[Lone_Gunman]

I have seen several ads for different watches claiming to be the official watch of the military, or some special branch thereof. Is there actually a standard issue watch, and if so, what is it?

I am looking for a new watch to wear while shooting.

[Vern Humphrey]

There used to be an issue watch. I'm not sure if there is any more.

When I was a company commander the watches had plastic cases, and were kept locked in the company safe.

[RevDisk]

I don't believe so.

My division has something much easier. A tiny sticker with our insignia, that can be applied to any watch to make it "official". Very small, very discreet.

[carebear]

A lot of companies, if their product is "approved" for use by a particular unit, will claim it is the "official" watch (knife/speedboat/hair gel etc.) although it is not necessarily a Services-wide "issue" item.

The only watches I ever saw issued was a Citizen (IIRC) dive watch out of my scuba locker and that was just to divers who didn't want to wear their own.

[Moondoggie]

Do you mean "WATCH, WRIST, GENERAL PURP. MIL-V-46374E 6645-01-304-4308 38776 25 346A54-28526-OIE DLA400-91-C5091 DISPOSE RAD WASTE US"???

Man, those little #'s were hard to read!

Watch.jpg

[carebear]

Does having an NSN technically make it a uniform issue item? Cause there's a whole bunch of NSN's I never got signed out to me. :evil:

[Rebar]

No one gave me a watch when I joined up. If there is an "offical" watch, it's not a general issue item.

[Cesiumsponge]

Were the Luminox with the tritium inserts ever officially adapted? I seem to recall the original ones were heavily marketed as Navy SEAL goodies. The Luminox watches look pretty rugged.

I've seen some watches with <insert military branch logo here> plastered all over the watch face...I'd stay away from those.

[carebear]

Hey Rebar, wanna get together and call our Congressmen?

The more I think about it, the more I want my frikkin' watch! :D

[Moondoggie]

In the Marine Corps we called it an "NCO Watch".

Getting one was generally a matter of asking the folks in supply. IIRC, the cost to the unit was about $12 each. It was just a matter of how much of their "expendables budget" that the CO wanted to spend on them. They were stocked at the base Servemart....kinda like a Sam's Club for units that had an established account. Servemart stocked all the office supplies, tools, batteries, flashlights...just about anything you can imagine that wasn't food, clothing, issue equipment or weapons.

Our supply guy took me to Servemart a few times when he went "shopping". I told him I had to get outta there cuz I could see too much of that stuff hanging in my garage and I had no desire to end up in Leavenworth.

[Joe Gunns]

"I am looking for a new watch to wear while shooting."

Howzabout a nice Seiko kinetic? The recoil will help keep it wound. :D

[Pilgrim]

Do you mean "WATCH, WRIST, GENERAL PURP. MIL-V-46374E 6645-01-304-4308 38776 25 346A54-28526-OIE DLA400-91-C5091 DISPOSE RAD WASTE US"???

We called it a "Johnny Combat" watch.

Pilgrim

[TarpleyG]

Couple different ones. Some are here.

http://www.countycomm.com/watchqpl.htm

http://www.countycomm.com/gpqusgovsmall.jpg http://www.countycomm.com/maraglow.jpg

Greg

[Gewehr98]

The number of different wristwatches that are on the GSA approved list, or those that carry NSN's. (National Stock Numbers) ;)

The latest one I had issued to me was a tritium-illuminated version, with "Adanac" as the manufacturer. Maybe it's the standard aviator's watch for USAF issue?

http://www.broadarrow.net/ffebd00e.jpg.orig.jpg

[Rebar]

The more I think about it, the more I want my frikkin' watch!
lol - in the interim, I got me an "official" Swiss Army watch instead.

[Kurush]

The Luminox ads are BS. They were "used by special forces" in an evaluation and found to be junk. If you're looking for a rugged watch, I've heard many recommendations of the Casio G-Shock.

[Joey2]

Duriing the Vietnam era in the USMC if you were a SNCO(E-6 and above) you were authorized to draw a watch like Moondogie showed. In the beginning they were made of metal then they went to plastic.

I had a metal one which lasted me for years of hard use and abuse.

[Moondoggie]

They must've gone back to metal, Joey, cuz mine is metal and it's dated "Apr 91" on the reverse.

It's still runnin' strong!

[Destructo6]

They issued Casio G-Shocks at BUD/s during dive phase in the early 1990s. Never saw another watch issued anywhere else.

[CAPTAIN MIKE]

When I went through Boot Camp, I used to absolutely crack up at the guys who were forced to wear those stupid black thick geeky-looking 'official' glasses.

We referred to them as "Official Navy Birth Control Glasses" because there was NO WAY you were ever going to get laid if you wore them on a date.

[Rebar]

I used to absolutely crack up at the guys who were forced to wear those stupid black thick geeky-looking 'official' glasses.
I resembled that remark, thank you very much! What was worse were the glasses inserts that theoretically fit into the protective mask.

That $3800 for laser eye surgery was the best money I ever spent, but that was well after I got out.

[Drizzt]

Hve you seen that new 5.11 watch?

CALCULATE POINT OF IMPACT BY INPUTTING CRITICAL VARIABLES THAT DETERMINE ELEVATION AND WIND ADJUSTMENTS. WORKS ON ALL MILDOT, TMOA, SMOA AND CLICKING RIFLE SCOPES. PUNCH IN DATA ABOUT THE AMMUNITION YOU ARE SHOOTING AND THE CONDITIONS YOU ARE SHOOTING IN AND THE WATCH WILL DISPLAY THE APPROPRIATE HOLD OVER FOR A SURE HIT... IT’S THAT SIMPLE. THIS ENHANCES A SHOOTER’S CONFIDENCE TO ENGAGE TARGETS OUT TO 1,000 METERS WITH “WHENEVER/WHEREVER” PORTABILITY. DATA IS EASY TO ENTER - EVEN THROUGH GLOVES - WITH THE MOST CRITICAL INFORMATION ARRANGED FOR FAST CHANGE AND ACCESS. IMPORTED.

https://store.511tactical.com/index.asp?number=59209

[jkswiss]

Quote:
Do you mean "WATCH, WRIST, GENERAL PURP. MIL-V-46374E 6645-01-304-4308 38776 25 346A54-28526-OIE DLA400-91-C5091 DISPOSE RAD WASTE US"???


Haha, my command banned those watches. A couple ELT's got em through the supply system. The higher ups made them throw it away.

Those watches make the radiacs go insane.

[c_yeager]

If you want a watch for shooting just get a nice Casio G-Shock. In all honesty even a $5 digital will nicely survive any amount of shooting you could possibly subject it to. Personally i just cant bring myself to wear a digital watch at any time, im sure that a nice batter-operated (quartz) analog would be fine as well. I wear a Seiko automatic, and while it is *probably* fine to shoot with, i still take it off. I dont like the idea of that little pendulum swinging around quite that violently.

[Old Dog]

I will confirm that the Navy dive community issued Casio G-Shocks for quite a while ... In fact, the one I was issued in 1987 (the old square G-Shock before the blue illumination) just recently crapped out on me (and I think I replaced the battery only a couple times), so you better believe I think the G-Shocks are an excellent watch.

[444]

When I was in the Army, there were people that were issued watches. I don't remember much about them: I, of course, never got one.
At the time, digital watches were fairly new. Actually they were just being offered at very inexpensive prices at that time. I had one of those watches made by Texas Instruments that you had to push a button to light up the LEDs to see what time it was. We were out in the field and I was doing something with an M113 and got fuel spilled on my arm and watch. The plastic melted onto my arm, but the watch still worked, so I kept wearing it for several weeks melted to my arm. :D

[Oldnamvet]

In the Army they told us, when one dufus asked about issue watches, that the official watch was any one we bought at the PX. Then, "If I want you to know what time it is, I'll tell you". IN RVN, I went through 3 PX watches that turned to rust even though they were supposed to be waterproof.

If there was an official watch, I never saw one issued in our unit.

[1 old 0311]

When I was a kid my father asked me what I wanted for Christmas. I replied "I wanta watch"

So he let me :neener: :neener: :neener: :neener:

Kevin

[zahc]

I broke the casing of a Gshock after about three months of use. It was about then that I abandoned wristwatches altogether.

[carebear]

I've got a Timex Ironman that's on its 3rd band and has more field time than....

Well, it has a lot of field time. :D

[SnakeEater]

If you're looking for a rugged watch, I've heard many recommendations of the Casio G-Shock.

I broke countless numbers of watches during my airborne/infantry days. The toughest watch I found was the Casio G-Shock. The only thing I ever broke on it was the wristband. I still wear it to this day.