Tactical Horology: A Primer

While its use crosses all realms of our daily lives, timepieces have an ever-evolving role in the field with professional and recreational shooters alike. Timepieces have been present in humanity’s daily life, and on the battlefield, since the sundial first guided ancient societies to track the passage of time in the day.¹ Then came pendent watches in the 15th century, and pocket watches by the 18th. However, wrist watches worn by soldiers was not an advent on the battlefield until the turn of the 19th century.² And although the topic of tactical timepieces is a diverse and well-trod issue, today watches for “duty” use (or otherwise expressed as a “tool” watch) really comes down to design, power, and capability.³

Editor’s Note: The topic of horology is very in-depth; with many viewpoints, literature, blogs, and articles. Indeed many aspects of luxury timepieces approach the level of modern art. To present this volume of information in a concise and consolidated manner that facilitates understanding, sources will be linked that provide more in-depth publications for those interested.

Design

The design of watches; particularly those used by individuals in the field or a tactical setting, generally falls within two broad categories; luxury watches, and tool watches. Perhaps the most divisive aspect between the design of watches is that of its monetary value. As the design has grown over the years; from basic pocket watches to wrist watches, more elaborate and accurate designs have emerged. The corresponding aspect has been the watch’s value (real and subjective) has also changed, with the cost between luxury and tool beginning to blur.

Luxury watches are seen by enthusiasts as those with an exorbitant price tag; often incorporating some type of precious/semi-precious gemstone, mineral, or high-end mechanical device/manufacturing. The point in the design of a luxury watch is to reflect one’s carefully curated wealth or social status. However, defining that magical price point for “luxury” is individually subjective—as a watch costing $2k would have a different value between a lower-enlisted soldier grossing $30k/yr., as opposed to a Commanding General who makes $120k/yr. So a luxury timepiece, regardless of manufacturer, can mean different things to different people. A good page that often highlights luxury watches of high profile government and military individuals is Watches of Espionage and its “Dispatch” newsletter. Some manufacturers tout their “tool” watches, but have a price tag of $10k or more and subsequently are more accurately luxury watches. Although seldom worn in an austere field environment, it is also not uncommon for a soldier to drop their entire month’s paycheck into getting themselves a luxury watch as a status symbol over their peers.⁴

Some recognizable luxury brands include; Bell & Ross, Bretling, IWC Schaffhausen, Omega, Rolex, Sinn, Tudor, Vertex and more.

Tool watches are those timepieces that incorporate some secondary aspect, other than timekeeping. Often tool watches are lower in cost because the design incorporates more modern and inexpensive aluminum, steel, or polymers. That makes tool watches more appealing to the broader group of individuals whom either are starting off on their professional journey, or want something that can be abused and not worry about loss in value. It’s easier for most soldiers to get an inexpensive tool watch at the PX that can be easily replaced. That said, the cost of some tool watches can cross the line into luxury watches due to high-end manufacturing, high quality materials, or the brand itself. Tool watches share many similarities as luxury watches, and are further sub-divided into several design categories that include:

• Intergraded – Watches using an integrated design are those where the housing and bezel are a singular unit (or at least appear to be). This is often using lugs or bolts, and intended to give a seamless appearance.
• Field – Field watches were introduced at the turn of the 19th century, and known for a minimalist dial with clear indices, typically designed to support some role in sports or professional use.⁵ Soldiers in World War I first utilized field watches to coordinate large-scare offensives or assaults on trenches, while by World War II the GI-watch had become a typical accessory. After the wars, veterans would frequently seek out similar designs as it was both nostalgic for them, as well as appealed to their utilitarian nature. Among field watches, their design is further divided as:
• Daily Wear or Calendar – A daily wear or calendar watch is one specific to tracking an individual time and date/month. These are the most commonly associated watches at a basic level.
• Travel/GMT – A travel or GMT (expressed as a Greenwich Mean Time) watch is one that allots for displaying dual (or more) time zones, often through the use of a secondary hour hand.^6,7
• Chronograph – Chronograph watches have multiple dials (typically between two or three) denoting different values in time, and were popularized by pilots coordinating bombing runs, automotive racers, and athletes.⁸
• Dive – The design of a dive watch is arguably one of the most popularized due to its simple, yet clear, markings noted for timekeeping while submerged.⁹ It presents a visually appealing and simple approach to timekeeping and offered in a wide variety of colors and materials.
• Pilot – Pilot watches are those with a design specifically for the use of pilots and mimic aircraft gauges that allot for time, distance, or other values of interest.¹⁰
• Digital – Aside from mechanical watches, the other broader design of timepieces is given to those utilizing a quartz-based power supply and provide for a digital display using a liquid crystal display.¹¹
• Mod-Watch – Mod watches are a recent build-your-own design of watches that began after Seiko began releasing parts of its popular brand timepieces (specifically the Seiko GMT NH35 automatic movement) to the consumer market several years ago.¹² The result was allowing the consumer to individually customize, build, and enjoy a watch that suited their interests. Often, mod watches are not “pure” Seiko watches, as the market at this point has so diversified, that other components and designs are now readily available. This allows an individual to build an automatic watch blending a Rolex-style housing, with dive style dial, and Tudor style hands or any other combination they want.

Some popular brands of tool watches include; Citizen, Hamilton, Luminox, Marathon, Resco, Sangin, Seiko, Stirling and more.

Power

Movement of the watch generally falls within two methods; automatic or quartz, and each has their own appeal and advantages.

Automatic movement uses the kinetic action of the wearer to provide continual power, so long as the watch is worn or moved.¹² While many manufacturers have changed over the years, generally the gold standards for automatic movement come from Swiss-based movement or Japanese.

• Swiss – As the name implies, a majority of Swiss-based timepieces stem from watch makers in Switzerland.¹⁴ These companies have spent decades (and in some cases over a century) perfecting their craft and are known throughout the world for their precision and longevity.
• Japanese – Similar to Swiss-based movement, Japanese automatic timepieces came about after the close of World War II as the country recovered from the war and entered the digital/manufacturing era that established the country.¹⁵ Seen as exemplars of precision and dependability, Japanese brands often include the popular Seiko line.

So what’s the difference? Really, when it comes down to it, which of the two are better in terms of automatic movements? While subjective, Swiss timepieces are more widely known for their craft and aesthetic design.¹⁶ In contrast, Japanese timepieces are more known for their function and practicality. So it really comes down to what the consumer is looking for.

Opposite to automatic watches are quartz-based watches. These use the oscillations between a power supply (i.e. battery) and quartz crystals to maintain actuate measurements. Unlike automatic watches that necessitate the continual movement of the wearer to power the watch, quartz watches will last so long as the power supply does. As the technology has developed, and new manufacturers emerged, the design of quartz-based watches has expanded to include seven different types now seen as mainstays of the horology world.¹⁷ Today some modern quartz watches incorperate atomic timekeeping features, calendars, heart rate tracker, and more.

Capability

The capability (or function) of a watch can be often ascribed to its various features that appeal to the wearer aesthetically, and purposefully.

The various parts of a watch can differ in color, style, material, and design. They also can make the timepiece as much about art as its function. For the context of this article here is a brief summation:

• Crown: A small dial on the outer edge of the watch that pulls outward to adjust the hands and/date wheel, then screws down to secure.
• Bezel: A rotating or fixed outer ring that sits atop the bezel insert, often depicting further markings that denote time in some fashion. These features often add to the function of a watch as well as aesthetic appeal.¹⁸
• Hands: On dial-faced watches, these indices mark second, minute, hour (or in some multiple hours).
• LCD: Specific to quartz-based watches, a small screen recessed within the dial that displays a variety of information
• Glass: The outward-facing glass of a watch is typically made from one of three materials; high-impact glass, sapphire crystal, or a transparent polycarbonate. These are then shaped in either a flat surface (i.e. flush with the bezel) or domed (i.e. curved slightly to give a perception of magnification). More often with flat glass, a cyclops bubble will be placed (or glued) over the date window to give magnification when reading it.
• Dial: The dial of the watch is basically the background wherein the face markings are displayed or affixed. These can be simple singular colors, in patterns, or multi-dimensional with other dials/features.
• Strap: A strap or bracelet is obviously how the watch affixes to the wrist, comes in a variety of materials, and typically falls into one of several styles:
  • Jubilee bracelets have smaller links, contour better as there is more flexibility, but the links can stretch over time.
  • Oyster bracelets have larger links, and are typically stronger.
  • Straps are a simple band of fabric or leather.

Conclusion

While the topic of timepieces isn’t directly a principle piece of first line gear, it can subtly reflect the value and interest of the wearer. Those working in more intensive settings will tend to opt for tool watches that are more robust and simplistic, while those working more casually will frequent luxury timepieces that are more classical. Next time your at a USPSA or two-gun match, look at what watches those in your squad are wearing as it can tell you more about their personality and profession. Asking them about it can also be a good ice-breaker to starting conversations and getting to know new people.

Disclaimer: The purpose of this article is strictly informative, much like many of our other articles. This editorial is not intended by High Ground to sway or convince the reader that one specific brand of time peice or manufacturer is superior to all the others. In the end, this publication is intended to provide the reader with a condensed and focused resource—nothing more. It is not to be considered definitive advice nor instruction.

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