It is 17 October 1965. Months of hard fighting have instilled within you certain rituals and personal checks that you abide by before any trip outside the wire; as an American Special Forces Soldier operating with Military Assistance Command, Vietnam – Studies and Observations Group–aka, MACVSOG–the importance of your equipment being in pristine condition is not lost on you. You begin to make your final PCC/PCIs prior to staging for your part in Operation Shining Brass. You will continue to perform checks on all equipment until the final moment culminating with your insertion into enemy territory, but these checks are part of your formal, personal finalized ritual. On-body equipment, check. Rucksack and off-body equipment, check. Fighting knife, check. Carbine, check.
Upon reviewing your XM177 and finding it in good working order, CPT Thorne–a seasoned man that spent what seems like a lifetime at war–looks your way and asks for the time. You look down at your wrist and respond. He nods in your direction and continues on.
The last photograph of then-CPT Larry A. Thorne
*****
While the official spec for the GG-W-113 was not published by the US Military until 1967, the watch in this fictional situation could have, without a doubt in my mind, looked exactly the same–that is even despite the fact that the watch saw favor with US Pilots and a different variant finding its way onto the wrist of grunts. The ‘113 was simple: a highly-accurate 17-jewel movement with 36-hour power reserve that was manually wound, featured hacking, a highly-legible dial and protected by a parkerized, monobloc case with an acrylic crystal set in place. It was shock- and water-proofed, and featured bright tritium lume. The manufacturer could have been Altus, Benrus, Hamilton, or Marathon.
One of the most enjoyable things about this community is getting to look not only at watches that are currently produced, but being able to look back at them in an historic sense. The history between certain designs and even brands with their ties to military service is something that captivates me; this is only further enhanced when a classic design is revived and built to modern specifications and remains true to the original form. The ‘113 is no exception, and so we introduce the Praesidus Jungle Field Watch.
Simply put, the Praesidus Jungle Field is exactly what one would expect when it comes to opting for a recreation of the type of watch that graced the wrists of some of the hardest men in some of the most dangerous fighting that has been seen in this modern era. Thanks to timeless design, the watch looks equally at-home paired with WWII-era fighting kit, alongside the Tiger Stripe fatigues of ‘Nam’s SOG warriors, and even still thanks to the aforementioned timeless design language, is not out of place when paired with a high-speed plate carrier and Multicam. This is despite the significantly smaller size when comparing it to the watches on most modern warfighter’s wrists.
Praesidus sought to recreate this watch with great respect to the original specifications, so as to provide the same level of performance as the original, and let me tell you that they did exactly that and then some. In this iteration, the Jungle Field boasts a sapphire-coated mineral glass K1 Crystal with AR treatment, a Swiss Ronda 763 Quartz movement, and a 34mm stainless steel case. Yes, despite the disclaimer in the paragraph above, and having worn this watch for some time now, I do want to restate that it is a small piece. Don’t be fooled though–even on a 7.25” wrist it packs some serious presence.
Praesidus packs the watch in very fitting, USGI type packaging. I took a special interest in the warranty card, which comes in the form of a QR code on a dogtag. That was seriously neat. The watch comes with either a plain matte black dial or one that I opted for, featuring a striking “popcorn” texture with some of the best faux patina I’ve seen on any watch. They ship on either a Tropic rubber, canvas, or leather band with quick release pins, and thanks to the inclusion of drilled lugs, can take shoulderless springbars.
I personally opted to equip mine with a set of Marathon’s 18mm shoulderless spring bars and a vintage-looking woven cotton NATO that I quickly converted to a single-pass strap. I feel that this is more true to the style of the watch, and to me I prefer the security of the shoulderless bars given that I am an infantryman and I use this watch for work regularly in my rotation. The only real complaint that I can muster after wearing this watch for an extended period of time is that there isn’t an option for a NATO-equipped version through their website. There is an option to purchase a NATO under their accessory section, but it is only available (at the time of this publication) in a 20mm width and rather shockingly costs $60 USD. They also provide a Perlon strap for purchase, but only in 16 and 20mm widths.; I will acquiesce that this strap may be worth $60 USD in this case, given that many less-expensive Perlon options are very poorly-made and fall apart under any real use. I understand that there doesn’t need to be a pre-configured option for shoulderless bars and appreciate the inclusion of drilled lugs for like-minded individuals to opt for them on their own accord, but there could perhaps be a variant that ships as a head-only model outfitted with some shoulderless bars installed. Food for thought.
For us at the SBWC, there is an immense appeal to Praesidus, and being able to work with them by having several watches sent to various team members and writers was an incredibly kind gesture. We hail from military and law enforcement professions. We are end-users. We also happen to be nerds, and as I said above, we love the history that so many brands bring to the table, and in the case of Praesidus, the history that they seek to preserve. Their portfolio consists of some truly unique watches brought out of the past and built to modern standards. From the A-11, A-5 UDT, and PAC-76, to the Jungle Field and Rec Spec, the faithful recreation of some of the most iconic, important pieces of military horology are available at accessible price points. It doesn’t matter if you want to wear something that looks vintage for the sake of the vintage appeal, if you’re a reenactor that needs to nerd out that little extra bit for your impression at your next event, or if you want to have a look-alike of the borderline-sacred heirloom your grandfather wore through WWII or ‘Nam, you can reach out and grab one thanks to the team at Praesidus.
Having been fortunate enough to get the inside scoop on some upcoming releases, I can say that I am very interested in Praesidus and their offerings, both present and future. This is a company that captures the magic of yesteryear and preserves some of the most important aspects of the history of the American and Allied Nation’s Warfighters. It affords you, fellow nerds, the opportunity to utilize historic timepieces in your own military adventures, whether they be behind a desk in S3, spending Mondays doing maintenance in your motorpool, weeks in the field, a CALFEX, or should the clarion call sound for you: even at war.