# Navy SEAL wristwatch? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 13, 2009, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-seal-wristwatch/506249 "2009-08-13T02:50:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ManiacMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b782af/32.png) [@ManiacMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ManiacMan)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-seal-wristwatch/506249/1 "2009-08-13T02:50:56Z")
I been hearing about this legendary watch that Navy SEALS wear, so I am asking if anyone knows exactly what watch it is that SEALS wear? Maybe it is something that they are given after they graduate from their training, and I have seen these watches from Lumonix(sp?)…but that watch doesn’t seem ALPHA, or “SEAL-worthy” imo…not sure why. Anways does anyone know for sure what watch it is? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-seal-wristwatch/506249/2 "2009-08-13T03:01:35Z")
According to [this online store](http://www.usnavysealstore.com/the_story.asp): > [@](#): > > After many months of redesigning the watch, the revamped dive watch was offered to the SEAL teams in early 1994. It became a success instantly. With the enhanced credibility of having been requested by and supplied to the U.S. Navy SEALS, consumers correctly reasoned that if it was good enough for one of the world’s most elite military forces, it surely was good enough for their recreational uses. Looking around… ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-seal-wristwatch/506249/3 "2009-08-13T03:09:30Z")
I have a NSW for everyday wear. I love this watch. It is the only watch I have ever owned that no matter how dark it is, I can read the exact time down to the second. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-seal-wristwatch/506249/4 "2009-08-13T03:12:01Z")
I’ve found several sites that claim the [Zodiac Sea Wolf](http://bp1.blogger.com/_HZxjZs9ytRU/RtbnYifXhUI/AAAAAAAACmc/PUH0P_narzk/s1600-h/zodiac+seawolf+ad.jpg) used to be the ‘official’ watch of the SEALS, apparently in the '60s. From the [Luminox webpage](http://luminox.800rpm.com/index.php?/site/about) (emphasis mine): > [@](#): > > Noticing a trend toward watches aimed at the active sports market, Luminox created a dive model in 1993. This was the first time luck played a significant part in our development. A U.S. Navy SEAL procurement officer contacted Luminox and explained their need for this luminous technology for use on night missions and asked to have the new dive watch re-engineered to meet their rigorous specifications. After many months of redesigning, **the revamped dive watch was offered to the SEAL teams in early 1994** , and Luminox went out to the world to offer this same watch to consumers as the Original Navy SEAL dive watch. It became an instant success. With the enhanced readability **having been requested by and supplied to U.S. Navy SEALs** , consumers correctly reasoned that if it was good enough for one of the world’s most elite military forces, it surely was good enough for their recreational uses. From there, Luminox expanded the collection to include a variety of dial colors, as well as improved and upgraded versions of the Original Navy SEAL dive series, and ultimately an entire line of watches of many types and styles created for the active consumer, the sportsman, law enforcement and, of course, military groups. ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-seal-wristwatch/506249/5 "2009-08-13T15:13:05Z")
Rick, Can you post a link to your watch? Is it different than the older models that Johnny L.A. linked to? ---
**Author:** ![Yesterdog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/d07c76/32.png) [@Yesterdog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yesterdog)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2009, 9:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-seal-wristwatch/506249/6 "2009-08-15T09:30:07Z")
I have an EOD friend. I asked him the same question because I was looking at the watch that Jack Bauer wears on “24”. He said: “Whatever the f-ck they want to wear. Most of them wear the cheap g-shocks from the exchange because they’re cheap and monkeys are attracted to flashy things. Stop being gay.” ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2009, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-seal-wristwatch/506249/7 "2009-08-15T13:22:10Z")
Same thing with cool “pilot watches”. When I was in the USAF, the magazine ads were all for big mechanical things, and Breitling’s marketing was full of “Blue Angels wear our watches” crap. What did we all really wear? Black plastic Casios from the BX or the local KMart. Cost $20-40 depending on whether it had 1 or 2 timezones. They tell time & pull Gs just fine. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2009, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-seal-wristwatch/506249/8 "2009-08-15T16:27:53Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Same thing with cool “pilot watches”. When I was in the USAF, the magazine ads were all for big mechanical things, and Breitling’s marketing was full of “Blue Angels wear our watches” crap. > > What did we all really wear? Black plastic Casios from the BX or the local KMart. Cost $20-40 depending on whether it had 1 or 2 timezones. They tell time & pull Gs just fine. [Then-Colonel Chuck Yeager wore a Rolex Submariner](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Cv-0TBEhWVE/SOHxpYw9llI/AAAAAAAAEf0/NKwe_fZ8r5s/s1600-h/C3.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![R.P.McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-seal-wristwatch/506249/9 "2009-08-17T18:10:06Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Same thing with cool “pilot watches”. When I was in the USAF, the magazine ads were all for big mechanical things, and Breitling’s marketing was full of “Blue Angels wear our watches” crap. > > What did we all really wear? Black plastic Casios from the BX or the local KMart. Cost $20-40 depending on whether it had 1 or 2 timezones. They tell time & pull Gs just fine. I’ve got a couple of Luminox watches and they are fine watches. I bought one for my elderly father and he loved it because it was easy to read. That being said, a **Casio G-Shock** can’t be beat for service under difficult conditions. They are accurate and almost indestructible. In the event it is lost, stolen or takes some shrapnel you will cry over losing your source of information, not the watch itself. Just buy another one almost anywhere in the world. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-seal-wristwatch/506249/10 "2009-08-17T18:30:14Z")
> [@Enright3](#): > > Rick, Can you post a link to your watch? Is it different than the older models that Johnny L.A. linked to? This is very close to what [mine](http://luminox.800rpm.com/index.php?/site/catalog/series/3000%20Original%20Navy%20SEAL%20Dive%20Series/3003) looks like ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-seal-wristwatch/506249/11 "2009-08-17T18:33:35Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > [Then-Colonel Chuck Yeager wore a Rolex Submariner](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Cv-0TBEhWVE/SOHxpYw9llI/AAAAAAAAEf0/NKwe_fZ8r5s/s1600-h/C3.jpg). Submariner is a _model name_? Well, that crossword puzzle clue from last week certainly makes a hell of a lot more sense now. ---
**Author:** ![Yesterdog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/d07c76/32.png) [@Yesterdog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yesterdog)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-seal-wristwatch/506249/12 "2009-08-17T22:44:08Z")
> [@Yesterdog](#): > > I have an EOD friend. I asked him the same question because I was looking at the watch that Jack Bauer wears on “24”. > > He said: “Whatever the f-ck they want to wear. Most of them wear the cheap g-shocks from the exchange because they’re cheap and monkeys are attracted to flashy things. Stop being gay.” I should clarify: the monkeys he was refering too were actual monkeys, as in, will swing down from the tree and try to take your watch. Funny on many levels, but a real danger apparently. 😃 edit: Monkeys in Iraq you say? Nay, monkeys in the SE Asia region, where EOD and Spec Forces are still actively employed. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2009, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-seal-wristwatch/506249/13 "2009-08-18T02:19:22Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > Submariner is a _model name_? > > Well, that crossword puzzle clue from last week certainly makes a hell of a lot more sense now. Yes. The Submariner is a model in the Oyster line. In case you need one for another crossword puzzle, here are the Oyster watches: [ul][li]Air-King[/li][li]Date[/li][li]Milgauss[/li][li]Datejust[/li][li]Datejust II[/li][li]Datejust Turn-O-Graph[/li][li]Lady Datejust Pearlmaster[/li][li]GMT Master II[/li][li]Explorer[/li][li]Explorer II[/li][li] **Submariner** [/li][li]Sea Dweller[/li][li]Sea Dweller DeepSea[/li][li]Daytona[/li][list][li]Paul Newman Daytona[/ul][/li][li]Day-Date[/li][li]Day-Date II[/li][li]Masterpiece[/li][li]Oyster Perpetual[/li][li]Yacht-Master[/li][li]Yacht-Master II[/list][/li]The bracelet models are called ‘Jubilee’, ‘Oyster’, and ‘President’.