When I first joined the Navy, they were switching from a version of the Type l, and ll to the Timex Iron man watches. I had never seen any of the Type l and ll, (Patch’s Watson had one he always had on at the reunions) but what I do remember is walking thru the compound and seeing one of the supply people sitting out onside with a hammer breaking all the watched that looked like type l and ll so that we could get more Timex. You can’t buy new ones until the old ones are gone. I have always heard that Rolex had made a watch for the Teams. I would love to have one of those watches, knowing the history of what it has seen, and it had been a part of.
The Benrus Type l and later the Benrus Type ll was explicitly made for US Special Forces. They were mainly a dive watch, but they did make ones for land navigation, but they were also waterproof. Here are two articles that talk about watches. Some of the most iconic pictures from the early days of SEAL teams and Special Forces, you can see them wearing the watches.
Even Aldo Ray wore one in the movie The Green Berets. Why do I point that out? Well MSgt Muldoon rocks in that movies, and he was UDT in WW II. When he rips into the reporter about communist domination, that is one of the best scenes ever. I am not a fan of reporters.
huckberry.com/journal/posts/the-special-forces-watch-that-never-existed
wornandwound.com/benrus-type-i-and-type-ii-mil-w-50717-military-dive-watches
