Special Forces Watches

Recon For a Special Forces Military Watch

First off, let's make sure you are in the right place... The time pieces you are about to see below are all military grade watches that have been combat tested under fire. They are not the bubble gum, fancy pants, pretty boy watches found on some limp wristed mall walker in upstate New York. They are true special forces watches made to be used by the best military men and women on the face of this planet. If you are good with that, and you are looking for tough combat tested watches for men and women, then you're in the right place. The recon for Special Forces Military Watches is not an easy one. The SF are the best at what they do and they need the best military watch to help them stay that way. But don't you worry. I have taken care of all the grunt work for you and made a list of some of the best special ops watches you will ever find on the front line. These tactical watches are all military grade watches or better.

A True Special Forces Watch

Special Forces (Special OPS) Gear needs to be mission ready. A warrior should always try to have the best tactical support equipment on hand when going into any conflict, situation, or combat zone. This attention to detail, functionality, and performance includes the special ops watch that the SF wear. The watch you see here is the Chase-Durer Men's 246.4BB7-XL-BR Special Forces 1000XL and it is specifically designed for the Navy Seals Underwater Demolition Team. If it can handle that, it can handle just about anything you can throw at it. "The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his." General George S. Patton Patton did his best to get his troops the best equipment that he could provide. Shouldn't that be your objective when searching for a true tactical watch?

What To Look For In a Tactical Watch

Some things to consider when shopping for a Military type watch, are the functions... Top on the functions list for military watches for men should be, end of battery life warning. This little function lets the wearer know that the battery is on it's last leg. Giving the wearer ample time to have the battery replaced before the watch is rendered inop. (Inoperative for the civilians out there.) Other features that are nice to have in a military watch are those features that make it "tough". A tough feature would be, unidirectional ratcheting bezels. If you go past the mark, you can just go back, instead of all the way around again. Crown protectors, they do just as they say, protect the crown, but also give the watch a distinct "tough" look. A scratch resistant crystal (a Sapphire crystal is a great find.) And a screw down case back is your best, safe bet for a tight watch. Slap all that together and you come closer to having a much more dependable military watch. If you wish to find a watch with the functionality and dependability that can meet or surpass the strains and rigorous demands brought on by military duty, it is best to stick with the classics, or specialized brands. These are the ones with a history and reputation of having the characteristics and distinct functions sought after by those in the know... And that would be our great service members, who I would like to give a big "Thank You."

Better Than Dependable

Beyond dependability, is functionality. Without functionality, all you have is a 'dime store' watch. The function and dependability must match, or surpass, the mission requirements at hand. Take for instance a Navy Seal swimming in murky waters with a military timepiece that sports "low glow" markers. That murky water could make it difficult, if not impossible, for the Seal to see the time or settings on the watch face due to inadequate marker illumination . And if that watch isn't up to snuff, it is useless. Use the propper tool for the mission at hand. Like a black ops watch... You would not drop an atomic bomb in your lawn to get rid of an ant hill? Or attack a battle ship with a B-B gun would you? Maybe you would. I don't know you, but the tool would not match the mission. Match the tool to the mission. See the Complete List of Special Forces Black Out Watches.

VICTORINOX Swiss Army

The most popular military watch in the field has to be the VICTORINOX Swiss Army brand. A lot of people think that all Swiss Army products are the same, but they would be wrong. You have several watches that sport the white Swiss cross on a field of red. Wenger, Swiss Military, and Swiss Precimax are some of the better known ones. All good watches, but the Victorinox is the best of the bunch. As a mater of fact, I have an Officer Victorinox on my wrist right now and it has taken a beating like no other watch before it. I put my watches through hell and this thing just keeps on going. The great thing is, you can even afford a Victorinox Swiss Army watch on military pay. Now if you are into gadgets or multifunction watches, these may not be what you are looking for. They are more or less basic watches with few frills, but as far as dependability goes, these bad boys take home the tough guy award hands down.

Sniper Black Ops Watch

This sniper watch is a high tech piece of specops gear that is equipped with the SureShot® ballistic calculator. A unique feature that informs the shooter how many clicks up or down, left or right, are needed to make an accurate long range shot based on range, elevation, and several other shooting variables. The 5.11 Tactical® Field Sniper Black Ops Watch acts like your team spotter who keeps you filled in with what is going on around you. It comes equipped with a nice digital compass and covers two time zones. It has your basic alarm, and an hourly chime with a audible countdown timer. This is a great plus, it also sports the Uni-directional bezel that I told you to look for in a quality watch. With this sniper watch you will no longer have to lick your finger and stick it in the air to estimate the Kentucky windage for those long shots. This is a tough field watch that any special operations sniper would be proud to wear. Along with desert tan, it comes in OD green or black.

Casio Mudman

I am sure that many of you believe that the Casio G-Shock should have been number one on this list of the best military special forces watches, but if you want to know the truth, I do not find them to be as tough as the Victorinox. The Casio G-Shock MudMan puts up a good fight, and they have a lot more functions and gadgets, but as I was saying, dependability is top dog on my list of requirements for an SF watch, and the Victorinox won that category hands down. The Casio MudMan does spank the Victorinox in the functions department though... With attributes like Solar Power Charging, a shock resistant and mud resistant case with buttons that are sealed to prevent mud, dirt and dust from getting into the watch, it is a tough little beast. I love all the functions it has, and for the price, it makes a great entry level field watch.

Casio Pathfinder

If you have ever asked yourself, "What is a good timepiece for military type applications?" You wouldn't be missing the mark if chose the Casio Pathfinder Triple Sensor Multi-Function Sport Watch. You are going to love this, there is no need to worry about the battery going dead it has solar re-charge capability. Nor do you have to worry about getting turned around out in the field with it's built in compass. Just hold down the compass button and the second hand will point you North. This watch keeps the time by the Atomic Clock and has a daylight saving time override. As I was saying, it has a built in compass, attitude, and barometer. They are very easy to use with the three buttons on the side. I never get tired of holding the compass button down and watching the second hand point to North. The digital readout has an arrow and tells you the direction you are facing. Other features include multi-band six atomic timekeeping, triple sensor with barometer, altimeter, thermometer, and digital compass, world time, countdown timer, stop watch, daily alarms, solar power, and full auto LED.

Luminox

Most troops carry an M-16 assault rifle into battle, but then you find the lucky guy who get's the M-60. Well, my friend, the Luminox Military Watch is the M-60 of the SF watch line. If you have a soldier who needs a watch for basic training, and you can afford it, this is the best watch to buy a man going into the military. These tough little watches have a self-powered illumination system that can be seen in just about any condition. Each watch has tiny self-powered micro gas lights that do not require an external energy source, like the sun, to recharge them. They just keep on glowing. I like the Army Field Series watches, they are smaller, lighter, and more comfortable than just about any other military field watch on the market. These watches are the number one choice for Special Ops teams, such as DELTA Force or the Navy Seals. If you want to run with the big dogs. You need to go with Luminox.

Army's Choice

You may have seen these around the playground a bit. These Marathon Watches like to play in the water, sand or the field. I have no idea who you have to talk to in supply to get one of these little puppies, but these are the Authentic military watch as supplied to Government. I know that my unit never gave me a watch. But if you have a friend in supply, you may want to see if they can hook you up. As you can see, this Maraton watch has a cool little radio active symbol next to the 1500 hrs marker. That is there to let you know that these bad boys come with illuminated tritium tubes as marker indicators. If you want to see how the USAF and Army get their supplies, what they can get and how much they pay for it, you can check out the GSA website. This is where they go to find what they need for their units. You do not need a password to search, just type in a keyword such as "wrist watch" in the search box and it will find all the watches in the US Military supply system.

Citizen Blue Angles Eco-Drive SkyHawk

For something a little bit more up to speed, take a look at the Citizen Blue Angels Military Pilot Watch. The Citizen Blue Angles Eco-Drive SkyHawk is a top of the line pilots watch. The cool thing is, you do not need to be a pilot to wear one. The old version of this watch was a beast, but now it is much lighter and has a solid titanium case and bracelet. Light and durable. The patented Eco-Drive feature enables this watch to be charging whenever it is in sunlight, even indoor light works. And the chronograph is accurate to within 1/100th of a second. The watch has a rotating bezel with a slide rule, (great to have on pilot watches) three World Time Alarms, and a calendar for 22 different time zones. Plus it has a few more gadgets and gizmos any fly-boy would love to have. I like the new Digital Display Light function too. The SkyHawk is as close as you can get to an all-in-one military watch. If you are the kind of troop who likes to be on time, this fine piece of gear is what you need to get the job done.

Traser

Do you know what a Tracer Round is? Tracer ammunition (tracers) are special bullets that are modified to hold a small pyrotechnic charge in their base. These charges are ignited upon firing and the composition burns very brightly after the projectile exits the barrel. This makes the projectile visible to the naked eye. Looks a bit like a trail. This enables the shooter to follow the bullet trajectory relative to the target in order to make corrections to his aim. This may be where our next brand, TRASER get's its name. If you are a "by-the-book" kind of guy, than the Traser is your brand. Odds are you will not find one of these puppies in a military surplus pile. Traser type 3 and type 6 are authentic US - military watches designed and built according to specifications defined in MIL-W-46374 F . These are the first military timepieces ever to be equipped with the patented H3 permanent light technology. Tons of these have been issued to the fighting men and women in the US Armed Forces. And now they are available to civilians with the only change being the addition of a date window.

Torgoen Swiss

The Torgoen Swiss watch collection are aviation watches designed and created by fellow pilots and aviation buffs. They are known as the 'pilot's best friend'. I have only seen two of examples of these in the field and the two I saw made me drool with envy. I spotted them on two foreign SF troops from Israel who trained with us during a winter Robin Sage exercises up in Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. I know the watches are tough because the two soldiers who had them on where insane. One of them liked to eat worms and the other showered in the rain when it was just a few degrees above freezing. Those guys didn't play, so I am sure that the watch they wore had to be just as rugged as they where.

Russian Vostok

As soon as the cold war over, I had to have one of the famous Russian Vostok watches. Back then it was a rare prize. I got one and let me tell you, it was a cold war relic. That thing was just about as bad as a Yugo. I should not have worn it. It may have lasted longer. Well, Vostok has come a long way from the wind-up clunkers of old. Now that they can make a profit and have to compete with other watch makers, they have come out with some of the coolest military watches I have ever seen. Still not all that well known over here in he U.S. but they are great guns over in Europe. If you are looking for a unique watch for your troop, give Vostok a gander.