Mankind loves to fight, and you can not argue with this fact. Throughout the history of all civilizations, wars have been going on almost continuously, bringing innumerable disasters to peoples. People, of course, have always understood that war is a disaster, but ... pacifism, mass anti-war movements, a large-scale struggle for world peace - all this has never won a decisive victory. Probably, the craving for war is in human nature, sadly. In addition, war and everything military has always been painted with a touch of romance.
The origins of the military style
One of the manifestations of this human nature is the popularity of the military style in clothing and accessories. It is believed that this style arose naturally during the First World War: the production of civilian clothing was greatly reduced, the production of military uniforms, on the contrary, increased sharply. So wearing such things began not from a good life.
But it turned out that it is both practical and can have a peculiar beauty, giving a person a certain image. And later, in the 1960s, the military style gained particular popularity as a paradoxical means of protesting against the Vietnam War. American youth began to massively wear baggy clothes in camouflage colors, and even with holes, which were patched up with anti-war slogans.
The main features of the design of watches in military style
Quite a bit of time passed, and almost all world designers adopted this style, having mastered the production of military clothing and accessories, both affordable and very expensive. Among these accessories, of course, a prominent place is occupied by wristwatches. Their main features include: an impressive body size, strict forms, emphasized functionality, clear indication.
Preference is given to such colors as: khaki, dark green, dark brown, gray, black - mostly matte tones. No decor: some “decoration” is allowed on the side of the back cover: it can be a thematic engraving of the cover or, if it is transparent and the mechanism is automatic, the corresponding stylization of the shape of the rotor.
Steel bracelets, straps made of rubber, silicone, fabric, including synthetic, fit well into the style.
Aviator Vintage Douglas Dakota
The Swiss brand Aviator has dedicated a collection of Douglas Dakota watches to the military transport aircraft of the same name, which was massively used during the Second World War. The Sellita SW200-1 caliber counts hours, minutes and seconds with a 38-hour power reserve. The gray dial is reminiscent of aviation instruments of that era, the hands and grids are luminescent. The back cover is transparent, the self-winding rotor is made in the form of an attitude indicator.
The case is made of steel with a gray PVD coating, diameter - 45 mm, water resistance - 100 m. Very comfortable - in an aviation way! - winding head. Glass - sapphire. The leather strap is also gray, there is no stitching - minimalism is above all.
East Star
Another vintage piece, this time of Japanese origin. The functionality provided by the automatic caliber F6N43 (50-hour power reserve) is wider here: hours, minutes, seconds, date and power reserve (retrograde pointer). The black (the same color as the dial) leather strap is stitched. The crown is also large, the glass is also sapphire, but the steel case is somewhat more compact - 41 mm (with the same 100-meter water resistance).
Victorinox INOX Professional Diver Titanium
From heaven - not even to the ground, but under the water. The Swiss company is famous all over the world for its army knives (much more military!), but it also produces watches - of course, in the same style, it’s not for nothing that the SWISS ARMY marking is on the dial. And let no one be confused by the blue color prevailing here: after all, this is the color of the sea, and this watch can be a reliable and useful tool for military submariners.
Not only are they water resistant to 200m and meet the ISO 6425 international diving standard in every other way, but the model has also passed other rigorous tests for fire resistance, shock resistance and magnetic protection. And that's not all: the Naimakka strap is made from paracord, and if necessary, it can be untwisted into long cords that can withstand a load of up to 250 kg.
The 45 mm case is made of titanium, the crown is protected, the case back is screwed down, the glass is sapphire. Inside is a quartz movement that counts hours, minutes, seconds and date. The delivery set includes a removable bumper with a magnifying glass and another rubber strap.
Ball Bronze Star
Back to heaven… True, the Ball brand, originally American, and now Swiss, is famous primarily for its “railway” watches. However, this sample is a pronounced "pilot". Excellent readability of the black dial (hours, minutes, seconds, date, day of the week), hands and markers with microtubes, inside of which are glow-in-the-dark tritium (proprietary Trigalight system), automatic caliber Ball RR1102 with a 38-hour power reserve, 43 mm bronze case with 100-meter water resistance, sapphire crystal, massive crown, engraved image of the aircraft on the case back, brown leather strap... And in addition - shock and anti-magnetic protection. Luxury watches for cool men!
Diesel One
Masculinity is a defining feature of the design of this Italian brand. No wonder the company holds the world record for the largest wrist watch: the diameter of the Diesel Grand Daddy case is 66 mm! As for the sample in question, it is not so massive - “only” 46 mm, but also quite brutal.
Steel, black PVD coating, 100 m water resistance, mineral glass, black dial with three hands and original (disk) date indicator, quartz movement. The military style is also emphasized by the camouflage coloring of the leather strap.
Casio G-SHOCK GA-700CM-3A
In fact, any G-SHOCK watch can hardly be called a specialized military watch. But on the other hand, these products of the Japanese giant are famous primarily for their "indestructibility" - shock, vibration, water, etc. tenacity. So, it is ideally suited for such extremely harsh operating conditions as combat. This model is also painted in classic camouflage. The indication is analog-digital, the functionality is traditionally rich: the current time in 12- and 24-hour formats, an automatic calendar, world time, 5 alarms, a stopwatch with an accuracy of 0,01 seconds, a countdown timer.
Powerful case made of reinforced polyurethane (diameter 53,5 mm, thickness 18,4 mm, water resistance 100 m), bracelet to match, mineral glass, steel caseback, inside - a quartz module. Of course, all this is also suitable for peaceful life.
Bomberg BOLT-68 Quartz Chronograph
Towards the end - Switzerland again. Bomberg is very young: Ric de la Croix, a real volcano of energy and fantasy, created it only in 2012. BOLT-68 is the first collection of the brand, which remains its flagship. These watches are chronographs based on the Swiss Ronda 3540 quartz movement, and most importantly, they are transformers, that is, they are easily converted from wrist to pocket and vice versa. All models are supplied with a chain and a branded medallion.
The crown and chronograph control buttons are located in the upper part of the case, which is especially convenient for a transformer. The 45 mm case of this model, waterproof up to 100 m, is made of steel with a gray PVD coating. Leather strap - camouflage, dial - too. Glass - mineral with sapphire coating. According to Ric de la Croix, the clock is also adapted to become part of the dashboard of a bike.
