{"id":30013,"date":"2018-07-02T08:00:01","date_gmt":"2018-07-02T06:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gmtmag.com?p=30013"},"modified":"2018-06-21T17:30:20","modified_gmt":"2018-06-21T15:30:20","slug":"30013","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gmtmag.com\/en\/non-classe-en-en\/30013.html","title":{"rendered":"Rules of engagement"},"content":{"rendered":"

Colors, functions, accessories : military watches come in a variety of uniforms as diverse as the armies that inspire them. They nonetheless share a number of design codes for which GMT suggests a deciphering exercise.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Paul O’NEIL<\/strong><\/p>\n

Chief Editor of WorldTempus.com<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"worldtempus\"<\/p>\n

The three branches of the military have each made their own contributions to the development of the wristwatch. Infantrymen in the first world war were among the first to start wearing watches on the wrist, creating a whole new watch genre called the \u201ctrench watch\u201d. Not long after, pilots did the same and their need for precise timing in waypoint navigation led to functions like the flyback chronograph hand. At the extreme, Officine Panerai, famous for its dive watches for Italian navy frogmen in the second world war, produced solely for military customers right up until the 1990s. Scan the QR code to see more military-inspired watches on WorldTempus<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The military watch is engaged in a campaign to conquer wrists the world over. Utilitarian, pragmatic and robust, it boasts all the advantages of its functional nature. In parallel, however, the fashion world is eagerly adopting its aesthetic codes in terms of both colors and design. What\u2019s more, given its role as standard issue provided by various States, it has historically been relatively inexpensive, a strong argument in this day and age. The military watch is thus modest-looking and appears mainly in steel, occasionally in titanium and never in gold. It is fairly large in order to remain eminently legible as befits its stature. Finally, it is built for action on the ground, at least in theory, and is thus expected to be both rugged and reliable. Exit slim cases and fragile complications. The last aspect is its means of attachment. Leather straps age less gracefully than metal and woven synthetic fibers. And if it can in passing be transformed into a tool or instrument, all to the good !<\/p>\n

AIR<\/h3>\n

To calculate their speed and trajectory, fighter pilots need a chronograph. And so as not to waste precious time resetting it before restarting a timing operation, they have adopted the flyback function as their favorite complication. Historically, the standard was set by the French Naval Aviation and its Type XX specifications. Breguet<\/strong> was the original supplier and continues to provide these large timepieces, at a relatively hefty price. Meanwhile, bombardiers had the B-Uhr. To help them drop their munitions at an exact time, they wore wide wristwatches featuring separate and contrasting minutes and hours scales, a tradition still cultivated by Bell & Ross<\/strong>. And to take things to the next level, Oris<\/strong> even offers Altimeter models bearing an altitude scale graduated in feet or meters.<\/p>\n\n\t\t