Mil-spec watches have a special place in horological history with good reason. They’re quite literally the watches that save lives by allowing soldiers to accurately time manoeuvres and stay on target. Whether that’s a pilot’s Flieger chronograph, diver’s tool watch or the humble field watch. One of the classic American military watches of the 1970s was the Benrus Type 1 MIL-SPEC, which today makes its return in an off-duty, civilian edition called the Benrus Type 1 M1.
Structurally it follows all the tick boxes for a classic military diver’s watch. A broad 41.5mm diameter allows the dial to be nice and wide for legibility while at the same time it’s not so large that it would impede wrist movement. It also sports a 200m water resistance rating, which is a nice trade off between practicality and wearability – watches with higher water resistances tend to have thicker proportions as the metal case needs to be physically thicker in order to resist higher water pressures. The Benrus Type 1 M1 by comparison is only 13mm in thickness, which is a solid medium ground in watch proportions, reaching a good balance of specs.
The reason I describe this as an off-duty mil-spec watch is twofold. Firstly, the case is satin brushed polished bevels, which does look amazing but is one of the finishes more prone to scratches. Or rather, not necessarily more prone to them but they are more obvious in comparison to sandblasting etc. Secondly is the dial, which is a very non-military champagne colour. It also has the Benrus logo, which was absent on the 70s original. You’d expect a military diver to be exclusively black or maybe dark navy or olive at a push.
Even if you make the argument that the champagne is similar to khaki for the desert, I then raise the question, which body of water are you diving in in the desert? Plus, military khaki tends to be a slightly darker tone more akin to the scale on the unidirectional rotating dive bezel with ceramic insert. To be clear, I do actually really like the dial. The sunray brushing looks great and the colour works nicely tandem with the bold black outlines of the lumed hour markers and hands. It’s just slightly more of a medal ceremony vibe rather than active service, though still ready for action at a moment’s notice.
Powering the Benrus Type 1 M1 is the Swiss ETA 2892 automatic calibre with 42-hour power reserve. It’s visible through the sapphire exhibition caseback, which is another concession to its civilian role rather than the solid caseback of the Type 1 MIL-SPEC. It’s a solid workhorse movement, which is what you expect from a brand like Benrus.
Finally, completing the watch is a champagne fabric strap tying the whole piece together. Not as intense as a bracelet but not a sporty a rubber strap while also giving a hint of that NATO style without actually being a NATO.
The Benrus Type 1 M1 is priced at CHF 1,758 (approx. £1,630). To me this watch is precisely the type of design Benrus should be focussing on. They have a lot of respect from within the watch enthusiast community who know Benrus’ importance as a heritage military watch brand, but their brand recognition doesn’t expand much further beyond those circles. A versatile, practical tool watch like this has wide appeal to collectors of all stripes.
Price and Specs:
More details at Benrus.
