# Why Don'T The Military Issue Digital Watches?



## Andy the Squirrel

I've been thinking, why don't the military issue digital watches? Could it be that they can't be used as a make-shift compass, or perhaps the multi-function buttons are too fiddly? Perhaps it's purely for tradition, or perhaps they want to teach troops how to read the time properly!? What do you reckon?


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## tall_tim

I would guess there are many reasons, such as tradition, using as a compass, lcd affected by heat/cold/sun, easier to set...


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## - Baz -

Good question, Andy, and one I've mused over. The military don't issue watches as such, it's the MOD who are responsible for deciding what's commissioned and issued, if at all. And 'Yes, Minister' with all that entails comes to mind...

Practically, the digital would be seem to be the common sense approach, due to cost (very cheap) and fitness for purpose. However, my guess is an analogue dial is easier to read in less than ideal light even without lume and doesn't require an extra hand to push a button to light up the dial in total darkness.

Maybe someone who really knows will chip in...


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## andyft21

I have read somewhere that the French issue Casio Mudman watches to some of thier troops.


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## ollyhock

Lots of American troops have. Suunto x10's but I think that's a choice rather than military issue


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## vamos666

Would Electro-Magnetic Pulses from large warheads fudge any digital watch "in Theatre" as it were?

Maybe i've just watched 'Threads' too much...


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## Stan

I wasnâ€™t issued with a watch during my term.

I suspect the MoD would have relied on the principle of keeping things simple and functional (and cheap).

A watch that can be seconds hacked without too much fuss is essential, the watch needs to be pretty accurate too, otherwise there would be no point in it being able to hack and synchronise with others of its type, if the watch is supplied to a soldier who's mission is time critical, that's the crux.

If you look at military issued watches you can see the theme that the contractors and procurers have agreed on.

Simplicity and functionality.


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## gcleminson

Interesting question- Certainly from what I've seen on forums, G-shocks seem to be a widely popular choice with serving members; they're cheap, tough, accurate, waterproof, multi-functional and solid-state (no moving parts)- as someone mentioned above, possible affect from EMP's (do they even exist in the real world, or are they just sci-fi??) is the only possible negative I can think of.

Graham


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## tall_tim

gcleminson said:


> Interesting question- Certainly from what I've seen on forums, G-shocks seem to be a widely popular choice with serving members; they're cheap, tough, accurate, waterproof, multi-functional and solid-state (no moving parts)- as someone mentioned above, possible affect from EMP's (do they even exist in the real world, or are they just sci-fi??) is the only possible negative I can think of.
> 
> Graham


Nuclear explosion would emit EMPs, and they do exist in there own right. However in the event of this ocurring on the battlefield, the effect on a digital watch would surely be the last thing to worry about.


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## jeffvader

Also if a crystal gets smashed on a digital watch it's pretty much game over for the LCD, but a traditional watch would continue to work in some fashion.

During the second world war soldiers fabricated their own replacement watch crystals behind enemy lines, something that's difficult to do when it's an unusual shape.


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## Stuart Davies

I give you the Chronosport UDT










Issued to specialized US military units such as the Navy SEALs, UDTs (Underwater

Demolition Teams) and US Army Special Forces, the Chronosport UDT is considered

by many to be the ultimate military watch of it's time. It's rugged design, accurate quartz

movement and pioneering use of a highly legible dial combining both analog and

digital displays made it a design sensation when it first appeared in the late 1970's.

This watch was also produced by Breitling in the 1980s with the model name "Pluton",

and appeared in the Breitling catalog until 1999

Case Diameter: 42mm

Case Height: 12mm

Case length: 47mm

Lug Width: 20.5 mm

Movement: Miyota Y652 Quartz Analog w/

multi-function LCD

Case material: Matte black chromium

coated stainless steel (not PVD)

Crown: Screw down

Bezel: Uni-directional, indexed w/ 60 clicks

Water resistance: 20 ATM (666 ft)

Vintage: Late '70s

Another watch on my long-time wish list but alas prices have risen beyond what I would be prepared to pay for one - for the collector me thinks... :yes:

Edit: Two on the Bay of Evil right now...

180398976752

370274270793


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## gcleminson

jeffvader said:


> During the second world war soldiers fabricated their own replacement watch crystals behind enemy lines, something that's difficult to do when it's an unusual shape.


Can't imagine what out of??!! Jamjars??


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## guido7

Stuart Davies said:


> I give you the Chronosport UDT
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Issued to specialized US military units such as the Navy SEALs, UDTs (Underwater
> 
> Demolition Teams) and US Army Special Forces, the Chronosport UDT is considered
> 
> by many to be the ultimate military watch of it's time. It's rugged design, accurate quartz
> 
> movement and pioneering use of a highly legible dial combining both analog and
> 
> digital displays made it a design sensation when it first appeared in the late 1970's.
> 
> This watch was also produced by Breitling in the 1980s with the model name "Pluton",
> 
> and appeared in the Breitling catalog until 1999
> 
> Case Diameter: 42mm
> 
> Case Height: 12mm
> 
> Case length: 47mm
> 
> Lug Width: 20.5 mm
> 
> Movement: Miyota Y652 Quartz Analog w/
> 
> multi-function LCD
> 
> Case material: Matte black chromium
> 
> coated stainless steel (not PVD)
> 
> Crown: Screw down
> 
> Bezel: Uni-directional, indexed w/ 60 clicks
> 
> Water resistance: 20 ATM (666 ft)
> 
> Vintage: Late '70s
> 
> Another watch on my long-time wish list but alas prices have risen beyond what I would be prepared to pay for one - for the collector me thinks... :yes:
> 
> Edit: Two on the Bay of Evil right now...
> 
> 180398976752
> 
> 370274270793


Hi!

do you like to sell it?

Please, do contact me at [email protected]mail.com

thank you!


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## foztex

andyft21 said:


> I have read somewhere that the French issue Casio Mudman watches to some of thier troops.


They do, G-Shocks as well, to the Marine Nationale (MN). I cant find an easy way to get you to the site that has photos without posting a link, but check the big french forums and you'll find them.

The MN have had some great watches over the years, starting with Rolex and Tudor subs, notably the snowflake. Then moving on to the Beuchat ABYSS



















and Auricoste Spirotechnique




























cheers

Andy


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## jasonm

Is that a golf or a driving glove Foz?


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## foztex

jasonm said:


> Is that a golf or a driving glove Foz?


Golf ! ROFL :rofl2:

They wouldn't have me matey. My only use for golf balls is to almost cut 'em in half from each side and then leave hidden in someones room. (If you've never done it the results, at some unpredictable later date, are spectacular).

They are pushbike gloves, really useful actually. Today I'd not be seen on a bike without them.

Andy


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## Agent orange

They did, although very rarely.

Here's an issued Heuer Chronosplit I used to have.










Tbh this is probably one of the worst digital watches you could possibly issue. They're very fragile and I can't imagine them withstanding a small amount of abuse let alone anything the military could throw at them.

Cheers,

Gary


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## guido7

jasonm said:


> Is that a golf or a driving glove Foz?


Hi Jasonm!

I hope this email finds you well. I cannot post my watch for sale because I need to reach .....cutting a long story, I have a CWC Royal Navy Diver quartz Non Dated with SP issue which is a Naval Contract requested to Silvermans for SALE!

In addiction, I do have Ron's email reply which works with Silvermans and he states about the SP and the Naval Contract matter.

This watch has not been made for civilian market 

If you have an email address I can provide 3 pictures for your perusal and we go from there, I am asking********** including the Registered Air Mail, payment via a WIRE TRANSFER. I am available to mark it as a "...." to avoid any fees 

my eamil address is: *************************

If there is someone interested, I would greatly appreciate if you can pass my information within your network.

Please, let me know.

Thanks in advance Jasonm!

*
Guido, I will leave this post until you read it..... You cannot post your watch for sale on this forum until you reach 50 posts, only then can you post it for sale in the correct forum....*

*
Please dont post this again or I will just delete the post....*

*
I think weve been fair enough so far with your repeated attempts at offering this for sale...*

*
Regards*

*
Jason*


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## guido7

Sorry Jasonm!

Any suggestion? How I can reach the 50...? Is there any form to let people know there is a CWC available? Please, let me know, I would greatly appreciate your suggestion 

Thanks!


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## jasonm

Just join in Guido...

To be honest, I think everyone now knows you have a watch for sale.... 

Dont rush, get involved, enjoy the conversations.....

Remember the forum isnt just here to sell watches..... :hi:


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## seikology

the new marathon navigator is a digital

as to why digi's arent as prevalent, there is alot of research that indicates that the time is read more 'instinctively' and therefore quicker on an analogue dial.

also with a traditional dial design there is perhaps less chance of the time being misread??

so maybe speed and accuracy is the reason??


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## shadowninja

seikology said:


> the new marathon navigator is a digital
> 
> as to why digi's arent as prevalent, there is alot of research that indicates that the time is read more 'instinctively' and therefore quicker on an analogue dial.


Yep. You can glance and know if it's nearly 3, whereas 2.47 would require a bit more processing. That said, I tend to forget the time quicker if it's analogue partly for this reason. ardon:


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## Openended

Not sure. In the US they mainly use G-shocks and Ironman watches in the army, seals and air force. French frogmen used to have standard issue G-Shocks as well. NASA astronauts also have been approved a range of G-Shock and Ironman models (but not all of them are approved only cetain models) for space flight.


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## MIKE

Heres an issued LCD digital, the Stocker & Yale Chronograph Type III from 1981.

Has the trintium tubes behind the LCD display to light it up.

As My example is quite tatty here's some pictures nicked off the net.




























Mike


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## moosejam

I'd agree with EMP - the military have to plan for the worst I'd imagine


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## sheepsteeth

i know a US navy EOD operator who is issued with a casio protrek. tis a very good watch as it happens but i dont think he actually dives with it. He cant acually wear it when dealing with some ordnance either so its a bit of a ridiculous idea.

im in the military but i havent been issued a watch, there are watches for issue in the store butthey are like shirt buttons so i wouldnt wear one.

FWIW i wear a protrek at the moment but always used to wear a cheap gshock which lasted me a good 10 years. i would imagine the reason analogue watches are more prevalent due to their ease of use and the option to use it is a compass.


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## howie77

foztex said:


> jasonm said:
> 
> 
> 
> Is that a golf or a driving glove Foz?
> 
> 
> 
> Golf ! ROFL :rofl2:
> 
> They wouldn't have me matey. My only use for golf balls is to almost cut 'em in half from each side and then leave hidden in someones room. (If you've never done it the results, at some unpredictable later date, are spectacular).
> 
> They are pushbike gloves, really useful actually. Today I'd not be seen on a bike without them.
> 
> Andy
Click to expand...

God I'm racking my brain but I cannot for the life of me think what on earth that does? Can I have a clue?


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## watch4me

G-Shock watches are rather common with the military. Most of the folks using EMP type devices are usually the guys wearing the G-Shock watches as well. In the end it's really personal preference.


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## Jim Attrill

Much research was done from the 60s onwards about the ease of reading dials. (this was mainly for aircraft use). One thing found in favour of either dial or strip analogue readouts was that the relative position was important for speed of reading. Of course, nearly all watches have the same sort of dial, with 12o'clock being straight up and 6 o'clock straight down. With aircraft dials, often the gauges were twisted so that the 'normal' position had the hand at the 12o'clock position. This enabled the engineer, for example, to glance at a bank of dials for four engines and instantly spot the 'odd man out'. Strip dials were arranged so that the normal position was in the middle of the display for the same reason. For this reason, if you entered the cockpit of an aircraft with the power off, the dials were all over the place.

Digital readouts were only approved for digital data, such as discrete frequency readouts on radios.

Many car manufacturers have tried digital speedometers, Citroen being the first to find that customers don't like digital. Why? - you have to read it, not just glance at it.

The only digital read-out I have is on a multimeter...


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## ollyhock

Theres a lot of suunto x10 m watches in

afganistan at the minute


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## Guest

Stuart Davies said:


> I give you the Chronosport UDT


Reminded me of the Seiko H558-5000, a modified version of which was worn by Arnold Schwarzenegger in 'Commando'.

*
*










(taken from watchuseek)


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## Guest

I've a feeling that the pic might not show unless it's already cached from the original site.

Here it is rehosted:


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