Apparently the folks at Militado is just as awesome as their watches! Cant believe Aliens is that old! That PVD black one on the black strap looks awesome!
I have collected some field watches from Aliexpress, the Thorn A11, very similar to the Praesidus Tom Rice, but more similar to the original assigned to the U.S. Army. because it only measures 36mm, a size not produced by Praesidus. It has sapphire crystal, caliber NH35 and titanium case. Then RDUNAE RA01 copy of the English CVC from the 80s and RA03 similar to the G10 used in Vietnam. The latter is very similar to the Benrus of the time and only 34.5mm. Finally I have a Dirty Dozen Militado and this model, the ML05. I ordered it as soon as it came out and I had doubts about the broad arrow on the dial, I knew that a British sign on an American made watch was incorrect. Therefore little historical relevance, if not even an error. Many people reported the error to the manufacturer and they decided to correct it after April 15th, keeping the dial sterile. In the meantime it arrived to me with the sterile dial and I must say that it is much better. I must admit that all these watches have been produced with great care and with top quality materials. The boxes and straps are often cheap, but the watch itself is always very well looked after. Greetings from Italy!
Thanks for the review…not mentioned but if you order form Militado they offer a $5 coupon code, not sure if that makes up for the shipping. It’s $45 on their website as of May 2024.
Great review! I recently picked up one and should say this is a very well executed homage to the HKF and other similar milspec field watches (such as Benrus) and even better in several aspects as you pointed out (most obvious is the price). IMO the non drilled lugs are true milspec and more authentic while changing non NATO straps is still possible and easy using the proper tools. As far as WR so far I have showered with this watch and seems to handle it well. I still have to see it this will hold up to constant water use and abuse. Overall I think this watch is great bang for your buck and an ideal daily beater watch.
Another nice watch reviewed by the Watchdog, i like this one. I thought that it looked best on the leather strap, but a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation band is not bad either. Thank you for your time doing this review friend Watchdog
Very difficult to find fault with this everyday men’s watch! It is so much like a Hamilton automatic field watch, but less expensive. Good size, good strap, and easy to tell the time at a glance, all things I look for in an everyday watch that is not mere jewellery. The reason I have Hamiltons is this: there is no battery to change out. That means the case is hypobarically sealed and the watch can stand cold weather and high humidity. This is my test of a Field Watch, it must be reliable in the field, not just in urban environments. I had two watches fail on sailing trips in rainy cold weather, both fogged up and quit. Tissots, good watches! Battery powered.That was when I moved over to automatics. To my mind, no battery watch is a field watch, in the true sense. If you never need this feature, all these similar “ field watches” are excellent choices, but if you literally take your watch into the natural environment, it must be sealed and not relying on a battery to run.
Seiko SRPJ81K1. It is 36mm. This is the one with the stainless steel bracelet. You can always get a leather or NATO strap. But it's harder to get one with the NATO strap and get a stainless steel bracelet later. Very versatile watch. I have several field watches from Hamiltons to Baltanys. I also have vintage originals like an Elgin A-11 and a Benrus. But I'd recommend the Seiko. It has a day date complication and reliable. The price is now under $200.
What is your budget? If you want to go super cheap you can try Lorus Lumibrite Field Watch , they have day date, WR 10bar, 36mm case and are less than 10mm thick. Strap is budget but will do and easy to change. Lorus is Seiko subsidiary, the quartz in it, Hardlex crystal and Lumibrite lume are all from them. It shines like radioactive and for looong 😀
The Hamilton Khaki mechanical IS original. Many other field watches share similar aesthetics, the watch and design in question is 100 perfect Hamilton khaki. To say it’s just a generic field watch design is a little bit of gaslighting
