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The Encyclopedia of Horology

Watch family · Style & purpose

Field Watches

Verified

Robust, highly legible watches derived from military-issue designs, typically featuring a plain dial, luminous markers, a shatter-resistant crystal and a simple case.

Movement & mechanism

  • Standard lever movement selected for reliability rather than refinement
  • Often shock-resistant mounting in later examples
  • Simple three-hand or sub-seconds layout

Identification

  • Plain, high-contrast dial with arabic or simple baton markers
  • Fixed wire or spring-bar lugs, often on a plain strap
  • Case-back or dial military issue markings on genuine period examples

Terminology

  • Trench watch — the First World War precursor form (see separate entry)

Known variations

  • WWI/WWII-issue field watch
  • Civilian field-style watch

Pocket-watch ancestry

Field watches descend directly from the trench watch conversions of pocket movements into wrist cases during the First World War, retaining the plain, legible dial approach already used on military pocket watches.

Collecting notes

Genuine period military-issue field watches with documented issue markings are collected distinctly from later civilian 'field watch style' models.

Photographs

World War II paratrooper watches VE Day flyover from Whipple Field 150508-A-DZ999-583
World War II paratrooper watches VE Day flyover from Whipple Field 150508-A-DZ999-583 — Jim Dresbach, Public domain. Wikimedia Commons file page

Photographs are illustrative examples of the type, not necessarily the exact object described. Verify details against the source file page.

Sources & references

  1. Cutmore, M., Watches 1850–1980

Where sources disagree, the disagreement is stated rather than resolved silently.