Top 5 Military Watches of 2022

 

Ah, the ever-reliable, clinically purposeful, and always ready attitude of military watches. Where dress watches favour delicacy and elegance, military watches capture the essence of timekeepers created as tools with operational viability. Although not an exhaustive list, our five selections below effectively convey the hugely appealing traits watches designed for a tangible purpose and use provide.

Before we go any further, let’s clarify how we’re defining a ‘military’ watch. In this case, any watch tied to militaristic heritage, design inspiration, or a purposeful function gets the green light in our book. Understood? Great stuff. In that case, grab your boots, your old reliable favourite jacket as we explore our top 5 military watches of 2022.

 

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Citizen ProMaster Tough Titanium BN0118-55E: £369

We start with potentially one of the best examples of a contemporary feeling military inspired watch on the list. With a perfect alignment of function and form, the ProMaster Tough is one hell of a tool watch. Powered by Citizen’s proprietary Eco-Drive Technology, this watch’s power comes from light, essentially meaning as long as you have access to a source, this watch is set. This light theme continues with the case and bracelet, which are complete in full titanium. This metal choice is ideal for a military-inspired watch as it provides greater scratch resistant qualities and incredibly wearability thanks to its lighter weight than steel. The watch has a monocoque case which means the entire case is one piece, with the movement and dial then being set. The crystal is added with the bezel securing everything neatly together. This ensures greater water resistance, increased rigidity and more compelling proportions. Measuring 40mm in diameter, the ProMaster offers tremendous bang for buck complemented by hugely appealing design elements. The dial is quite a traditional configuration on paper, however, through its large hour markers and hands filled with lume and contrast heavy appearance, the watch is practical and remarkably contemporary.

With a sapphire crystal, 300m of water resistance and a refreshing take on a traditional field watch-like design, the ProMaster Tough is easily one of the best practical watches available today. 

 

Hamilton Khaki Aviation Pilot Pioneer: £855

Next, we have a model announced towards the latter half of 2021: the Hamilton Khaki Aviation Pilot Pioneer. Hamilton has been on a fantastic run with their Khaki line for many years now. A must mention is, of course, the Khaki Field Mechanical of 2018. Since the runaway success of that model, Hamilton has managed to maintain the success further with the Pilot Pioneer of 2019 and now this, the Khaki Aviation Pilot Pioneer. A 38mm wide, steel pilot watch that takes its inspiration from a WWII pocket watch known as the Model 23. However, rather than this being a direct re-issue like the previously mentioned models, it rather re-imagines it into a modern interpretation of a 1940s design. The result is a watch with a rotating bezel, large cathedral style hands, Arabic numerals, and a countdown bezel.  The vintage charm is most certainly there with the yellowed lume, a grained texture dial, an onion style crown, and traditional design details. When combined with its automatic H-10 movement providing 80 hours of power reserve and significant versatility, the end result is pretty staggering.  

If the heritage side of military watches is more your cup of tea, Hamilton offers some of the best examples of this recipe on the market today.

 

G-Shock Mudmaster GWG-2000-1A3ER: £699

We cannot compile a list of utilitarian inspired watches and not include a Casio G-Shock. Despite us romanticising about military personnel still strapping a Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical to the wrist during the height of operations, the reality is that most of the time, a G-Shock in some form or another is the go-to choice for military taskforces around the world. And for good reason, they’re tough as nails, virtually indestructible, comfortable, reliable and come equipped with dependable technology - case in point, the Mudmaster.

This model has practicality at the heart of everything it does. The Carbon Core Guard integration allows the watch to be thinner and lighter whilst maintaining greater strength over the older generations of Mudmaster. The exposed forced carbon throughout is operational and stylish as it interacts with the strong steel bezel surrounding the dial. In terms of functionality, the watch includes a compass, altimeter, barometer and thermometer all powered by solar. With 200m of water resistance, the watch is also mud and dust resistant because it combines stainless steel and an internal silicone material to ensure no external matter can enter through the buttons on the watch. The GWG-2000 also supports no less than 29 timezones and radio wave reception for an accurate time reading which is checked automatically six times a day.

If you’re after a watch that embodies the actual requirements of a military watch for the 21st century, nothing quite comes close to the Mudmaster. A thoroughbred military use timepiece.

Although not as capable as the Mudmaster, the G-Shock range is jam-packed with models which dominate when it comes to timekeeping under stressful conditions. Starting from just less than £100, there truly is a G-Shock for everyone.

 

Seiko Prospex ‘Captain Willard’ SPB153J1: £1,000 - £1,200

If you’re after the perfect intersection of history, pop culture relevance and a quality, obtainable timepiece, things don’t get much better than the Seiko SPB151/SPB153. Colloquial known as the ‘Captain Willard’, this 2020 release harkens back to the Seiko 6105 that Martin Sheen wore in the hit 1979 film Apocalypse Now. Set during the Vietnamese War, the film depicts a US captain (Willard) assigned to Cambodia to find and take down a renegade colonel who is terrorising innocent people. What ensues is a whole lot of bullets, fighting and iconic big-screen moments. We won’t spoil the film for you, but we tell you that Sheen’s 6015 ('Just How Cool Are The Watches From Apocalypse Now?' by Hodinkee) seen throughout the movie making for some of the best watch spotting scenes.

In 2020, Seiko released the SPB151 & 153, which calls back to the 6105 with robustness and dependability alongside mass production at its core. This would have been enough for most watches to justify its inclusion in such lists, yet this watch and its 6105 founding father go one step further. The casting of the 6105 in the 1979 film was also well-received thanks to its authenticity to the Vietnam War and the actions of real-world US soldiers. Troops were known to pick up 6105-8000/8009s whilst at Post Exchanges on bases in Southeast Asia before heading out to combat. The reason? Well, the army issue watches at the time were said to be unreliable in jungle environments causing them to fail. The 6105, with its rugged build quality, robust case, and superior resistance, made it a must-have for US soldiers.

And so, not only is the SPB151 & 153 a true icon of the big screen, but it has real history and actual military use in its wheelhouse. That might just be the best combination. 

Sinn EZM 13.1 Chronograph: £2,635 - £2,835

Potentially one of the most qualified brands when it comes to contemporary military watches is Sinn. Although they have only been in the watchmaking game since 1961, they have made incredible progress in a short time to establish themselves as one of the top watchmakers of practical, rugged tool watches in the industry. Sinn has always had a connection to producing professional equipment, be it watches or navigational clocks, with many models in their range used by all manner of professionals around the world. Be it the air rescue service, fire brigade, units within the German police force, Germany’s commando frogman force (the KSM), and not forgetting pilots, Sinn produces serious professional watches with operational viability and an elite focus on dependability. It’s simply a philosophy that runs through the Frankfurt-based watchmaker’s DNA. 

One such model is the EZM 13.1 Chronograph, a newly updated diving focused chronograph for 2022 with a balanced blend of pilots watch characteristics. The EZM or the ‘Einsatzzeitmesser’ translates to ‘mission timers’ and, in true Sinn fashion, comes with a plethora of impressive technology. With the constant presence of moisture through exposure to water, the oils found in mechanical movements to keep them running smoothly, or even just throughout the atmosphere in gaseous form (which through temperature change causes micro condensation), Sinn developed AR Dehumidifying Technology.

To directly quote Sinn: “The movement is mounted in a nearly anhydrous atmosphere thanks to the three Ar-Dehumidifying Technology elements of drying capsule, EDR seals and protective gas filling. As a result, ageing processes and fogging of the crystal from sudden cold are prevented, and reliable functioning and accuracy are ensured.” 

Clever stuff, right?

This technology helps the watch maintain 500m of water and pressure resistance. The EZM 13.1 is a LHD chronograph (meaning those pushers and crown don’t jam into your hand if you were your watch on your left hand) powered by the Sinn SZ02 movement. Based on the Valjoux 7750, this movement has a central chronograph hand operated through the pushers, running seconds displayed through a widely positioned three o’clock subdial, an elapsed chronograph minute counter read through a large central sub-dial and a neatly placed date window at 4:30.

Measuring 41mm in diameter, the EZM 13.1 is also anti-magnetic to 80,000 A/m and is actively reliable from –45 °C up to +80°C. Both a technological marvel with a hugely attractive purposeful aesthetic to match, this is easily one of the best military-inspired watches mentioned today.

 

Find your new military watch today...

Although only five watches have been included on this list, the reality is that there are a vast number of highly noteworthy military-inspired watches out there waiting to be taken on an adventure. These five represent a balanced take on a ‘military-inspired’ watch, be it design, heritage, technology or a combination of all three. So whether you’re looking for your next all-purpose outdoors watch, or you’re looking for a stylistic take on watches made for a purpose, you cannot go wrong with any of the watches mentioned above.

The only question that remains is, which will be joining your collection?