Fratello On Air: Are Military Watches OK For Everyone?

Some would be interesting from a historical perspective – documented participation and so on.

Mainly, I find them interesting because it is a part of the evolution of practical capability which is very useful for field/amphibious/diving, and if a air force pilot watch has field capabilities which I believe it should, they fall into this category.

It`s not the military connection, it`s what`s done to make the watches cope in the field. If the brands tries to stick something political to it beyond hardcore functionality, and wearing it would be sending a signal of support of some sort to “the cause”, it`s a no go.

There are some iterations which makes little sense, fresh ones “honouring” events where there is a constructed association between the brand, the watch and the event. Some brand have found some historical papers and they create a chain to the watch and sometimes get some scrap metal to prove the mock-up. Worse if they get the history totally wrong.

As for moral/ethics, one should bear in mind that politicians, despots, governments and bureaucrats are the ones fully responsible for whatever is done on the ground given troops/soldiers/officers/pilots++ are conducting themselves within the framework of international laws+++ and serve in units governed by such standards. Ensuring they do, is the responsibility of the government who ships them. Rogue units are rouge because someone let them, didn`t govern them and/or failed to sanction them.

Presidential/Royal watches could easily be more troublesome than fieldwatches.

Thank you for the excellent, regular episodes, guys. I am sure there are days when the thought of recording yet another episode provokes a sigh, but these shows always add to our enjoyment of the hobby.

As for Hodinkee, I am of two minds. The Company is made up of good people who are working very hard to provide content to readers, and I want them to succeed. But as for the claim of independence, I think it’s insulting. The last re-brand of Hodinkee occurred about 60 or so days ago, and with it came claims that they were refocusing on editorial and would be moving away from retail. Clearly, the deal with WOS was in the works at the time, so claiming you’re focusing on editorial and moving away from sales while, moving directly towards sales, doesn’t ring true. Contrast that with Fratello, which does not hide its affiliation with Chron24 and does a great job providing critical views of watches. Further, Fratello reviews watches – take RZE for example – that simply are traded on C24 in any level of significance. That said, I do think the WOS deal was the best option for survival, and I much prefer a hobby with Hodinkee in it than without it.

As for the FOIS, I really like it. Omega could have chosen to price this higher, and make it a limited edition, but they did not. I might wish the fauxtina was a little toned down, but the watch is still very good.

As for military watches, I sort of draw the line at wearing watches that are branded with “Navy Seals” or other units that I have never been a part of. That feels a little like making a claim that you’re part of that unit when you never were. I would never buy those watches, and I would never wear them. For me, they are good to admire from afar only.

Good topic, guys. Thanks for this one.