World War II Era Watches

The look of a watch is important—maybe now more than ever. But before the days of mechanical watches being largely worn because someone liked the look and feel of it, they were used as tools. Just think, nowadays we look at an Apple Watch and think it gives us everything we need, which is debatable. But it certainly does more than tell time. Some may say it does too much. But if you needed to take advantage of its extra functions, say like GPS maps, then you’d be glad you had it on your wrist.

Well, in the 1940’s they didn’t have Apple Watches. What they did have, however, were mechanical watches that were used as tools. Mainly to tell time, which seems simple now, but also to help its wearer, no matter soldier, sailor, or Marine accomplish its mission. Comparing these watches to the modern-day Apple Watch in terms of function may not be fair. But if we were to judge them by simply looks and telling time, I’ll stick with one of the WWII-era models.

A few brands to note when thinking about this era are Hamilton, Bulova, and Longines. You can sprinkle a few Rolex Submariners in the mix, as well. I would say the Hamilton and the Bulova, which resemble each other, are what show up the most in movies and documentaries on WWII. The Hamilton Field watch in particular is still around and does a good job sticking to its roots. This Khaki Field Mechanical is true to form, especially, with the NATO strap.

Nowadays, it’s harder to find American made watches. There are a few brands that I’ll dive into in another post, but at the time this was one of the jewels of American watch making—they could help the soldiers, sailors, and Marines via increased watch production on the home front.

Unfortunately many of these same brands, particularly the U.S. made Hamilton, began to fall off following the war, as preferences swayed toward Swiss alternatives. This article by the National WWII Museum in New Orleans touches on why this may have been. The saying “running like a Swiss watch” certainly didn’t help consumers spend their dollars domestically. As much as we may miss the old days, it’s still encouraging to see new Hamilton collections carrying some of the same charm of its ancestors.

Here are a few photos, via the same National WWII Museum post, as well as Hamilton’s website, that further prove why you should consider one of these WWII-era style models when you’re looking for your next watch!

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