Military watches have accompanied armed forces for almost as long as modern watchmaking itself: from marine chronometers that guided 18th-century fleets, to wristwatches born in 1880 from an order of 2,000 pieces placed by the Imperial German Navy with Girard-Perregaux, and pocket watches strapped to the wrists of soldiers during the Boer War.
A true witness to the hardships endured by those who wore them, a military watch is not defined by its style, but by proof of service. Commissioned by an army, issued to identified units and marked on the caseback, it carries evidence of having served under fire or beneath the waves.
From 1914 to the depths explored by the French Navy, through the Type 20 and Type 21 chronographs of French aviation, this history has shaped a number of enduring codes: matte black dials, oversized crowns and rotating bezels, all of which continue to influence civilian watchmaking today.
At Col&McArthur, a Belgian watchmaking house whose collections preserve the memory of those who served, this history is not simply a backdrop. It is our raw material, a way to remember the heroes who fought for our freedoms.
What Is a Military Watch, and How Can It Be Distinguished from a Simply “Military-Inspired” Style?
A military watch is defined by fact, not appearance: designed according to military specifications, commissioned by a national army, issued to identified units and worn in active service.
This criterion of genuine military issue separates two worlds that aesthetics often blur together. On one side stands the historical object, worn in the trenches, in the skies or beneath the waves. On the other stands the “military-inspired” style, which borrows the visual codes of watches from the period.
Longines, Hamilton and Breguet all produced movements and watches that were genuinely assigned to French or Allied units. Models such as the Triton, associated with military diving, carry a history that can be verified.
Identifying a genuine period military watch therefore depends first and foremost on historical research: tracing the pieces that were produced, the contracts behind them, the units to which they were issued and their journey through active service.
That remains the only reliable indicator, because resemblance alone proves nothing. Tribute models may faithfully reproduce the original codes without sharing the same history.
From the Trenches to the Pilot’s Wrist: How Two World Wars Created the Modern Military Watch
The trenches of 1914 imposed a brutal reality: under artillery fire, there was no longer time to take out a pocket watch.
These pocket watches, whose military use had already spread during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, gradually gave way to wristwatches.
Imagine the gesture: an officer holding a map in one hand and a whistle in the other, needing only to turn his wrist to synchronise an assault to the second. That simple movement helped shape the modern wristwatch.
This transformation freed both hands, one for the weapon, the other for the map or compass. Longines supplied officers and entire units during the First World War, a conflict that would claim the lives of ten million men.
It was therefore in the fire of the First World War that the military wristwatch truly took shape: an everyday instrument became an object of war.
Twenty years later, the Second World War made this legacy universal.
Land forces, navies and air forces required watches capable of withstanding moisture, shocks and the darkness of cockpits or underwater watch stations.
Hamilton supplied large numbers of units in the Pacific and Europe, while Breguet met the needs of French military aviation.
The matte black dial became an obvious tactical choice, eliminating reflections that could reveal a position.
From the watches of the period to today’s creations, the connection has never disappeared. The Normandie 1944 watch, whose dial contains a fragment of a military helmet from the liberation of Europe in tribute to the Normandy landings, embodies this evolution.
The watch has become a more discreet companion for everyday life, but one that still carries a mission: to keep alive the memory of the men and women who fought for us.
1945–1954: Longines, Breguet and the French Watches of Reconstruction
Europe in 1945 began rebuilding in the quiet of its workshops. The French Army needed to re-equip its units and reconnect with reliable suppliers.
Longines, drawing on its experience with aviators and the French Navy, naturally became an important partner. Its reference 5774 “Marine nationale” dates from 1947.
Breguet also played its part by supplying robust timepieces to the armed forces.
Nothing was yet fully standardised, but the spirit of the future Type 20 was already taking shape.
Type 20 and Type 21: How Military Specifications Created a Legend of French Chronographs
At the beginning of the 1950s, the French Ministry of Defence drafted a demanding set of specifications for the Armée de l’air. The result would become legendary: the Type 20.
A black dial with luminous Arabic numerals for maximum legibility, a crown that remained easy to operate while wearing gloves, and a chronograph equipped with the “retour en vol” function, now commonly known as flyback, allowing a new timing sequence to be started instantly with a single press.
Every requirement responded to a mission-critical need rather than a desire for style.
Issued from 1954 onwards, these chronographs equipped pilots of the Armée de l’air, but also the Aéronavale and the Centre d’essais en vol.
In 1956, the specifications were modernised and made stricter under the Type 21 designation. An hour-graduated bezel became mandatory, requirements were tightened, and Dodane gradually established itself as a leading supplier.
Two designations, one shared philosophy of uncompromising functionality: when function is taken to its highest level, it becomes a form of elegance in its own right.
Breguet, Auricoste, Dodane and Vixa: Four Manufacturers for One Armée de l’air Specification
Four manufacturers rose to the challenge of the Type 20, each bringing its own signature.
Breguet, whose history is deeply intertwined with French aviation and with engineer Louis Breguet (1880–1955). Auricoste, also a historic supplier to the French Navy. Dodane, the Franche-Comté manufacture that would become one of the most prolific suppliers to the Armée de l’air. And finally Vixa, which also took part in this shared chapter of military watchmaking history.
| Manufacturer | Distinguishing Feature |
|---|---|
| Breguet | Historic supplier closely linked to French military aviation |
| Auricoste | Supplier to the Armée de l’air and the French Navy |
| Dodane | Major supplier of Type 20 and Type 21 watches through the 1970s |
| Vixa | Manufacturer involved in the same collective military order |
This shared history made these four brands the custodians of a heritage that has now become part of history itself, handed down by our heroes and still worn on the wrist today.
Beneath the Sea: How the French Navy Gave Rise to the Great French Diving Watches
From the 1950s onwards, the French Navy demanded instruments capable of accompanying its combat swimmers into an environment where mistakes could be fatal.
Unlike pilots or infantrymen, divers faced a different set of challenges: darkness, corrosion and pressure.
These demanding standards gave rise to specialised diving watches, developed with manufacturers whose expertise intersected with the tactical needs of underwater units.
Over almost three decades, military diving watches underwent significant improvements: graduated rotating bezels, oversized screw-down crowns and enhanced water resistance.
| Model / Brand | Innovation |
|---|---|
| Tudor Submariner | Issued to the French Navy until the 2000s |
| ZRC | Crown at 6 o’clock, protected by the wrist |
| Triton | Crown at 12 o’clock, protected from impacts |
| Blancpain | Water-resistance indicator |
| Rolex | Depth records |
The Tudor Submariner, which remained in service with the French Navy until it was decommissioned in the 2000s, embodies the remarkable longevity of these partnerships.
The Triton, with its crown at 12 o’clock, and the ZRC, with its crown at 6 o’clock, illustrate two different technical answers to the same challenge: protecting the crown, one of the most vulnerable points of any waterproof watch, from impacts and accidental manipulation.
How Can You Verify the Authenticity of a Vintage Military Watch? Codes, Markings and Records That Matter
Authenticity can first be assessed through the markings engraved on the caseback, following the allocation codes used by each military force.
Contract number, branch insignia and acceptance date form a set of clues that should be cross-checked against military archives, the only records capable of providing indisputable traceability.
On chronographs issued to the Armée de l’air, for example, collectors may look for the marking “FG”, short for “fin de garantie”, followed by a date. This indicated the servicing deadline imposed by the administration, a detail that reproductions almost always overlook.
At Col&McArthur, we recommend a methodical examination of the entire watch.
First, inspect the caseback, both inside and out, for serial numbers and markings. Then compare the movement with the presumed reference. Finally, cross-check archives, period publications and online resources with distinctive elements such as the crown, case and dial appearance.
One detail should always raise suspicion: a part that appears to be in unusually good condition. It may indicate a reproduction or a component replaced over time, potentially altering part of the watch’s unique character.
Authenticity comes from the convergence of all these clues.
From Special Forces to Space: The Military Watch Expands Its Reach
Born as a tool of the trenches, the military watch became, over the course of the 20th century, an ally of elite units.
The Triton worn by combat swimmers embodies this transition. The instrument now follows its wearer into increasingly extreme environments, from the depths of the sea to operations carried out by Special Operations Command, and eventually to the outer limits of space exploration.
This heritage continues to influence contemporary watchmaking.
Modern reinterpretations deliberately retain matte black dials, oversized crowns and graduated bezels as defining signatures, proof that military design codes, born out of necessity, have become an aesthetic language in their own right.
It is this lineage between service instrument and object of transmission that Col&McArthur continues through its military watch collection Battlefront, and in particular through the Normandie 1944 collection, designed to carry a fragment of that memory on the wrist.
FAQ
What distinguishes a genuine military watch from a watch that is merely military in style?
Proof of service: a military contract, an engraved unit number and verifiable archives, rather than a simple resemblance in the dial or bezel.
Why did pocket watches give way to wristwatches?
From 1914 onwards, soldiers under fire could no longer afford to take out a pocket watch. The wristwatch freed both hands for the weapon and the map.
Is the Type 21 different from the Type 20?
The Type 21 originated in 1954 from specifications issued by the Marine Nationale, distinct from those of the Armée de l’air that gave rise to the Type 20, with requirements specific to diving and naval aviation.
How can a vintage military watch be authenticated?
By cross-checking caseback markings, branch insignia and acceptance dates against national military archive records.
Did the Tudor Submariner really serve with the French Navy?
Yes, until it was decommissioned in the 2000s.
