I find it hard to go wrong with a military, or military-inspired, watch.  For starters, you have quite a breadth of designs to choose from, from pilot watches to divers to field watches.  Past that, given the emphasis given to the watches on legibility and robustness, it makes for designs that work well in daily wear.  Should you be in the market for one yourself, a new collection just hit that is worth a gander – the Hemel Military watch collection.

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The overall look of the range should be familiar to most of our readers, I imagine.  You have a matte black dial from which the indices and polished handset stand out from very crisply.  For the more military look, you have two models with needle-tipped and sword hands; if you’re looking for something a bit dressier, the more triangular “dagger” handset (yeah, I’ve no idea what the style is actually called) will get you covered there.  There are also variations on the indices – no major changes, but enough to make them distinct yet still related.

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Driving all of that around the dial is a Miyota 9015 automatic movement, which is tucked into a 40mm stainless steel case.  The case itself is available in either a bead blasted (which would be more correct for a military watch) or polished (for your dressier needs) finish.  Sapphire crystals sandwich the case (front and back), and the watches carry a 100m WR rating.

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Rounding out the package you have a heavier nylon strap (complete with metal grommets) to complete the look.  This does definitely fit with the military theme, and I am glad to not see a NATO here (as my personal preference has been against them as of late).  Though, if you’re going for the dressier look, you’ll probably want to look for another strap to slip into the 20mm lugs.  Fortunately, with the Hemel Military watch collection coming in at $400, having some spare change for another strap shouldn’t be an issue.  hemelwatches.com

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Watch Overview

  • Brand & Model:  Hemel Military Watch Collection
  • Price: $399.99
  • Who we think it might be for: You like the look of, say, a vintage Hamilton, but would prefer something with modern reliability
  • Would I buy one for myself based on what I’ve seen?:  Not likely – it’s just not a style I find myself drawn to wear with any regularity.
  • If I could make one design suggestion, it would be: Get some leather straps into the mix as a standard option.
  • What spoke to me the most about this watch: The overall look, and how mixing around a few details (indices, handset) can alter the looks of the watches
Tech Specs from Hemel
  • Case
    • Diameter: 40 mm
    • Material: 316L stainless steel
    • Finish: Polished or Bead Blasted
    • Case Back: Screw-down
    • Lug Width: 20 mm
    • Lug to Lug: 48 mm
    • Crown: Signed, screw-down, winding › Front Crystal: Domed Sapphire
    • Back Crystal: Flat Sapphire
    • Water Resistance: 100 meters
  • Movement
    • Mechanical: Automatic & Hand Winding › Caliber: Miyota 9015
    • Hacking Second Hand
    • 28,800 buh
    • 24 jewels
    • Power Reserve: 42 hours
    • Retainer: Brass
  • Dial
    • Shape: Domed
    • Color: Matte Black
    • Paint: Superluminova C3
  • Strap
    • Nylon: Heavy Duty
    • Grommets: Metal
    • Buckle: Signed

ByPatrick Kansa

A big data developer and leader with a penchant for gadgets, books, watches and beverages. You can find my work on WristWatchReview, Knapsack.News, and Slushpile. If you're on Twitter and/or Instagram, you'll find me there as @PatrickWatches.

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