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Vintage

HISTORY MAKING MILITARY DIVE


WATCHES

/WATCH CU LTUR E

The propagation of the dive watch in modern culture is one birthed


out of military necessitation here's our roundup of some of that
story's greatest players. by - Ken Kessler
Just as military chic appeals to civilians in the form of bare-bones Land Rovers, cargo trousers and navy pea
coats, military diving watches have a distinct cachet that attracts enthusiasts, and with a vengeance. Military
watches for the infantry and aviator timepieces certainly have their own sorts of cool, but among the most coveted
of all the timepieces issued to servicemen are the watches designated for navy scuba divers, frogmen, saboteurs,
SEALs, and sailors.
In any list of the most furiously sought-after pieces are the original Blancpain Fifty Fathoms, all of the pre-1990s
navies-only Panerais, IWCs Porsche-designed Bund diving watches and other limited-production models that were

unequivocally developed for the military without consideration for commercial or civilian purposes. These are the
most pure of the models in the genre, but equally desirable are civilian watches that were altered for the worlds
navies.
This second category actually accounts for a greater number of watches because most forces did not commission
all-new-from-the-ground-up timepieces. It has been simpler and more sensible to order slightly modified versions of
civilian watches. The roster is as impressive as the list of dedicated diving watches, for it includes Rolexs Milsubs,
assorted Zodiac SeaWolf variants, Eternas, Longines, Tudors and Omegas.
The key to the appeal of either type of military diving watch is the knowledge that all diving watches were designed
solely for functionality, but the ones good enough for the services are somehow tougher. In either case, whether a
bespoke design for a specific navy or a modification of a street watch, their undiluted purposefulness creates its
own aesthetic.

1) Panerai
Panerais may now be the mandatory attire of macho movie heroes like Jason Statham, following the leads of
Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger, but their history is as genuine and authentic as it gets. Real
Panerais were manually wound, with only hour and minute hands, starting with the Radiomir in its cushion case, and
evolving into the readily identifiable Luminor with the patented clamp over the crown. Their users were professionals
who regarded their Panerais as tools.

As a starting point, the original 47mm Radiomirs created in the 1930s, with onion crown and without a clamping
system, fitted with wire strap holders, are for many the definitive Panerais. These featured Rolex and later Angelus
pocket watch movements. Their size was borne of necessity, both to house the large movements, in massive and
robust cases, while allowing space for bigger, and therefore more highly legible dials. They are the most authentic
of all the currently available models.
Unbeknownst to the originators, they created a design language that would dominate mens watches by the end of
the 20th century, because Panerai is as responsible as any brand for establishing the popularity of mens watches
more than 40mm in diameter.
Panerais evolved, as do all military diving watches, through usage in combat, formed by the needs of Italys crack
underwater commandos. We are now able to buy production versions of watches that only existed as prototypes,
such as the Mare Nostrum chronograph of 1943, so it is clear that Panerais designers never settled on a specific
template. After the Second World War and well into the mid-1950s, Panerai released watches featuring the case
style used for Luminors, with myriad refinements and detail changes.
These are the models that introduced one of Panerais most distinctive elements, the aforementioned patented flipdown crown lock. With the case redesign, the inconvenient wire strap attachments, which required straps to be
stitched into place, were replaced with conventional lugs. Also produced during this period was the legendary
Egiziano, or Egyptian, a massive 60mm beast that was reissued, not too long ago, in an exact-scale replica.

2) Blancpain Fifty Fathoms


In 1952, two French naval officers, Commander Robert Bob Maloubier and Lieutenant Claude Riffaud, were
instructed by the Ministry of Defense and the French Navy to set up an elite unit called Les Nageurs de Combat, or
Combat Swimmers. Just as NASA could not find available watches that would meet the desired specification for
space travel, so did the two French officers find commercial diving watch offerings to be falling short of their
requirements.
They approached Blancpain-Rayville S.A., who came up with a design with rotating bezel, and which was
waterproof to 50 fathoms, or 91.4 meters. The figure was chosen because, as of the early 1950s, that was

considered to be a safety point for divers: it was equivalent to the maximum dive depth for a diver equipped with
cylinders containing a mix of oxygen and nitrogen.
Thanks to a stainless steel screw-back case, Blancpain could ensure water resistance to 50 fathoms while an
automatic movement reduced the need to use the winding stem, a weak point for most diving watches that was so
admirably addressed by Rolex with its special crown. Its large luminous numerals and markers are now the norm on
nearly all diving watches. The 12-hour marker on the unidirectional rotating epoxy bezel could be positioned
opposite the minute hand before a dive, so the diver could keep track of elapsed time with a glance.
Despite the plethora of types, Blancpains Fifty Fathoms (and variants produced by Tornek-Rayville and Lip) is
thought to have been issued in the high hundreds, produced in batches as commissioned. Between the launch year
of 1953 and the 1980s, the Fifty Fathoms also appeared with straps or bracelets, with or without date and in sister
models like the smaller Blancpain Aqua Lung. Ironically, given the importance of the bezel in the evolution of the
diving watch, there are versions with unmarked bezels, as well as repositioned winders.
According to Blancpain, the Fifty Fathoms certainly earned its military status, having been used on countless secret
missions on behalf of their respective countries, including France, the United States, Israel and Germany. Other
variants that tempt collectors were supplied to Polish and Czech services, as well as special models for the US
Navy SEALs underwater demolition teams.

3) Rolex Milsubs
Among the most desirable and confusing of all military diving watches, Rolex Milsubs were Submariners modified
in a number of ways to better suit the rigors of military use. The two most obvious changes common to most are the
replacement of the standard Mercedes hand with a large dagger type, while the spring bars and bracelet were
removed, replaced with fixed bars and over/under waterproof military straps. The replacement of the bracelet with a
strap prevented unwanted reflections, as did satin finishing of the case sides. Furthermore, a circled T indicated
the use of tritium luminous substance.

Because official data is hard to come by, one must assemble the various bits of information gleaned from auction
catalogs. It would seem that the majority of Milsubs were ref. 5513s (British Royal Navy) and ref. 5517s (British
Royal Marines), although certain British special services were issued with Sea-Dwellers. Also crucial to ensuring
authenticity of this most copied of watches are the service engravings on the casebacks defining the issue.
Rolex was never a major supplier to the worlds navies. Few other examples spring to mind, aside from the ultrarare GMT-Master (ref. 1675) supplied to the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Defense in 1972, with a symbol on the
dial indicating its purpose. While Paul Newman Daytonas are now the most valuable of Rolexes, for those who
adore military diving watches, the Rolex Milsubs supplied to the Royal Navy is the one to own. Let the bidding start
at 25,000 for a knackered ref. 5513. I like to think that my humble ref. 1680 is its little cousin.

4) IWC Bund Military Watches


One of the most exciting designed-for-the-services diving watches was issued in 1980 for the German Navy by IWC,
which was then owned by VDO. Called the Ocean 2000, it was designed in co-operation with Alexander Porsche,
who developed a truly modern case made entirely of titanium; it would signify the birth of the Porsche Design-Line of
watches. Titaniums function as a case material was in its infancy, and IWC was among the first to adapt it to
horological use.
The name of the watch reveals that IWC was prepared to specify water resistance to 2,000m, a still-impressive
figure. The German Navy specified both mechanical and quartz-powered versions, as well as models that were
completely antimagnetic for divers dealing with underwater mines. So complex was the specification that it took IWC
four years to produce the first examples. The resultant timepiece featured a nylon strap with Velcro attachment,
rotating bezel with large triangular indicator, white hour hand and red minute hand, with a white sweep seconds
hand.
Because of the variety of models IWC Bund specialists believe there were seven distinct types the watch
represents a mini-theme of its own for collectors. The variants include the different movement calibers, type of
luminous material, as well as whether or not they were antimagnetic. All of the watches met NATO standards,
although no other NATO navies adopted them.
Knowing how the military Ocean 2000s differed from the commercial models is crucial knowledge for enthusiasts.
The military versions bezel was black instead of gray, the crystal was flat instead of domed, and the edges of the

minute hand were red. The central seconds hand was completely white; the civilian Ocean 2000 had a red tip on the
seconds hand. Naturally, there are variants to confuse us, but military markings on the back though easy to fake
are the first giveaway.
Although issued for specific military naval operations, the details of which are still classified, a number have found
their way into private hands. Or, should that be onto private wrists? As they were de-commissioned by the German
Navy, the military divers, combat swimmers and minesweepers were offered the chance to buy the watches they
wore during their missions when they were discharged. Apparently, others were sold to civilian dealers, just as
countless military watches were sold to civilians in the 1950s from overstocks.

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