, the distinctive “sword” handset, a screw-down crown, and a special case back engraving denoting the watch as MOD property, the issued versions of the Omega Seamaster were supplied to both the British Army and Navy in several batches between 1967 and 1971. Modern Omega is better known for its James Bond connection. However, the resonance of its military associations is still felt in the brand’s thriving unit watch program, though these days, practitioners have to buy their own watches. For more on Omega’s modern unit watch program, click HERE. 

Tudor Submariner 

SEAL Team 1 legend Moki Martin wearing a Tudor Submariner ref. 7928 in Vietnam. (Watch Photo Credit: W.O.E./James Rupley)

Unveiled shortly after the Rolex Submariner in the early 1950s, the Tudor Submariner is, of the two, the more prolific watch in military use thanks to its more attainable price point, identical capabilities, and significant history of official issue. Closely associated with the US Navy, Tudor’s reference 7928 Submariner was issued not only to  US Navy Divers, EOD, and SEALs, but also to US Air Force Pararescuemen for decades starting in the 1960s, with many Tudor Subs seeing action in Vietnam and beyond. Later iterations of the Tudor Submariner were famously favored by the French Marine Nationale’s combat divers, and the Commandos Marine allegedly also played a hand in the design of the signature “Snowflake” dial and handset. 

US Navy Frogmen and French combat swimmers may be the popular examples, but Tudor Subs were also issued to global navies in Argentina, South Africa, Israel, Canada, and at least one documented case in Jamaica. Backed by that history, we’d argue the Tudor Submariner is one of the all-time military issue dive watches, a heritage that is felt throughout Tudor’s current collection and booming modern unit watch program. For more on the phenomenon of Tudors of Espionage, click HERE. 

Seiko 6309 “Turtle” 

A US Navy SEAL wears a likely-issued 6309 during a training evolution in 1987. (Photo Credit: James Rupley/US National Archives)

Released in 1976 as a successor to the 6105 “Willard”, the Seiko 6309 quickly became one of the most widely used and issued mechanical dive watches in modern military history. In the late 1970s, SEAL Teams transitioned away from higher-priced Swiss options from brands like Tudor in favor of the Japanese diver known to collectors as the “Turtle” for its distinctive cushion case shape. Though the Seiko 6309 never received an official NSN, it was broadly purchased and issued at the unit level by amphibious military units around the world, from the SEAL Teams to US Army Special Forces and even North Korean commando Frogmen conducting espionage operations in Japanese waters. 

Along with cost, the reason for the 6309’s success in military circles came down to utility, with a recessed crown at four o’clock, a highly luminous dial, and a glove-friendly bezel ideal for diving and maritime operations. Powered by the robust 6309 automatic movement, the watch earned a reputation for reliability, even with minimal servicing. Priced significantly lower than contemporary Swiss counterparts, it delivered comparable capability at nearly half the cost of the Tudor Submariner of the day, aligning perfectly with military procurement realities and the buy-what-works culture of the special operations community. For more on the legacy of the 6309, click HERE. 

US Army Ordnance Department Watch 

An ORD DEPT watch produced by Waltham. (Photo Credit: Dumarko)

In contrast to the A-11, which was theoretically intended for aviation and specific maritime operations, the Ordnance Department or “ORD” watches were general-purpose timepieces issued primarily to US Army soldiers on the ground. A specification outlined in the TM 9-1575 War Department Technical Manual allows for some design variation, meaning ORD watches produced by Waltham, Hamilton, Bulova, and Elgin all had their own quirks.   

Distinguished by their typically white dials, ORD watches have a sub-seconds register at six o’clock, and abbreviated Ordnance Department (ORD DEPT) engravings on the caseback. Made from nickel-plated brass, the ORD watches did not offer hacking functionality but still got the job done for countless soldiers. 

G-Shock 

A US Navy SEAL wears a DW9052-1V during a training operation in Sydney, Australia, in 2025. (Photo Credit: US Navy)

When the first Casio G-Shock, the DW-5000C, hit the market in 1983, the durable resin-cased digital watch forever altered the future of analog watches in military scenarios. Cheap, feature-rich, and more durable than any analog watch that came before, G-Shock watches became the cool-guy option that succeeded watches like the Tudor Submariner and Seiko 6309 for SEAL Teams and other special operations forces, with much of the rest of the military following close behind. During the Global War on Terror, in particular, G-Shocks were near ubiquitous, with many having been privately purchased for as little as $40 and many more coming through official issue channels. 

A total of four G-Shock references were assigned a NATO Stock Number, meaning they were approved for official procurement and issue. These NSN models include the DW-5600E-1V, DW-6600-1V, DW-6900-1V, and DW-9052-1V. As recently as 2018, the DW-9052-1V was issued to aspiring Navy Divers at Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center and SEAL candidates during BUD/S training in Coronado. The military has issued official warnings against smartwatches from Apple and Garmin that seemed otherwise poised to usurp G-Shock’s dominance, and there has been a noticeable return to the reliable, inexpensive G-Shock watches that have earned their places as legends of modern warfare. 

Garmin Fenix & Tactix 

A US Navy SEAL conducts training with a Garmin Fenix on the wrist. (Photo Credit: US Navy)

When it comes to modern military watches, the new elephant in the room is Garmin, though any connected smartwatch comes with a level of counterintelligence risk that is likely more of an issue for some than others. Garmin also has a long-standing history with the US Military, having provided a wide variety of GPS-related equipment throughout the GWOT and today. There are numerous models within Garmin’s modern collection, but the two seeing the broadest military issue today are the Fenix and a special tactically-oriented version of the Fenix called the Tactix. For modern practitioners, the suite of tech is compelling, with detailed heart rate, sleep, and fitness tracking, real-time GPS, as well as access to countless useful apps. 

For these reasons, while we’d still advise anyone operating in a warzone or spending time in secure facilities to opt for a “dumb”, non-connected watch, a Garmin is a powerful tool for many scenarios, including for US Coast Guard Rescue Swimmers conducting domestic search and rescue operations. Despite its counterintelligence drawbacks, Garmin’s Fenix and Tactix models are issued across military branches and occupational specialties to anyone requiring GPS or advanced fitness tracking features. 

Final Thoughts 

While the era of broadly issuing analog watches has largely passed, their influence lives on in today’s military timepieces and in the communities of practitioners and collectors who continue to appreciate them. Whether it’s a well-worn Rolex MilSub, a reliable Seiko Turtle, an inexpensive G-Shock, or a modern Marathon GSAR, the best military-issued watches all share the same defining trait: they were used for one thing: to accomplish a mission. Around here, that’s what we like to call Use Your Tools.

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