Watches of the Navy SEALs: A History of Service

Before getting into the watches of the Navy SEALs, it's worth establishing some context about these modern-day Spartans. Officially established in 1962, the Navy SEALs, one of the U.S. military’s most elite special operations units, has its origins in World War II, with the formation of organized maritime commando teams for covert reconnaissance of landing beaches and the mounting of coastal defenses. At first designated as Amphibious Scouts and Raiders, and later as Underwater Demolitions Teams (UDTs), the graduates of the Joint Expeditionary Base in Little Creek, Virginia served admirably in the European and Pacific Theater in the years following the 1942 attack on Pearl Harbor. In the Korean War that began in 1950, an expanded force of UDT operatives played a key role, turning their covert and demolition expertise to tunnels, bridges, and other coastal targets, as well as mine sweeping and infiltration. 

With another Southeast Asian conflict heating up in Vietnam, President John F. Kennedy urged Congress to allocate more of the military budget to strengthen America’s capabilities in much-needed “unconventional warfare.” The result was the evolution of the UDTs and other special forces into guerrilla and anti-guerilla units that would be able to operate on “Sea, Air, and Land” — the Navy SEALs. SEAL team members, the first generation drawn from the ranks of the UDTs, were trained not only in amphibious activities but skills like hand-to-hand combat and high-altitude parachuting. The SEALs were instrumental in covert operations throughout the Vietnam War and further cemented their legend over the following decades, in U.S. military interventions in Grenada, Panama, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the hunt for terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden.

As with every military unit since World War I, wristwatches were and are a vital component in the gear of every Navy SEAL, and a number of brands have found their way to the wrists of these elite commandos over the years, some of which have been officially issued by the U.S. government. 

Historical Navy SEAL watches:

Blancpain Fifty Fathoms (aka Tornek-Rayville)

Navy SEALs spend a lot of time underwater, and one of the first official watches issued to SEAL teams in the 1960s was, appropriately, the timepiece that is regarded as the first modern purpose-built divers’ watch: the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms. Introduced in 1953, the Fifty Fathoms was an unusual project for Blancpain, a traditional Swiss watchmaker founded in 1735 (the oldest such brand in the world, actually), and a labor of love for then-CEO Jean-Jacques Fiechter, an avid diving enthusiast who had long wanted to develop a watch that would be ideal for his hobby. Fiechter worked with Captain Robert Maloubier, a French naval officer, to design a reliable, mission-ready timepiece that Maloubier’s elite combat diving team could wear. The watch’s 42mm steel case — exceptionally large for the time — was water-resistant to 91.45 meters, or 50 fathoms, the maximum depth recommended for scuba divers. Its dial was black and its numerals were luminescent for greater legibility underwater. 

Issued at first exclusively to Maloubier’s team of French navy divers, the Fifty Fathoms was the first divers’ watch with a self-winding movement, the first with an antimagnetic case, and the first to employ the patented, double-sealed crown that Fiechter had developed. Most notably, it was the first watch to include a lockable bezel with dive-time scale that rotated in only one direction. This practical and potentially life-saving innovation prevented a diver from accidentally jarring the bezel in the wrong direction for an inaccurate reading of how much time he’d spent underwater and thus miscalculating how much oxygen he had left in the tank. Other elite military diving units adopted the Fifty Fathoms as standard issue, including the precursors to the Navy SEALs, around 1960. 

There was a small problem that cropped up at the time, however: as Swiss-made watches, Blancpain Fifty Fathoms models technically did not meet the criteria of U.S. government procurement laws that required such military-use products to be made in America. To get around this technicality, a U.S.-based Blancpain distributor, Allen Tornek, arranged for the watches’ dials to be re-branded with the name “Tornek-Rayville” — “Tornek,” the distributor’s name, plus “Rayville,” a vocal anagram of Blancpain’s Swiss hometown of Villeret, or "Ville-Ray” — and made just enough modifications to the watches themselves to fudge their “American-made” status. The Fifty Fathoms caught on with the civilian public for a time as well, famously worn by Jacques Cousteau and by actor Lloyd Bridges in his starring role in the TV series Sea Hunt. A victim of the 1970s’ Quartz Crisis, the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms disappeared from the market, and from military usage, for several decades before making a big return to the lineup in the early 2000s. Today, it is indisputably Blancpain’s flagship model, available in numerous iterations (which you can learn more about here) — all of which are positioned decidedly in the luxury category and well out of the conversation of ever again being military-issue watches. 

Even the “Tornek Rayville” branding, which Blancpain has long since abandoned, has made a comeback in the dive-watch world. Entrepreneur Bill Yao, who had previously founded the tool-watch brand MKII, relaunched Tornek-Rayville in 2010, with a heavy emphasis on a reissued version of the most legendary model, the TR-900, which was worn by U.S. special forces during the Vietnam War. The TR-660 followed, offering another dose of mid-’50s Fifty Fathoms DNA at a far more accessible price point, Modern Tornek-Rayvilles are made in Japan and contain the Seiko NE15 automatic movement.

Tudor Oyster Prince Submariner

The Rolex Submariner, which debuted right alongside the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms and which is even more iconic in the history of watches, has often been cited as a watch worn by SEALs. Certainly, individual SEAL team members have bought Submariners for themselves, but it is actually Rolex’s more affordably priced sister brand, Tudor, that was an official supplier of watches to the U.S. Navy, including the SEALs, from the 1960s through the 1980s. As a brand name, Tudor has been around nearly as long as Rolex itself: the founder of both brands, Hans Wilsdorf, registered the Tudor trademark in 1926, the same year that Rolex developed the trend-setting waterproof Oyster case that would become a hallmark of the brand’s tool watches. Tudor — a subsidiary of Rolex that Wilsdorf envisioned as a maker of affordable watches that still maintained a high level of quality — released its first watches in 1946. Tudor watches were the only watches on the market at the time that featured reliable third-party movements inside the waterproof Rolex Oyster case; they were initially more geared toward the tool-watch market than were Rolexes, which already enjoyed a reputation as luxury items. 

The first Tudor watch with the “Oyster” name followed shortly after the launch of the brand, in 1947, kicking off a long tradition of timepieces suitable for underwater adventure. The first Tudor Prince model followed in 1952, around the same time that Tudor began an R&D partnership with the French Navy, or Marine Nationale. This relationship yielded Tudor’s first dedicated dive watch, The Tudor Oyster Prince Submariner, in 1954 — one year after the debut of big brother Rolex’s own diving model, also called the Submariner, as well as Blancpain’s Fifty Fathoms. The Tudor Submariner Ref. 7922 used the same familiar “Mercedes” handset found on many Rolex models and was water-resistant to 100 meters; its successor in 1958, Ref. 7924, upped this rating to 200 meters, which is still the standard for Tudor dive watches today, and was nicknamed the “Big Crown,” as it was the first Tudor Submariner with an enlarged 8mm winding crown (from the previous 5mm). Right around this time, Tudor began a relationship with the U.S. Navy, eventually as an official supplier of watches to UDTs and SEAL teams, that continued through the Vietnam era all the way into the 1980s. 

During this period in service, the Oyster Prince Submariner underwent a series of small evolutions, chiefly in details like the crown guards and dial verbiage, before its most substantial redesign in 1969. That’s the year the now-famous Ref. 7016, nicknamed “Snowflake” after its distinctive square-themed hands and markers, made its debut, remaining in Tudor’s catalog until the early 1980s, and providing the template for the next decade’s worth of Submariners. While the Tudor watch worn by Navy SEALs is no longer in production, elements from the various generations of the model — including the oversized crown and “Snowflake” handset — today live on in the popular Tudor Black Bay and Pelagos series of sporty dive watches that have defined the brand’s identity in the 21st Century. You can read a full rundown of the Tudor Black Bay collection here.

Seiko “Turtle” Ref. 6309 

While Tudor Submariners were still in the supply line for Navy SEALs in the 1970s, the government was also dedicated to finding less expensive options to outfit its elite warriors, and in the late 1970s began phasing out the Swiss-made Tudors in favor of a rugged, chunky, somewhat unusual-looking timepiece from Japan’s leading watchmaker, Seiko — the original Ref. 6309, aka the “Turtle,” which made its debut in 1976.

The watch’s reptilian nickname derived from its cushion-shaped cases with softly rounded lugs, which brought to mind the silhouette of a turtle when viewed from above. Outfitted inside its 45mm case with the Seiko in-house automatic Caliber 6309A, the Seiko “Turtle” was the last watch with a mechanical movement that would make the cut as a government-issued watch to Navy SEAL teams, as well as other Special Forces. Water-resistant to 150 meters, with a recessed screw-down crown at 4 o’clock, a 60-click bidirectional divers’ bezel, and a black dial with big, legible, luminous-treated hands and markers, and mounted on a no-nonsense rubber strap, the 6309 was a go-to watch for all kinds of military members during the Cold War era and eventually even found its way to a more mainstream pop cultural appeal. Actor Ed Harris wore the “Turtle” in the 1989 underwater-adventure film The Abyss (above), and the model has also been spotted on the wrists of legendary rockers like Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones and Brian May of Queen. 

Eventually, the original Turtle’s off-the-wall appeal ran its course for many civilian buyers, giving way to more understated and conventionally shaped successors from Seiko, most notably the famous and still fondly remembered SKX777. But the resurgence in popularity of many vintage 1970s designs moved Seiko to bring back a version of the “Turtle,” with modern upgrades and movement and build quality, starting in 2016 with the Prospex Ref. SRP777 and then with the current version, the Ref. SRPE93 (above), which I review in greater detail here. 

Modern Navy SEAL Watches:

G-Shock DW5600E, DW9052

Another, even more budget-friendly option for the Navy presented itself in the 1980s — the Casio G-Shock, which was released in 1983 and which has been a game-changer both for its Japanese parent company (until that point, better known for making calculators and computers than wristwatches) and for the wristwatch industry in general. 

The brainchild of Casio engineer Kikuo Abe, who designed it to be “toughest watch of all time” after the traumatic experience of having a vintage pocket watch from his grandfather destroyed in a fall to the ground, the first G-Shock pioneered the “Triple 10” concept that is at the core of the models to this day — 10-bar (100-meter) water resistance, 10-meter impact resistance, and 10-year battery life. The watch took its name from the “gravitational shock” that it was designed to withstand. Every aspect of the watch was designed with durability in mind: the movement floated within a hollow structure filled with gel, behind five protective layers, thus minimizing the effects of impacts on its functioning. The resin case was reinforced with a urethane bezel, which extended beyond the surface of the LCD-display crystal so it would absorb impacts and prevent the latter element from shattering. In fact, in some regards, the DW5000C exceeded the goals of the Triple Ten concept, with 200 meters (20 bar) of water resistance.

It was a watch that was unapologetically big, tough, and utilitarian, and yet those who embraced it found it irresistibly stylish as well. The original, core model, the DW-5000C, was also a watch that was ideal for the challenging conditions faced by Navy SEALs and other military units — its durable and utilitarian features included a digital LED display with a backlight for optimum readability underwater — and individual military members started purchasing the inexpensive G-Shock on their own shortly after its debut. Not long afterward, G-Shocks became the standard-issue timepiece for a variety of units, replacing the few automatic Tudors and Seikos that were still around. 

Four G-Shock models, out of the many dozens that make up the collection, yesterday and today, were given a NATO stock number (NSN), designating them as watches that could be officially purchased through retail channels by the U.S. government and issued to military members. These included the DW-5600E-1V (the closest successor to the original, rectangular-cased G-Shock); the DW-6600-1V and DW-6900-1V (both with round cases, measuring a titanic 53mm in diameter), and the similarly round-cased, DW-9052-1V, which has  played a key role in SEAL training as the standard-issue watch at the Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center in Panama City Beach, Florida. Assigned to divers along with their fins, masks, and knives up until 2018, the DW-9052 models are built to be virtually indestructible, with an array of military-grade functionalities include a backlight, 200 meters of water resistance, a 1/100-second stopwatch, alarms, a full auto calendar, and both 12-and 24-hour timekeeping. G-Shocks have been worn by SEALs for going on four decades, employed in operations connected to the Global War on Terror as well as other conflicts and missions around the world. 

Luminox Original Navy SEAL Watch

Despite the predominance of the digital G-Shock models in the modern era, analog watches haven’t totally disappeared from Navy SEALs’ gear kits. One relatively young Swiss watchmaker even makes the only watch specifically designed for Navy SEAL use and even names it accordingly. 

Founded in 1989 by watch industry veteran Barry Cohen, Luminox takes its name from a portmanteau of two Latin words, “Lumi” for light and “Nox” for night, an indicator of the Swiss brand’s commitment from the get-go to “offer cutting-edge luminescence and readability in its line of high-performance sports watches.” In 1992, a SEAL officer named Nick North began working directly with Cohen and the team at Luminox to produce a rugged watch that his team members could use on night missions for demolitions and other underwater ops. The result was the original Navy SEAL Watch, introduced in 1994, which ushered in a new, proprietary case material called Carbonox, which is prized for being extraordinarily durable while also being lightweight. In addition to the 43mm, 200-meter water resistant Carbonox case, with a ratcheting divers’ bezel, the Navy SEAL watch also featured the brand’s LLT (Luminox Light Technology), which allows dial elements like hands and markers to emit a constant, bright 24/7 glow for up to 25 years thanks to the use of tritium gas inside borosilicate glass capsules (aka micro gas tubes) strategically placed on the dial.

Navy SEAL team members quickly took to the watch and its mission-ready design, and while Luminox watches have never been officially issued by the government, their popularity among active military members — as well as land-based first responders like police officers — has endured. Luminox’s relationship with the Navy SEALs has continued for more than 30 years, giving rise to numerous takes on the 1992 original and a handful of special limited editions, like the Navy SEAL Foundation 3250 “Back to Blue” edition, which debuted in 2024 and celebrated the organization’s return to maritime operations after years of land-based missions. (The Foundation, established in 2000, is a nonprofit that provides support for active-duty and retired SEALs and their families.)

The watch’s robust 45mm case is made of black IP-coated stainless steel; a screw-down crown with double security rubber gaskets helps ensure a 200-meter water resistance and protects the Swiss-made Ronda 715 quartz movement, which holds a 60-month battery life. The ratcheting, unidirectional bezel has a blue fiberglass insert and the dial features gold accents on the dial, bezel and hands in addition to the blue- and gold-glowing tritium tubes. The Navy SEAL Foundation’s signature trident logo adorns the caseback in IP black plating, and the buckle on the dark blue rubber strap is made of the proprietary Carbonox alloy.

Resco Instruments

In summation, the world of watchmaking and the needs of Navy SEALs for tough and capable timekeepers for their missions continues to overlap in intriguing ways, and watches that can claim some connection, even a historical or symbolic one, with the SEALs’ legendary world of warfare, adventure, and espionage will always hold a special cachet for many. At the same time, generations of active and retired SEALs have discovered an even greater admiration for their timepieces, the stories behind them, and for watchmaking in general, and a few have made their own contributions to the roster of military-use timepieces. Case in point: retired Navy SEAL Rob Smith, who realized his longtime dream of starting a watch company in 2009 with the foundation of Resco Instruments (“Resco” for “Robert E. Smith Company”) in the navy town of Coronado, California.

Beginning with the brand’s first model, the Gent Patriot, Resco has focused on making watches that combine aesthetic beauty with rugged utility — watches that can be worn “downrange” as well as “downtown,” in the words of the founder, who also promises that none of his watches will ever sport subdials or bezels that don’t serve a practical purpose. Each watch is still designed, assembled and tested at the workshop in California, and despite the company’s limited annual production of 600-1,000 watches per year, the collection is diverse, albeit mostly geared toward military dive watch designs, with standouts like the Black Frog model pictured, with its black PVD-finished case holding a Swiss quartz movement from ETA. Many active-duty members of the Navy SEALs community have become Resco watch customers, and Smith has even collaborated with specific SEAL teams to produce special pieces with unit-specific insignia. Perhaps the currently most famous fictional SEAL, Chris Pratt’s James Reece on the Amazon Prime series The Terminal List, even wore a Resco Black Frog Gen2 in the first season.